By far the creepiest Scooby mystery.
In this episode, the gang investigates at a circus that is supposedly being haunted by a ghost clown who is hypnotizing people.
As a kid, this is the one episode of Scooby-Doo that I would not watch as it creeped me out. Watching it again as an adult, I fully understand why. Not only does the Ghost Clown have a creepy design but all these years later he is still one of the most dangerous Scooby villains ever. Unlike most of the villains he does not simply try to scare people, but he truly puts lives in danger. In this episode he comes very close to killing Shaggy, Scooby and Daphne. This makes this one of the most suspenseful episodes of the show. Even though deep inside we know nothing is going to happen to our heroes, this episode still puts us on the edge of our seats. However, what made me not want to watch this episode as a kid is just what makes it appeal to me today as the suspense truly makes this episode stand out. However, in true Scooby-Doo fashion the suspense is expertly combined with classic cartoon slapstick. While this may not be one of the funniest episodes, but the humor is still a lot of fun. The circus also works as a perfect setting for a Scooby mystery. There is something about a circus at night that is equal parts creepy and fun, which is just what Scooby-Doo is at its best. It also allows for some truly great and atmospheric background art.
This episode was adapted into a comic book in the 1971 Gold Key comic book story The Phantom Clown from Scooby Doo... Where Are You! #9. It would much later be adapted into the 2021 children's book Scooby-Doo! Mini Mysteries: Big Top Bandit. The Ghost Clown appears in the live action movies Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004) and Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster (2010) as well as the 2006 video game Scooby-Doo, Who's Watching Who?
This episode is a lot of creepy fun, but I still don't want to run into that creepy clown in a dark alley.
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