The coolest thing about Saturday Morning Mystery, a dark comedy / horror film directed by Spencer Parsons, is that it spoofs one of the most beloved cartoons of all-time: Hanna Barbara’s Scooby Doo.
Ultra-intelligent Nancy (Ashley Rae Spillers) leads a team of paranormal investigators, the chief function of which is to debunk so-called hauntings, exposing them as frauds or, in some cases, fronts for criminal activities.
Joining Nancy on her adventures are her best friend Gwen (Josephine Decker); Gwen’s wealthy boyfriend Chad (Adam Tate); and stoner electronics whiz Floyd (Jonny Mars), whose dog Hamlet serves as the team’s unofficial mascot.
Hired by a bank to investigate the Kyser mansion, a vast estate rumored to have once been owned by Satan worshipers, Nancy and company prepare for what they believe will be yet another routine assignment. But as the evening wears on, they find themselves wondering if the stories surrounding the Kyser are merely legend, or if it’s the first genuinely haunted house they ever explored.
Fans of Scooby Doo will have no problem matching the characters in Saturday Morning Mystery with their animated alter-egos, and part of the fun is watching them (or, in this case, reasonable facsimiles of them) interact in a real-life setting.
Yet as entertaining as the premise is, and as shocking as a few later scenes are, Saturday Morning Mystery isn’t particularly well-structured, with the movie sometimes giving off a “we-made-it-up-as-we-went-along” vibe. Still, the horror-centric moments are effective, and there are a few twists and turns that may take viewers – even those familiar with Scooby Doo – by surprise.
Rating: 7 out of 10
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