Have always been a big Scooby Doo fan, and as well as being the first incarnation for me 'Scooby Doo Where are You' is still the best one.
"A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts" epitomises classic Scooby Doo, and was always one of my favourites from the show. It will not just delight Scooby Doo fans young and old but will delight classic horror film-buffs.
The castle setting is incredibly atmospheric and one of the top five creepiest settings of a show full of them, while the animation is lively, atmospheric, lushly coloured and nicely drawn as always. The music adds to the impact the atmosphere creates, and it is very difficult to resist the classic theme song, along with the opening credits where it is so fun spotting and recognising the villains, that is one of the most iconic in animation.
One of "A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts" biggest charms is the ingenious merging of classic Scooby Doo mystery solving and creepy, fun and affectionate homages to the classic horror monsters. There are some great clues, a clever ending (that is not one of the most surprising of the series, but is a long way from being one you predict exactly early on) and some of the funniest and freakiest moments of the whole show (even a gag, the one with Velma and her glasses, that shouldn't have worked and would have been tiresome with lesser execution works perfectly). Very rarely do you get Dracula, Frankenstein's monster and a werewolf in one episode and be so cool, intimidating and sometimes hilarious equally. The gypsy is a good character too.
Dialogue is witty, silly but endearingly so and always very funny and often more than that. Love the atmosphere and energy of the always easy to follow while never being too predictable or over-simplistic story, and the charming chemistry between the gang. Scooby and Shaggy induce plenty of laughs and smiles and their relationship entertains and affects constantly, though Fred, Velma and Daphne are hardly bland even with less meaty material. The voice acting is very good from especially Don Messick and Casey Kasem.
Overall, one of the finest examples of classic Scooby Doo. 10/10 Bethany Cox
