Scooby-Doo is one of the most recognizable IPs in entertainment, spanning generations. The various shows and films have woven themselves into pop culture in unique ways. Pamela Anderson played herself in the live-action 2002 film, but in 1999, Scooby-Doo paid homage to the most iconic found-footage horror film, The Blair Witch Project.
The Blair Witch Project revolutionized the horror genre because it was the first of its kind to hit the mainstream. Instead of a polished Hollywood production, The Blair Witch Project had shaky handheld cameras and characters that felt like real people. It didn’t have a huge budget, but it proved that original ideas don’t need millions of dollars to work. The concept helped influence films like Paranormal Activity and Cloverfield.
In 1999, Scooby-Doo spoofed the film by releasing The Scooby-Doo Project on Cartoon Network. It aired in segments on Halloween night during the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! marathon.
The Mystery Gang Meet The Blair Witch
Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby head out to investigate their latest mystery in Casper County. Velma is filming the project for the gang, who spend time interviewing locals about the monster haunting the woods. Soon enough, they park the Mystery Machine to trek into the woods. In the original film, the students stumble upon a pile of eerily placed stones—in the parody, they’re Scooby Snacks. When they lose their map, Shaggy reveals he got hungry and ate it.
Later, they begin to hear strange sounds outside their tent, only to discover it’s Scrappy-Doo! It’s a clever way to parody the film while honoring Scooby-Doo lore. When the show first premiered in the 1960s, it paid homage to classic monsters that first appeared in Universal’s black-and-white silent films in the 1930s and 40s. In the end, the gang unmasks a random live-action man who claims to have nothing to do with the haunting in the woods. Only then do they realize there’s a more sinister monster lurking just outside as the camera cuts out.
The Scooby Project wasn’t the first Blair Witch Project spoof; in fact, it was one of many, but it definitely introduced a new level of frights and trauma for children excited to watch a marathon of cartoons.
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