Scooby-Doo! Frankencreepy

Name: Scooby-Doo! Frankencreepy
Item: Scooby-Doo! Frankencreepy
Rating: 3
Author: Renee Schonfeld

Movie review by

Renee Schonfeld, Common Sense Media

Scooby-Doo! Frankencreepy Movie Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 7+

(i)

Lots of comic action and silly scares in amusing tale.

NR
2014
74 minutes

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Parents say

age 6+

Based on 3 reviews

Kids say

age 7+

Based on 1 review

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Official trailer

Scooby-Doo! Frankencreepy

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A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

Educational Value

Meant to entertain, not educate. References iconic Frankenstein character, originally created by novelist Mary Shelley.

Positive Messages

Friendship is the value the characters hold most dear. Daphne, whose vanity and pride in her appearance is key here, is cursed by "losing her good looks." The visuals of her weight gain and a specific reference to dress size, though mocking that vanity, may perpetuate unrealistic and undesirable standards of beauty for girls.

Positive Role Models & Representations

Each member of the Scooby-Doo gang, briefly transformed by a curse, ultimately acknowledges that his or her inherent strengths are valuable. They are happy being themselves.

Violence & Scariness

Extensive comic cartoon action and suspense. Characters encounter an assortment of villains, including a Frankenstein-like monster; the metal-faced ghost of a baron; Iago, a cackling, hunch-backed scientist's assistant; a scary housekeeper; and Velma, who for a time is turned into an evil scientist by a curse. They all are trapped on a runaway train, which catches fire; by a ghost who tries to suffocate them; and in a crumbling castle. Multiple chase sequences, explosions, and hand-to-hand fights, with swords, torches, and tools. Eerie and suspenseful music accompanies the characters through many dark passages and startling confrontations.

Sexy Stuff

Language

Consumerism

This movie is the 22nd entry in the Scooby-Doo DVD franchise, a brand that includes a variety of programming and merchandise.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Scooby-Doo! Frankencreepy is jam-packed with comic spookiness, action, monsters, and creepy bad guys. Kids who are comfortable with cartoon violence as opposed to real violence should have no trouble understanding that all is meant to be funny-scary. The movie includes all the "gothic" people and events a fan could dream of: Dr. Frankenstein's monster, the von Dinklestein Curse, a spooky castle, a ghost, a hunch-backed assistant, and a menacing housekeeper, as well as townspeople out for vengeance. Although Velma's family history is the engine for this movie's plot, Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo all take center stage at times for their usual individual nutty and endearing behavior. Daphne, whose vanity and pride in her appearance is key here, is cursed by "losing her good looks." The visuals of her weight gain and a specific reference to dress size, though mocking that vanity, may perpetuate unrealistic and undesirable standards of beauty for girls.

User Reviews

Parents say
Kids say

Adult Written byMatt The Pirate August 31, 2018

age 6+

Classic Monster Mayhem, the Scooby Way.

This one is paint by numbers Scooby-Doo but done to perfection. It jumps the shark with the final unmasking but what better way to end a painfully (in a good w... Continue reading

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Adult Written byGregory Nelson January 27, 2017

age 10+

One of the good Scooby Doo movies that has comedy, emotions, action, and monsters

This movie was powerful, with monsters and curses, and the effects were one of a kind, and when the monster blew up the Mystery Machine, was when the emotions k... Continue reading

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Teen, 13 years old Written byShadow21 February 23, 2015

age 7+

great scooby movie that met my expectations

correction: its rated TV-Y7-FV.
Spoilers! Spoilers! Spoilers!

Many kids might be disturbed of some things of the movie, like velma's past, or the mystery... Continue reading

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What's the story?

An astonished Velma finds out she has inherited an estate from a recently deceased uncle -- the Baron von Dinklestein -- in SCOOBY-DOO! FRANKENCREEPY. The gang travels to Transylvania (Transylvania, Pennsylvania, that is), only to find that the von Dinklestein castle (darkly spooky and fraught with danger) comes complete with a ghost, an oddball staff, a monster lying dormant and waiting to be set free, and a nearby village whose vengeful citizens blame the family for the von Dinklestein curse, which promises that its victims will "lose the thing they love most" and then face destruction. Of course, practical, brainy Velma simply doesn't believe in monsters or curses, but even she is at risk when mysterious events rapidly overtake the Scooby-Doo crew. They are all quickly victims of the curse and at the mercy of a slew of legendary villains of all shapes and sizes. Will this adventure prove to be the undoing of the stellar solvers of the supernatural?

Is it any good?

There are lots of levels of funny in this Scooby-Doo adventure. Audiences will appreciate the villagers who pride themselves on their endangered torch factory ("Our burning pieces of wood are second to none!") and the irreverent parodies of classic gothic characters (hunchbacked assistant, forbidding housekeeper, Dr. von Dinklestein's "monster"). Assorted spooky scares (fires, explosions, chases, fights) alternate with some psychological comedy-drama as one by one the gang members become victims of the curse. Too many endings and one ludicrous reveal in the final moments take the story over the top, but young Scooby-Doo fans and even some grown-ups who watch with them should be entertained by this offering (the 22nd in the Scooby-Doo direct-to-DVD catalogue).

Talk to your kids about ...

Families can talk about all the different legendary and mythological characters and places the Scooby-Doo gang encounters in this film. Which ones, if any, did you recognize? Why do you think they've retained their popularity so long after their creation?
The von Dinklestein curse causes each of the heroes to "lose the thing they love most." What did each hero lose and then learn about him or herself from that loss?
The Scooby-Doo five have been solving supernatural mysteries since 1969. Use the Internet to find out more about these successful comic adventurers. How have they changed over the years? What has remained the same?