`The Scooby Doo Project': Now That's A Scary Thought!

By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.

What should you do? Pull the covers over your head? Stay out of the woods and strange houses? Call Sunny Kobe Cook to see if she can make the scary men go away?

Well, sure. But you don't have to forsake every thrill. To make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck without leaving the soft scrumptiousness of your couch, all you really need to know is where the remote control is.

Shocktober is the only time of year channels literally go straight to hell - or at least the graveyard - with their program planning.

And, like Halloween, some of the best treats are for kids. Disney has a delightfully devilish new movie premiering this weekend. Fox Family, whose programming typically lacks bite, nevertheless gets in on the cackling with 13 days of pumpkin-flavored movies rerun over and over again. But the hippest fright fest will be taking place on Cartoon Network, and here's the best part - it's not even a show!

They're promotional spots starring that canine crusader: Scooby Doo.

Now, regular readers of this column know that I am not a huge fan of Scooby Doo. In fact, when Cartoon Network has marathons of Scoob toons, it makes me groan more than the monsters Velma likes to unmask. This is not the fault of Scooby, but of cartoon history's greatest abomination, Scrappy Doo. Scrappy, I believe, is the force behind millions of cartoon fans kicking the habit in the late '80s.

Be that as it may! Scooby and the gang redeemed themselves this month with their commercial parodies of "The Blair Witch Project." Not only are these spots scarily true to the indie movie's style and format, but they're also downright hilarious. And if I can say that, it must be good.

In the commercials, the gang goes into some haunted woods in search of a mystery . . . only to find what could be their undoing! Authorities find the Mystery Bus abandoned and later, their videotapes. Among the footage are images of stick effigies of dogs hanging from trees (Relp!), interviews with toothless townsfolk before they venture into the woods, Shaggy whimpering "I'm so hungry!" and Velma's tearful revelation, minutes before they meet their doom: "Maybe this time," she whimpers, with wet eyes, "we shouldn't have meddled."

The difference between the parody and "Blair Witch" is you actually get to see the villain in the end - and it's horrifying! Truly frightening!

To get the big payoff, though, you have to consume a month's worth of visual Scooby snacks. Saturdays, from 7-9 p.m., Cartoon Network shows a different Scooby Doo flick. (Tomorrow's is "Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School.") At noon on Saturday, Oct. 23, begins a 24-hour marathon of Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy's meddling (groan!) followed by 10 hours of Scooby movies on Oct. 30, beginning at noon (double groan). Grab a submarine sandwich and hunker down. Whatever you do, don't channel surf during the commercials.

Meanwhile, back in Mouseville, Disney premieres a Halloween-themed original movie called "Don't Look Under the Bed," a sweet but weird exploration of what happens to imaginary friends and how to incur the wrath of the boogeyman.

Frances McCausland (Erin Chambers) gets a lesson in boogeying down from an imaginary friend named Larry Houdini (Eric "Ty" Hodges II). When strange pranks start being played on the denizens of lovely Middleburg, the townsfolk blame her. Turns out that the boogeyman is getting funky with Frances, so she and Larry have to find out why - and fast. In spite of the dumb title, "Don't Look Under the Bed" is smart and funny for all ages, so parents won't mind watching with their kids. You can pick at the boogeyman by turning on Disney tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.

Later this month, Fox Family Channel puts on the spooky mask and introduces "13 Days of Halloween," beginning Oct. 19 and running through Oct. 31. First, they'll exhume several films and specials, beginning with "Addams Family Reunion," starring Darryl Hannah and Tim Curry as Morticia and Gomez, at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19.

"The World Magic Awards" follows at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22. Then, a live-action-meets-animation movie, "Casper and Wendy," airs Sunday, Oct. 24, at 8 p.m. The scariest things on Fox Family's schedule, though, are the weeknight reruns of "Who's the Boss" - disgusting! - running weeknights at 6 p.m. throughout the boo-fest. Make sure the children are out of the room!

Boo. Melanie McFarland can be reached at 206-464-2256 or by e-mail at mmcfarland@seattletimes.com.