I’m just going to come out and say it: Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo is weird. Like, weirder than Scooby-Doo usually is. And that’s saying something.

I’m not saying it’s bad. But since my son has been a Scooby fan for years, and since I’ve seen what feels like hundreds of hours of Scooby-Doo shows and movies, I figured I knew the formula by now.

First of all, would you believe that in more than 50 years, hundreds of TV episodes, and dozens of movies, there’s NEVER been a story centered on Halloween? I mean, sure, there have been a few episodes of various shows that were set during Halloween, but doesn’t Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo feel like an obvious no-brainer? How has it taken until 2020 to see it?

If you’re not up on your Scooby-Doo, I should point out that the avalanche of direct-to-DVD Scooby films that come out fairly regularly aren’t usually tied to any specific show. Typically, they stand alone. However, Happy Halloween feels very much like it’s supposed to be in the world of the massively popular Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, which aired on Cartoon Network from 2010 through 2013.

First of all, the film takes place in Crystal Cove, the setting of Mystery Inc. And there’s a lot of cast overlap as well. Happy Halloween stars the current “regulars” of the Scoobyverse: Frank Welker as Scooby and Fred, Grey Griffin as Daphne, Matthew Lillard as Shaggy, and Kate Micucci as Velma. (The first three are the same, but Mindy Cohn was Velma on Mystery Inc; Micucci took over the role in 2015.)

It’d also be a crime to NOT mention that Frank Welker has been the voice of Fred since the very beginning, back in 1969. How does his voice sound exactly the same after 51 years??!?

The most noticeable difference, though? The Crystal Cove sheriff is noticeably NOT Patrick Warburton, and even though David Herman (who plays the role) does a halfway decent of impersonating Warburton’s distinctive voice, it’s just not the same. And in this film, it matters.

OK, let’s get to the weird parts. The film costars Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (Cassandra Peterson) and… Bill Nye. Somehow, this is supposed to make sense, and I suppose in the Scoobyverse, it does. Random team-ups are a reliable staple of the franchise, and pairing Elvira and Bill Nye is in truth no stranger than the Scooby gang teaming up with the Harlem Globetrotters, Abbott and Costello, or WWE wrestlers.

But the movie crosses even more wires by using the Batman villain Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow (Dwight Schultz). Frankly, it feels like the writers randomly grabbed names out of a hat and then wrote them all into one script. The weirdest part? This all somehow still works.

Don’t get me wrong – it’s goofy as hell, and there are a ton of random threads and loose ends. My kids (9 and 11) had a blast watching… and laughing at everything that doesn’t make total sense. And there’s a lot of that.

But if you’re a Scooby fan, you’re used to the stories not making 100% sense, you’re used to plot holes, and you’re used to random plot twists and turns. I mean, this is still a Scooby-Doo whodunnit; it’s not Knives Out.

Bill Nye appears as a hologram throughout and gifts the gang the Mystery Machine X, a high-tech, tricked-out crime-solving vehicle to replace the classic van, which… spoiler alert… gets destroyed. The Scarecrow is there to bring to life an army of gigantic killer pumpkins. And Elvira is… just sort of there for Daphne to fangirl over, even though it seems totally out of character for her.

The Scooby franchise has also recently taken to embracing its quirky roots. Of the two direct-to-DVD films released in 2019, one (Return to Zombie Island) was a sequel to the very first direct-to-video film in 1998, and the other (The Curse of the 13th Ghost) was a capstone to the all-but-forgotten 1985 series The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo (which featured Vincent Price but didn’t star Fred or Velma).

In keeping with this awesome new tradition, there are a few Easter eggs throughout Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo for diehard fans, including a few that directly reference A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, which I love.

Despite its flaws, Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo is still a fun entry in the franchise, and it’s a fantastic addition to a family-friendly Halloween lineup. I can totally see this living alongside seasonal classics – and October staples – such as Hocus Pocus, Garfield’s Halloween Adventure, and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

(If you’re interested, check out the NYCC panel featuring the cast and director Maxwell Atoms.)

The DVD release of Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo also includes three Halloween-themed episodes from various shows: “Halloween” (from Be Cool, Scooby-Doo), “A Scooby-Doo Halloween” (from What’s New, Scooby-Doo?), and “Ghost Who’s Coming to Dinner” (from A Pup Named Scooby-Doo).