Quentin Tarantino Hates This Family-Friendly Series Streaming on Max: “I thought that was a stupid show”
Quentin Tarantino has what some might call a big mouth. His hot takes frequently get him into trouble. The Pulp Fiction director has famously had beef with other filmmakers, onscreen talent, and even journalists. We’ve shared plenty of his unpopular opinions here on Dread Central and I’ve got another wild one for you today: He hates Scooby-Doo. I know. I’m as shocked as you are, dear reader.
Tarantino was a youngster when Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! first premiered. So, one would expect he would have seen the series through the eyes of a child. But the future auteur filmmaker clearly did not.
In conversation with Yesterland (preserved via The Quentin Tarantino Archives), the Jackie Brown director said, “I hated Scooby-Doo. I thought it was a stupid show, I mean, I actually remember watching the first episode ever shown of Scooby-Doo, like the season it started. I go ‘What the heck is this thing?’ I never thought the mysteries were good.
He’s not wrong. The mysteries were not good. They were formulaic, predictable, and implausible. But Tarantino was born in 1963 and Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! premiered in 1969. So, he would have been about six at the time. Now, several seasons are streaming on Max.
What kind of six-year-old doesn’t vibe with Saturday morning cartoons? My Saturday morning childhood ritual was to fill up on breakfast cereal and watch cartoons until my eyes glazed over. Never once did I critique the quality of the narrative. I guess he was always a tastemaker and a tough critic. Tarantino’s sensibilities only sharpened over time, culminating in his celebrated debut, Reservoir Dogs. And the rest, as they say, is history.
You’re likely familiar with the property, but here’s a primer on Scooby-Doo just in case:
Brainiac Velma, jock Fred, fashionista Daphne, hippie Shaggy, and Shaggy’s high-strung, talking Great Dane, Scooby-Doo, climb into their green van, the Mystery Machine, and hit the road in search of weird phenomena to solve. And even when Scooby and the gang aren’t actively searching for them, mysteries just have a way of falling into their laps. Ruh-roh!
That’s all we have for you, for the time being. Stay tuned to the site for more updates on beloved properties that make their way onto Tarantino’s long list of dislikes as we uncover them. If you’d like to discuss the merits of the various Scooby-Doo adaptations or Tarantino’s storied filmography, come find me on Threads @FunWithHorror.
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