17. The Curse Of Viking Lake
Aired: September 10, 1977
Plot: While visiting Velma's Uncle John, they find out he's discovering Viking Lake. When they arrive they
then find him missing as well as encountering the viking ghosts.
My Two Cents: First episode of a short run of eight for 1977 season is pretty average. The Vikings make for a new and
somewhat cool villain, complete with nice ship, but the episode begins to drag a bit by the end. Unfortunately the 1977 episodes are not yet
fully available on DVD.
My Rating 5.5 (Villain 3.0; Storyline 2.5)
18. Vampire Bats And Scaredy Cats
Aired: September 17, 1977
Plot: The gang goes to visit their friend Lisa Banoh at Great Skull Island, but as it is her 18th birthday, she
inherits the island's hotel, haunted by a vampire. As they get an unexpected and unwanted visit by a vampire, she finds out she
is from a long family line of vampires.
My Two Cents: An overall pretty average episode, the villain has a good, evil look even if it is just another
variation of the Dracula/Vampire idea. The plot and scenery is decent and this is one of Scooby Dum's more tolerable episodes.
My Rating 5.5 (Villain 2.5; Storyline 3.0)
19. Hang In There, Scooby-Doo
Aired: September 24, 1977
Plot: On a trip to a hang gliding contest, the gang encounters a pterodactyl ghost who tries to scare
everyone away from the cliff.
My Two Cents: I gave this episode high marks on both the creative villain and the well done setting in the
mountains during a hang gliding competition. The monster is a classic of sorts (and one of the few they did well in the movies
of the 2000s), and the scene where Shaggy and Scooby run from the monster on a donkey is a classic.
My Rating 8.5 (Villain 4.0; Storyline 4.5)
20. The Chiller Diller Movie Thriller
Aired: October 1, 1977
Plot: Scooby Doo and Scooby Dum's cousin Scooby Dee is remaking a movie originally by Milo Booth, a great
movie director. The gang must protect her from the ghost of Milo Booth, who decides to haunt her from remaking the film.
My Two Cents: An under-rated episode. While the villain isn't a classic, it's a new idea and a generally creepy look.
The episode storyline itself is one of the more interesting and there is good scenery both with the train ride and in Boothville.
Scooby Dee is tolerable, but Scooby Dum gets tiring after a while.
My Rating 7.0 (Villain 3.0; Storyline 4.0)
21. The Spooky Case Of The Grand Prix Race
Aired: October 8, 1977
Plot: At the Osbourne Grand Prix Race a Phantom Racer makes the other drivers disappear when they enter
the fog. So the gang goes to solve their next mystery. The gang asks Shaggy to race him to find out what happened to the
other drivers.
My Two Cents: Probably the best 1977 episode. One of the more memorable villains and evil laughs, this episode is
well done and with some memorable scenes such as when the Phantom attempts to brick Shaggy behind a wall and when Scooby picks
up their race car to make it go faster.
My Rating 9.0 (Villain 4.5; Storyline 4.5)
22. The Ozark Witch Switch
Aired: October 15, 1977
Plot: The rivalry from the 1800's between the Hatfields and McCoys continue. The mystery machine breaks
down and the gang stays in the Hatfields cabin. The Ghost of the Witch McCoy and the Zombie are out for revenge and the
witch turns the Hatfields into frogs.
My Two Cents: I liked the spooky, swampy setting for this one, but the witch isn't up to par with others (1969 and
1978 episodes were better witches), and the zombie seems even more out of place - not appearing until the end of the episode. Turning the
witch into a frog at the end was even more ridiculous than usual endings.
My Rating 4.5 (Villain 2.0; Storyline 2.5)
23. Creepy Cruise
Aired: October 22, 1977
Plot: While on a cruise ship, the gang meets a professor who created a time machine. While he tests it everything
goes wrong and a Future Shocker creature comes out and scares everyone away and steals the professor's money.
My Two Cents: I didn't care for this one as a kid, but it has grown on me a bit watching in my older years. It is still merely average though as the
monster is not particularly memorable, if not just plain weird looking. The cruise scenes on the boat and the other characters are done pretty well.
My Rating 5.0 (Villain 2.0; Storyline 3.0)
24. The Creepy Heap From The Deep
Aired: October 29, 1977
Plot: At their beach party the gang discovers a vicious monster from the deep. They meet a local captain that
says he's familiar with the monster and says legend has it he steals peoples souls to stay alive. Then the monster steals
the captain's soul. Then they find a flashing light coming from the ocean and the captain's house.
My Two Cents: The worst villian of 1977, but a decent storyline. Seriously, would this monster scare you? It's arms aren't
even long enough to reach you if it was chasing you, though the crab-like pinching hands are a nice touch. Episodes with a lot of underwater
scenes never seem to come off too well in my opinion.
My Rating 4.0 (Villian 1.6; Story 2.4)
