Review: The Bad Guys “Haunted Heist” Halloween Special.

DreamWorks is starting off the spooky season with an all-new direct-to-streaming special, The Bad Guys: Haunted Heist, on Netflix. The special is based on the 2022 animated feature film The Bad Guys, a group of criminals framed for a crime they didn’t commit and set out to clear their name and eventually switch sides.

The special takes place before the film’s events when they were still pulling off treasure-stealing heists. This is their second Netflix special, the first being the 2023 Christmas special The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday.

So, is this Halloween season off to a great start with this all-new Bad Guys special? Let’s find out.

The story follows the gang as team leader Wolf tells the rest of the crew about an old thief named Reginald E. Scary, who collected a hoard of treasure throughout his career. His most prized possession was the crescent amulet, he prized it so much that he vowed is anyone stole it from his horde he would haunt that thief forever. 

The crew then sets off for Scary’s manor and, upon solving a hidden message, finds the lost traces. However, not long after taking the amulet, many weird things begin happening to Wolf, almost as if the ghost of Reginald E. Scary had indeed cursed him.

Firstly, the downgraded animation is almost immediately noticeable, as DreamWorks’ television animation branch did it, not their theatrical branch. Secondly, none of the movie’s voice actors return; they are all replaced by sound-alikes. 

The runtime is 24 minutes, which is about the length of a television episode. Given that this and last year’s special run at about the same time and have similarly lower-costing assets, one may think that these specials are backdoor pilots for a Bad Guys animated series, which isn’t a bad idea.

Overall Rating: 6.8/10



While the short definitely gives fans of the film more adventures for the group of misfit thieves and some funny gags, what holds it back is the low production value. Compared to other DreamWorks Halloween specials like Scared Shrekless that actually used feature film animation quality and brings back the voice actors, it feels like a piece of sugar free candy. 

Is this a bad special? No. Will kids enjoy it? Yes. Will fans enjoy it? Most likely. What holds it back is the clear, made-for-television feel that it gives off. Hopefully, if we get to see more of this, it will be of higher quality.

What did you think? Was this a decent half-hour special? Is it a new Halloween classic? Or was it more of a trick than a treat? Let us know your thoughts.