One of the best Scooby mysteries.
In this episode the gang visits their friend Sharon Wetherby at the massive Wetherby Estate. When they arrive her Uncle Stewart had disappeared. When they find him, they discover that he has aged many years. He claimed that he was beckoned by the voice of the ghost of the Ghost of Elias Kingston, who placed a curse on him.
What makes this episode so great is that it is legitimately creepy while keeping the lighthearted feel of the series. The very idea of being cursed to where you age incredibly quickly until you die is pretty spooky. This is a premise that could legitimately be the plot of a horror movie. The scene of the skeleton in the chair is especially spooky. This is not just because of the image of the skeleton, but because of the implications of why he is there. The creepy feeling is helped by the great artwork here. The background art is incredibly atmospheric and adds a lot to this episode. While this is true of most Scooby mysteries of the 1960's and 70's, this episode is a standout in this department. No wonder images of this episode would be used in the theme song segment. Yet despite this, the episode is not low on humor. There are some great moments of slapstick humor here. Comedic highlights include Scooby's run in with the big bulldog, Scooby pretending to be a swami and Shaggy on roller skates. This mixture of the spooky and the silly is just what makes Scooby-Doo! such a beloved franchise and it has really been captured better than it is here.
This episode would loosely be remade as Mystery 101 (2015), the first episode of Be Cool Scooby-Doo! The villain's costume can be seen in the live action theatrical feature film, Scooby-Doo! 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004). However, it is not one of the costumes that comes to life.
This is a top-notch Scooby-Doo mystery in every way.
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