Scooby Doo, Where Are You! (TV Series) What the Hex Going On? (1969) User Reviews

Very predictable, but a hex of a fun ride

[callanvass · 8/10 · 16 October 2013]

A friend offers an invitation to the gang for a weekend of catching-up at her family's estate. She picked an inopportune time to invite them. Uncle Stewart seems to be aging in an unusually rapid manner, due to the alleged ghost, who is turning Uncle Stuart into an old man. The Gang refuses to be warded off, and investigates the mystery

This was one of my favorite episodes as a teenager. It still holds up pretty well today. I've always found the opening shot of Uncle Stuart walking to the haunted estate, in a trance very creepy. There is just something about it that is chilling. There are moments where you have to kick your brain to the curb. Example, how does the villain fall so easily for his own tricks at the end, when the gang turns the tables on him? It's also not hard to predict who is behind the scams, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying it. One of my favorite moments in this show is when Shaggy is on roller skates, and stumbles into a bathtub. I also like the door passage gag, which is started by Scooby, and of course, Scooby playing a fortune teller, with Shaggy providing the voice. The villain himself is average at best. It's not quite as dull as The Miner 49er, but it doesn't rank among the best either. The creepy atmosphere and the smart gags really make this episode. I do have issues with it these days, but I still think of it very fondly as an extremely enjoyable episode. It's a must see for Scooby fans, or people who enjoy cartoons in general.

8.6/10

Genuinely creepy and incredibly smart

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 11 July 2016]

'Scooby Doo Where are You' was the first Scooby Doo incarnation, and to me it's still the best. "What the Hex is Going On?" is an improvement over "Decoy for a Dognapper", which was good and entertaining but lacked atmosphere and had a contender for the most forgettable main villain of the series, and is almost as good as the first three episodes.

My complaints actually are only two. One is the true identity of the perpetrator (the Ghost however is pretty cool), while his scheming is clever and solved by the gang through ingenious use of clues and the identity is not as obvious as 49er, the Ape Man and especially the Witch Doctor it is incredibly predictable who it is and like the other examples it is a case of that it only could have been one person. It was a huge shock to the rest of the supporting characters, but not a shock to the audience or the gang.

The other problem if not quite as much is that the Ghost of Elias Kingston does, agreed, get outwitted far too easily.

However, the animation is lively, atmospheric, lushly coloured and nicely drawn as always, with a genuinely spooky setting (one of the spookiest actually of the whole show). The music adds to the impact the atmosphere creates, although the incredibly eerie Ghost of Captain Cutler theme in "A Clue for Scooby Doo" has the most effective use of music "What the Hex is Going On?" is not too far behind. And it is very difficult to resist the classic theme song that is one of the most iconic in animation.

"What the Hex is Going On" is genuinely creepy, atmospherically it is one of the creepiest of the series. Not just the setting, but in particular the opening scene with one of the characters in a trance hands outstretched being enticed by the eerily booming voice that is almost as nightmare-inducing as Ghost of Captain Cutler's roar, Spooky Space Kook's laugh or 49er's moan. This said, it also has some of the show's smartest writing while maintaining the endearing goofiness, with some hilarious dialogue with Scooby and Shaggy, and some of the funniest moments like Shaggy stumbling into the bath-tub/shower and Scooby as the fortune teller.

The mystery still engrosses and very well-paced. There are some nice clues that carry the story nicely without being convoluted or simplistic and a case that's easy to follow and comprehend. It's formulaic, but not in a way that's overly predictable, which is true of Scooby Doo at its best or when it's still solid. Again the dark and creepy atmosphere helps enormously, as well as the humour, how well established the lead characters are and Shaggy and Scooby's charming, affecting and amusing friendship. Nothing to complain about with the voice acting, who can go wrong with Don Messick's Scooby and Casey Kasem's Shaggy (both definitive).

Overall, despite some obviousness and predictability the creepiness and smart fun more than compensates. 9/10 Bethany Cox

What the Hex Going On? is a favorite.

[morantjavonte · 9/10 · 4 November 2015]

The gang are investigating a case of why the Ghost of Elias Kingston is haunting a mansion. Episode 6 is a great one. The entire plot is actually kinda predictable though (especially who is under the mask). But that doesn't stop me from enjoying it over and over. My favorite moment of the show was when Shaggy took the Scooby snacks instead of Scooby, and then regretting his promise when he went inside the place. The Ghost of Elias Kingston was pretty cool in my opinion. Like I said earlier though, it was really predictable on who was under the mask. The ending on how the ghost was captured was hilarious too.

Overall great episode..... 9/10

What the Hex Going On?

[Michael_Elliott · 13 October 2013]

Scooby Doo, Where Are You!

S1E6: What the Hex Going On? (1969)

The gang witnesses a young man walk into a castle. Soon afterwards he comes out and now he's an old man. This here causes the gang to investigate and soon they're battling a mysterious ghost. The sixth episode in the original series certainly has a lot of good moments but I think it falls short of being one of the best in the series. We'll start off with the good stuff and you have to begin with Scooby and Shaggy. Both of them are offered some pretty fun moments including the one where Scooby must pretend to be a palm reader with Shaggy supplying the voice. Another good moment happens when Shaggy gets introduced to the ghost who has his hand on him. The actual ghost himself isn't the most memorable villain the gang has gone up against but he's by no means the worse. The one thing lacking here are the comic moments but fans should still enjoy this episode.

Episode: B+

What the Hex Going On?

[MrFilmAndTelevisionShow · 8/10 · 15 August 2021]

The villain look is more iconic than his name, because he features in the introduction however this episode is great nonetheless it also features the oh so familiar haunted house from the introduction. Again I feel the need to comment on the laugh track which by now has clearly settled in nicely.