Ben Ravencroft is the main antagonist of the Scooby-Doo franchise's seventh feature film Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost.
He is voiced by Tim Curry who later played two other Scooby-Doo villains: The Mastermind and the Goblin King.
History[]
He appeared in a museum, helping the gang to solve a mummy mystery, claiming he had been doing research for a novel when he saw the archaeologists acting suspiciously, and decided to investigate. He then revealed he knew them by reputation, much to Velma's honor, as she was a huge fan of his, and he invited them to his hometown, Oakhaven.
However, upon arrival, Ben was surprised to find his hometown had become flooded with tourists because of the Autumn Fest and a concert featuring the Hex Girls, and was made uncomfortable to find the event was portraying his ancestress as an evil witch and ghost.
He spent time with the gang, while also talking about his ancestress, Sarah Ravencroft, desiring to find her journal to prove she had been a compassionate healer and wiccan, not an evil witch. That night, he, Fred, Velma, and Daphne, ran into Scooby-Doo and Shaggy who claimed they'd been chased by the Witch's Ghost. They followed a source of light and witnessed the Hex Girls rehearsing for the concert. They introduced themselves as Thorn, Dusk, and Luna, and also fans of Ben.
After talking to them, Fred and Daphne stayed to keep an eye on them, while Velma, Ben, Scooby, and Shaggy continued the investigation. Velma sent Scooby and Shaggy to follow the mayor while she and Ben investigated an old barn. There, they found a cherry-picker truck, with the engine still warm.
Eventually, the gang and Ben uncovered the mystery: The Mayor, to raise Oakhaven's tourist industry, started the Autumn Fest and used Sarah Ravencroft's reputation as a witch for a gimmick. The townspeople had pitched in to help; Thorn's father, Mr. McKnight, had posed as the Witch's Ghost, using one of his daughter's props to throw flash-paper, mimicking fireballs. The local restaurant owner, Jack, had hoisted McKnight on the cherry-picker while it was driven by another participant, as was the fan used to create the eerie wind operated by another. Outraged, Ben expressed disappointment in the mayor and all the culprits in his scheme for dragging Sarah's name through the mud.
Later that night at Ben's house, he, the gang, and the Hex Girls were visited by the Mayor and Mr. McKnight, who came to apologize and explain why they had used Sarah's image: They discovered her gravestone while building the puritan village for their Autumn Fest but had found nothing else, no bones or Sarah's book.
Then a stray remark by McKnight enabled Velma to figure out where the book was buried. She and Scooby led them all to the Big Tree Stump, where Scooby had found a "shoe buckle" earlier that day. Digging deeper, he found a chest, which contained the book Ben had sought for so long. But upon opening its pages, Velma concerned Ben, saying it didn't look like a journal at all.
It was there Ben revealed his true colors - he confirmed it was no journal but a spellbook, that Sarah had indeed been a witch, and declared himself a warlock as a direct descendant of Sarah Ravencroft. He explained Wiccans imprisoned Sarah in her own spellbook centuries ago, and that Velma had helped him find it. Velma called him out for lying to her, but he showed no remorse for manipulating her, having searched years for the book, when he came upon her exploits.
He figured Mystery Inc., by their impressive reputation in solving mysteries, could surely help him find the book and then revealed their meeting was not coincidence: Ben was the one who engineered the mummy scheme, paying off the archaeologists and the security guards, just so they could meet. He didn't tell them the truth about the book or Sarah, knowing that if the gang had known the truth they would never have helped him.
Ben then declares he would free Sarah and unlock her power. Reading a spell, he calls upon the dark powers he's inherited from Sarah, and displays some of his powers on them and then attempts to free Sarah, only for the gang to interfere. But in the end, Ben succeeds in summoning Sarah's ghost, only to realize she has no interest in ruling the world and would rather destroy it. Seeing his folly and repulsed by Sarah's destructive bouts, he attempts to seal Sarah back into the book but she mocks his attempt, revealing only a wiccan can imprison her, and entraps him within a barrier.
After a mad skirmish over the book, the gang delivered it to Thorn (who was of wiccan blood on her mother's side) and she successfully casts the spell to imprison Sarah just as the witch layed her hands upon it in a vain attempt to stop her. But as she was sucked back into its pages, Sarah grabbed Ben by his ankle, declaring she would not go back alone, and Ben was dragged into the book with her, screaming in terror.
A flaming branch fell upon the book and burnt it, ending the threat of the Ravenscroft's forever.
Quotes[]
- "I'm justly prosecuted, Sarah Ravencroft was a medicine woman who practiced natural healing, and was un-fairly accused because of her eccentric way!"
- "The wiccans imprisoned Sarah in her own spell book, and you helped me find it!"