Saturday Morning Mystery (2012)

After watching something tame on Friday night with the enjoyable Now You See Me (2013), I decided to venture into something potentially darker. As a child I loved Scooby Doo, so anytime I see any type of new Scooby Doo movie or even parody, I am game. That led me to this pick, the low budget indie flick, Saturday Morning Mystery.  

Plot/ A dark and bloody parody about a Scooby-Doo-like team of paranormal investigators and their devoted dog. With the crew nearing bankruptcy, they are hired to get to the bottom of a series of spooky events at the remote Kyser mansion, an old religious school plagued by rumors of satanism and ritualistic murder. 

Also known as Saturday Morning Massacre, this flick jumped out to me when I saw it at Family Video. Yes, I expected a Scooby Doo parody, but what I did not expect was how much would be added to thee typical parody scenario. In fact, it is so much more than what one would expect in a film of that type, as the parody was only used to set-up the back-story. From there, a dark story developed that was chalked full of violence and gore. The story is interesting, the script works, and the cinematography creates a solid atmosphere throughout. Sure, the acting is not top shelf and some of the comedic moments fall flat, but that does nothing to take away from the overall feel of this low budget sleeper. In the end, it is not your typical parody and trends more toward an indie slasher, and one that is quite entertaining. If you have not seen it, try it, you will be surprised.