Did the classic Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? cartoon influence the 1974 proto-slasher film Shriek of the Mutilated? Michael Findlay’s drive-in favorite shares some striking similarities to the Hanna-Barbera show.
When the creative team behind the 1972 drive-in hit Invasion of the Blood Farmers began a follow-up, Saturday morning programming was probably the last thing on their minds. Shot on a shoestring budget over a series of weekends, Blood Farmers told the bizarre story of a druid cult harvesting the blood of innocent people in the hopes of reviving their dead queen. Though the film itself was a slight, bargain basement affair, the print advertising helped generate substantial box office throughout the U.S. Finding another theme or title that would attract similar curiosity was the most important decision in the equation.
Ed Adlum, who produced, directed and co-wrote Blood Farmers, was interested in creating a similar cinematic experience. Adlum felt that he had been cheated out of money by the distribution company, so his intention was to duplicate the success of Blood Farmers with a more reputable agency. Intending to exploit the public’s fascination with bigfoot encounters, it was decided the focus would be on a hunt for a yeti – a recently popular kid’s film topic. Adlum again wrote the screenplay with his creative partner Ed Kelleher and hired Michael Findlay, who had edited Blood Farmers, to direct. Deciding on the title Shriek of the Mutilated, the team went about creating a film that would end up sharing some striking similarities to a popular Saturday morning cartoon.
Did Scooby-Doo Influence Shriek of the Mutilated?
The eccentric Professor Prell (Alan Brock) takes his four top grad students on a field trip to collect evidence of a yeti. They travel by van to Boot Island where there have been several sightings of the creepy creature. Conveniently, Prell’s good friend Dr. Werner (Tawn Ellis) has a roomy home on the island where everyone can stay. The four students fit familiar profiles: Keith (Michael Harris) is the smart, athletic type, his girlfriend Karen (Jennifer Stock) is pretty but danger-prone, her friend Lynn (Darcy Brown) is an inquisitive, bookish type with glasses and a short, red bob and Tom (singer Jack Neubeck) is the cut-up who wants to party.
Once the gang is settled into Werner’s home, we are introduced to the ultimate cartoon character Laughing Crow (Ivan Agar), an imposing American Indian butler/cook. Before you can say “That Snow Ghost,” howling can be heard from afar – and a plan to find the beast is set. At one point Velma, or Lynn, stumbles across a dead body and loses her glasses in the excitement. Unlike the Hanna-Barbera version, she doesn’t stumble upon a secret passage – instead she is chased down and “frightened to death” by the monster.
An elaborate trap is eventually set using Lynn’s body as bait – something the Scooby gang would probably not have considered. It should come as no surprise that the yeti, which is shown many times throughout, is a man in a costume. Though the final reveal is not as satisfying as a Scooby-Doo episode, it ends on its own bizarre terms. The striking parallels to Shriek of the Mutilated and classic Scooby-Doo may not constitute criminal intent, but when reviewing all the clues – a case could be made for petty theft. It could be argued that Adlum and company at least did a better job of capturing the spirit of the show than James Gunn (Brightburn) did with his two Scooby movies. Shriek of the Mutilated can currently be streamed on Amazon Prime and Tubi.
