History WesternAnimation / ScoobyDooAndTheWitchsGhost

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: The film establishes Thorn as [[WitchSpecies one-sixteenth Wiccan]], which would make sense if Wicca doubled as an ethnic identity like Judaism, but it doesn't (and even that somewhat veers into Nazi-level mental gymnastics, seeing as there's nothing that forces someone who ascribes to Judaism to actually be Israeli). They also push the age of Wicca back at least to the Salem witch trials, whereas it actually dates from the 20th century (so being one-sixteenth Wiccan, which would take five generations, is only barely possible even if you involve a lot of {{squick}}). In the finale, this means (and somehow it's Daphne who just intuitively knows this, and not the one-sixteenth Wiccan herself, though she was admittedly terrified out of her mind at the time and never took her vague Wicca-relation seriously in the first place) that she can cast magic, defeating the evil Witch. Oh yes, in this movie, rather than simply an ecologically-focused type of spirituality, [[GoodWitchVersusBadWitch Wiccans are good magic-users, and Witches are evil ones]].

* WitchSpecies: In this movie, magic is hereditary. And both [[spoiler:Ben Ravencroft]] and [[spoiler:Thorn]][[note]]She is [[HeinzHybrid 1/16 Wiccan on her mother's side]][[/note]] have the right ancestry.

''We got a problem...''\\

The second direct-to-video film in the [[Franchise/ScoobyDoo Scooby-Doo franchise]], ''Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost'' was directed by Jim Stenstrum and produced by [[Creator/WarnerBros Warner Bros. Animation]] with a [[Creator/HannaBarbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc.]] copyright. It debuted on October 5, 1999.

The Mystery Inc. gang travel to a New England town called Oakhaven after being invited by horror writer Ben Ravencroft to view the fall color. When they arrive, the gang learn that the ghost of a colonial Wiccan [[note]] there is no actual such thing in RealLife, because Wicca is a modern religion. See UsefulNotes/{{Wicca}} [[/note]] who burned as a witch is terrorizing Ben's hometown, and she happens to be Ben’s ancestor. While investigating the mystery, Scooby and the gang meet the local eco-goth rock band, [[RockTrio The Hex Girls]]. With the Hex Girls' help, our heroes eventually find there’s more to the mystery than meets the eye...

** Velma screams "No" when [[spoiler: Ben activates the book’s magic]], and another when [[spoiler: he is blessed with dark magic.]]

* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler:Velma looked up to (and it’s highly hinted that she had a bit of a crush on) Ben Ravencroft, he was her favorite writer. And then he reveals his true colors.]]

** [[spoiler: Ben Ravencroft has a pretty great one too, after his true nature is revealed. Of course, it's a given since he’s voiced by Creator/TimCurry, who's known for his memorable EvilLaugh.]]

** Potkins begins the famous “YouMeddlingKids” phrase after being caught, only to put the blame on Ben, [[spoiler: hinting this is really a hoax.]] In addition, Ben is the one who does the unmasking, [[spoiler: foreshadowing he set the whole thing up.]]

* KnightOfCerebus: [[spoiler: As with the villains featured in the film before this one, Ben and Sarah Ravencroft are very much dangerous threats that should be taken seriously. They don’t drain all the comedy from the movie after their true colors are revealed, but the entire last twenty minutes of the movie become a desperate fight for survival against their dark magic.]]

* ScareChord: A deep, guttural one plays when [[spoiler: Sarah’s journal is found and revealed to be an evil grimoire]].

* ThisIsGonnaSuck: When Scooby and Shaggy go to eat at Jack’s diner, Ben says it’s on him. The others warn him that he’s going to regret it, and sure enough, Scooby and Shaggy eat inhumanly huge amounts of food and surely rack up a colossal, easily four figure meal. [[spoiler: Mercifully, Ben is trapped forever in Sarah’s destroyed spell book before he has to pay the bill, but it elicits a similar reaction as this tropes.]]

* WhamShot: [[spoiler: The shot revealing that Sarah’s journal that Ben has been searching for - supposedly one about her medicine that will clear her name - has a huge, demonic skull on it. This immediately makes it clear that Ben was ''not'' telling the truth about his ancestor.]]

* BondOneLiner: Shaggy gets one when [[spoiler:the book Ben and Sarah get trapped in is destroyed by a burning branch]]. See AndIMustScream above.

* CanonImmigrant: This was the introduction of the Hex Girls, who would return in ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheLegendOfTheVampire'' and would go on to appear in ''WesternAnimation/WhatsNewScoobyDoo'' and ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated''.

-->[[spoiler:'''Velma:''' Ben Ravencroft’s last book is one the world will never buy...]]

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: The film treats Wicca as the equivalent of a good witch to counteract against the actual WickedWitch. In actuality, Wicca is a religious faith that anyone can practice if they choose. This also means that there's no such thing as [[WitchSpecies Wiccan ancestry]], making Thorn being "1/16th Wiccan" sound more like the equivalent of someone that was claimed to be "1/16 Catholic". Furthermore, Wicca did not exist prior to the 20th Century. It was established in its current form in the 1950s by Gerald Gardner. Though Wicca is sometimes stated to be a survival of repressed medieval paganism, there is no evidence of these claims.

* VileVillainSaccharineShow: [[spoiler: Ben and Sarah Ravencroft, however, Sarah is a definite force not to be reckoned with.]]

-->[[spoiler:'''Shaggy:''' [[BondOneLiner Like, it would have been a]] ''[[BondOneLiner hot]]'' [[BondOneLiner best seller]].]]

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Dusk and Luna after they're freed.

-->''It's the witch's ghost'' \\

* SpiritualAntithesis: Has one in the form of ''WesternAnimation/ParaNorman'', given their similar genre (family/horror/comedy/mystery), settings (Salem-esque, Massachusetts), and subject manner (how a town's witch-related legends and past affects them in the present). However,'' [=ParaNorman=]'' inverts the order of the films' shared plot points to create significantly contrasting themes. In ''The Witch's Ghost,'' the witch is presented as an innocent and unjustly executed HeroWithBadPublicity by her descendant and [[spoiler: the twist is that she was evil and her ghost enacts a curse upon the town in the third act.]] In ''[=ParaNorman=]'', the inciting incident is that the curse of an executed witch is coming into effect over a Massachusetts town [[spoiler:and the third act ''twist'' is that the "witch"'s descendant discovers the "witch" was innocent and unjustly executed, and the curse is her restless ghost lashing out from the trauma of being murdered by her community]]. ''[=ParaNorman=]'' can easily read as a brutally honest update on ''Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost,'' [[spoiler: considering ''[=ParaNorman=]'' focuses heavily on the cruelty that was committed onto its "witch" during the Trials and how society has perpetuated the narrative of the victims being villains to make history more palatable, in direct contrast to ''The Witch's Ghost,'' which leans into the narratives behind the executions by not only portraying its witch as truly evil and implicitly justifying her execution but also casting her surviving descendant's attempts to clear her name in the historical record as a villainous plot to trick people.]] It's likely that the dialogue between the two films is deliberate, because while he never specifically addresses ''The Witch's Ghost,'' ''Scooby Doo'' is referred to by director Chris Butler [[https://thefilmstage.com/video-interview-paranorman-co-directors-chris-butler-sam-fell-talk-scooby-doo-influence-bullying-puppet-hospitals-more/ as being a "defining influence"]] on ''[=ParaNorman=].'' The two films even have similar (and similarly inverted) book-finding subplots; in ''The Witch's Ghost,'' the cast are seeking the witch's allegedly mundane book, [[spoiler:which turns out at the end of the second act to be a spellbook that is eventually used against her to return her to the grave.]] In ''[=ParaNorman=],'' Norman begins the second act trying to retrieve a book he believes can help him magically return the witch to her grave, but [[spoiler:it turns out to be an ordinary book only significant because of its sentimental value to the "witch."]]

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/scooby-doo-witchs-ghost-vhs-cover-art_7908.jpg]]

* TakingYouWithMe: [[spoiler: Not wanting to be sealed back in the book alone, Sarah Ravencroft decides to take her grandson inside the book with her.]]

* {{Expy}}: Ben Ravencroft is a dead ringer for [[WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}} David Xanatos]]. And he bears more than a passing resemblance to real life New England horror novelist Stephen King.

* CallBack: After what happened in ''Zombie Island'', everyone in Mystery. Inc. is more accepting of irrational events happening like [[spoiler:Ben using black magic.]]

* BigFun: Mayor Corey and Jack the diner owner are plump, jolly, welcoming individuals/ [[spoiler: That being said, both are part of the fake witch conspiracy. Mayor Corey does show up to apologize afterwards, but Jack doesn't]].

* BigEater: Scooby and Shaggy, proving this once again in one of their more notable eating adventures. They apparently eat so much that Jack has to run to the market to stock up on food to cook, and leave him with enormous stomachs and a massive pile of dishes. It's a wonder Scooby could walk with such a BalloonBelly.

* YouKeepUsingThatWord: Wicca is a religion, not a synonym for [[spoiler:[[WhiteMagic Good Witchcraft]]]].

* SpiritualAntithesis: Has one in the form of ''WesternAnimation/ParaNorman'', given their similar genre (family/horror/comedy/mystery), settings (Salem-esque, Massachusetts), and subject manner (how a town's witch-related legends and past affects them in the present). However,'' [=ParaNorman=]'' inverts the order of the films' shared plot points to create significantly contrasting themes. In ''The Witch's Ghost,'' the witch is presented as an innocent and unjustly executed HeroWithBadPublicity by her descendant and [[spoiler: the twist is that she was evil and her ghost enacts a curse upon the town in the third act.]] In ''[=ParaNorman=]'', the inciting incident is that the curse of an executed witch is coming into effect over a Massachusetts town [[spoiler:and the third act ''twist'' is that the "witch"'s descendant discovers the "witch" was innocent and unjustly executed, and the curse is her restless ghost lashing out from the trauma of being murdered by her community]]. ''[=ParaNorman=]'' can easily read as a brutally honest update on ''Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost,'' [[spoiler: considering ''[=ParaNorman=]'' focuses heavily on the cruelty that was committed onto its "witch" during the Trials and how society has perpetuated the narrative of the victims being villains to make history more palatable, in direct contrast to ''The Witch's Ghost,'' which leans into the narratives behind the executions by not only portraying its witch as truly evil and implicitly justifying her execution but also casting her surviving descendant's attempts to clear her name in the historical record as a villainous plot to trick people.]] It's likely that the dialogue between the two films is deliberate, because while he never specifically addresses ''The Witch's Ghost,'' ''Scooby Doo'' is referred to by director Christ Butler [[https://thefilmstage.com/video-interview-paranorman-co-directors-chris-butler-sam-fell-talk-scooby-doo-influence-bullying-puppet-hospitals-more/ as being a "defining influence"]] on ''[=ParaNorman=].'' The two films even have similar (and similarly inverted) book-finding subplots; in ''The Witch's Ghost,'' the cast are seeking the witch's allegedly mundane book, [[spoiler:which turns out at the end of the second act to be a spellbook that is eventually used against her to return her to the grave.]] In ''[=ParaNorman=],'' Norman begins the second act trying to retrieve a book he believes can help him magically return the witch to her grave, but [[spoiler:it turns out to be an ordinary book only significant because of its sentimental value to the "witch."]]

* SpiritualAntithesis: Has one in the form of ''WesternAnimation/ParaNorman'', given their similar genre (family/horror/comedy/mystery), settings (Salem-esque, Massachusetts), and subject manner (how a town's witch-related legends and past affects them in the present). However,'' [=ParaNorman=]'' inverts the order of the films' shared plot points to create significantly contrasting themes. In ''The Witch's Ghost,'' the witch is presented as an innocent and unjustly executed HeroWithBadPublicity by her descendant and [[spoiler: the twist is that she was evil and her ghost enacts a curse upon the town in the third act.]] In ''[=ParaNorman=]'', the inciting incident is that the curse of an executed witch is coming into effect over a Massachusetts town [[spoiler:and the third act ''twist'' is that the "witch"'s descendant discovers the "witch" was innocent and unjustly executed, and the curse is her restless ghost lashing out from the trauma of being murdered by her community]]. ''[=ParaNorman=]'' can easily read as a brutally honest update on ''Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost,'' [[spoiler: considering ''[=ParaNorman=]'' focuses heavily on the cruelty that was committed onto its "witch" during the Trials and how society has perpetuated the narrative of the victims being villains to make history more palatable, in direct contrast to ''The Witch's Ghost,'' which leans into the narratives behind the executions by not only portraying its witch as truly evil and implicitly justifying her execution, but also casting her surviving descendant's attempts to clear her name in the historical record as a villainous plot to trick people.]] It's likely that the dialogue between the two films is deliberate, because while he never specifically addresses ''The Witch's Ghost,'' ''Scooby Doo'' is referred to by director Christ Butler [[https://thefilmstage.com/video-interview-paranorman-co-directors-chris-butler-sam-fell-talk-scooby-doo-influence-bullying-puppet-hospitals-more/ as being a "defining influence"]] on ''[=ParaNorman=].''

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: Everything said about Wicca is blatantly wrong[[note]]Like it's not old, it has its roots in the ancient early to mid-20th century.[[/note]], but at least the writers don't equate it with WickedWitch. [[spoiler:They equated it with "good witch".]]
** Furthermore, Wicca is a religious faith that anyone can practice if they choose, meaning that there is no such thing as [[WitchSpecies Wiccan ancestry.]] (In other words, Thorn being "1/16th Wiccan" is just as silly as someone claiming to be 1/16th Catholic.)
** Lastly, Wicca did not exist prior to the 20th Century. It was established in its current form in the 1950s by Gerald Gardner. Though Wicca is sometimes stated to be a survival of repressed medieval paganism, there is no evidence of these claims.

So, basically the Mystery Inc. gang travel to a New England town called Oakhaven after being invited by horror writer Ben Ravencroft to view the fall color. When they arrive, the gang learn that the ghost of a colonial Wiccan [[note]] there is no actual such thing in RealLife, because Wicca is a modern religion. See UsefulNotes/{{Wicca}} [[/note]] who burned as a witch is terrorizing Ben's hometown, and she happens to be Ben’s ancestor. While investigating the mystery, Scooby and the gang meet the local eco-goth rock band, [[RockTrio The Hex Girls]]. With the Hex Girls' help, our heroes eventually find there’s more to the mystery than meets the eye...

* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: Subtly so, but the title and chorus of "Earth, Wind, Fire, and Air" mentions the same element twice (Wind and Air being the same thing in terms of the classical elements). One wonders why they couldn't have gone with 'Earth, Water, Fire, And Air".

* ScareChord: A deep, guttural one plays when [[spoiler: Sarah’s journal is found and revealed to be an evil scare chord]].

* SpellBook: What the diary, which [[spoiler:Ben Ravencroft]] is seeking, is.

** [[spoiler: Ben]] becomes visibly irritated and annoyed when Velma continues to incessantly gush about his work, and is extremely eager to cut her off once they arrive in Oakhaven. This is a hint that he is a BitchInSheepsClothing and is only using the gang for his own ends.

** [[spoiler: Ben Ravencroft has a pretty great one too, after his true nature is revealed. Of course, it's a given since he’s voiced by Creator/TimCurry, who's known for his memorable EvilLaugh]]

* AccidentalInnuendo, One line from the Hex Girls first song does bring the phrase NocturnalEmission to mind.
--> '''Thorn:''' You'll wake up in the dead of night, Missing Me When I'm out of sight.