When the Mystery Machine breaks down in front of a haunted mansion, the gang becomes wrapped up in the mystery of the Headless Specter.
This episode contains episodes of the following tropes:
- Anti-Villain: Penrod Stillwall is the descendant of Jefferson Stillwall, and thus the treasure in the manor is rightfully his by descent. He came up with the whole "Headless Specter" hoax to scare off would-be thieves while he searched for the treasure himself.
- Bedsheet Ghost: A ghost like this rises out of the well, but then the gang learns it's actually a balloon with a ghost sheet over it. And then Asa Shanks disguises himself this way, rather poorly, in an attempt to steal the Stillwall treasure.
- Chekhov's Gun: The strange thumping noise the gang heard throughout the episode. After discovering it wasn't Penrod Stillwall making them (with he in turn thinking they were the ones responsible), they realize there's an actual villain on the scene.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Asa Shanks appears in the beginning to tell the gang about the ghost of the week. He turns out to be "haunting" the mansion to steal the treasure.
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Upon learning Penrod Stillwall was only trying to scare people away from stealing his birthright fortune, the gang assures him that they don't want it and even offer to help him find it.
- Deep South: Where the episode seems to take place, given the accents and Victorian-style mansion.
- Fright Beside Them: In a dark passageway, Shaggy and Velma decide to hold hands so they don't get separated. Both of them comment on how clammy the other's hands are. Then they emerge from the tunnel...to find that the Headless Specter had gotten between them and both of them were holding one of his hands.
- Haunted House: A classic example with the Stillwall Mansion.
- Meta Twist: In a first for the franchise, the Monster of the Week turns out to actually have legitimate, non-villainous reasons for putting on the "Scooby-Doo" Hoax. The gang even works together with him to take down the actual villain.
- Monster of the Week: The Headless Specter.
- Red Herring:
- The Headless Specter, a.k.a. Penrod Stillwall, was simply trying to prevent thieves from stealing his family treasure. The REAL villain turns out to be Penrod's neighbor Asa Shanks, who was indeed trying to steal the treasure.
- Also, the portrait ("Stillwall Shows The Way") turned out to be a red herring clue because someone moved the picture so it was no longer pointing where the treasure was.
- Tempting Fate: After he and Scooby use balloons to get away from the Headless Specter, Shaggy declares he can't get them now. Cue the ghost using a balloon of his own to chase them.
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: Penrod Stillwall, who dressed up as the Headless Specter, bears a striking resemblance to his great-great-great grandfather Jefferson Stillwall, whom the Headless Spector was supposed to be. The only notable difference is that Penrod is balding on top, but his face still looks very much like Jefferson's.
