A staple of Halloween for three decades, the "Treehouse of Horror" anthology episodes are a highlight of every season of The Simpsons. The annual Halloween specials allow the show creators to go really out there, parodying movies and shows that wouldn't work for a normal Simpsons episode as well as featuring more graphic and violent imagery to be present. In any case, there's still some goofy, gory fun.
I've been wanting to do a post like this for a very long time, but held off to get through last year's "Treehouse of Horror XXX" and wait for the subsequent Halloween to be approaching. This won't be a traditional top ten list though. For one thing, I feel an overall list would obviously favor more of the early years. What I want to do is give a fair shot to the whole thirty year history of the specials, selecting what I feel to be the best segments within a three year period (I-III, IV-VI, etc.) that exemplify the funny and scary nature they're known for.
So without further ado, here are what I feel to be ten of the best Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror" segments of all time.
PREMISE: Mr. Burns attempts to use Homer's brain to power a giant robotic laborer.
WHY IT MAKES THE LIST: I don't think I realized before putting this list together just how much this segment really began pushing how graphic these episodes could get. The previous segments up to this point were relatively tame, and then "Homer's Nightmare" comes up and features body mutilation. Burns is downright insane in his quest to replace human workers with robotic ones, stubborn to listen to reason from Smithers and even imagining nothing but his scared assistant's brain floating above his head ripe for plunder. The moments where Burns beats a bagged up Homer with a shovel to shut him up and then later wearing Homer's removed brain on his head like a Davey Crocket hat are both horrifying and hilarious.
But the freakiest part about this segment, especially when I was a kid, was the ending where they showed Burns' head sewn on to Homer's body followed by a "Next time..." bumper acknowledging the change. As a kid, I had no concept of canon so there was a part of me waiting for this next episode to air. To go along with this, there was one brilliant detail I noticed this time around I missed before. See, Treehouse of Horror II had a framing device of Lisa, Bart, and Homer having nightmares from eating too much candy. While Lisa and Bart's dreams had a dissolve effect at the beginning of theirs, Homer's did not, foreshadowing that his nightmare was anything but.
PREMISE: The Simpsons are hired as caretakers at Mr. Burns' mansion.
WHY IT MAKES THE LIST: To many, self included, this is the best Treehouse of Horror segment of all time. A parody of "The Shining", the Simpsons bring many comedic twists to the classic film's scariest moments, including Homer going crazy in just one day compared to how long it took Jack. Though honestly, I think Homer writing all over the walls can be seen as more disturbing than writing the same thing over and over on a typewriter. There are so many laughs to be had from start to finish, featuring one of Homer's best freak-out moments and I'm not afraid to admit I've memorized Homer's lines word for word from when he starts smashing through doors with an axe. Without question, "The Shinning" is the gold standard when it comes to the Simpsons at Halloween.
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PREMISE: Kang and Kodos impersonate Bill Clinton and Bob Dole in order to win the 1996 presidential election.
WHY IT MAKES THE LIST: As a kid, I didn't really appreciate this one that much. Growing up and understanding politics more, "Citizen Kang" is a real treasure. What really helps this segment is its timelessness and the attitudes toward politics. Replace Clinton and Dole with other presidential nominees through the years and you wouldn't have to change much (although 2016 and this year's election would be an unwinnable challenge). Political jokes aside, it is also funny watching Kang and Kodos impersonating their nominees with no change to their voices and nobody believing Homer about their true identities. On top of all that, this segment brought us the "twirling towards freedom" and "I voted for Kodos" lines that would go on to become minor memes.
PREMISE: The Simpson family buys a new house, who falls in love with Marge and attempts to kill Homer.
WHY IT MAKES THE LIST: What I really like about this one is the build-up from fun to scary. We go from the Simpsons enjoying the high tech upgrades to their house to the AI system with Pierce Brosnan's personality falling in love with Marge and attempting to kill Homer and take the family for himself. The guest voice of Brosnan himself really helps with the tone changes the segment goes through as we hear him go from charming servant to obsessive creep. There's a moment I love where he tries to laugh off the situation: "Homer, you're alive!...Which is good." In the end, our villain gets his just desserts when he's passed off to suffer under new owners Patty and Selma.
The near death of Homer is also a good fake out with the blood splattering on the walls. When we do see he survived, it was not unscathed as a large enough chunk of the back of his head is missing where his brain is exposed, the first time we see it a bit unsettling. Though I do enjoy how it isn't just a one-off joke since they call back to it moments later when Lisa points out Homer is attacking the water softener with an axe rather than the house CPU, to which Homer replies "Well, I am missing the back of my head! I think you could cut me some slack?"
"House of Whacks" may be an underrated and overlooked segment in the grand scheme of the Halloween specials, though I think it's one that deserves more recognition.
PREMISE: Ned Flanders' head injury gives him the power to predict others' deaths.
WHY IT MAKES THE LIST: When you take one of the most wholesome characters on the show like Ned Flanders and burden him with the ability to see visions of people's deaths, it makes for some interesting TV. Admittedly, what's really scary about this segment is just how stupidly incompetent Homer is made out to be. Not only does he cause Ned's injury that gets the ball rolling for the story, but both he and Ned are in varying degrees responsible for the ensuing deaths.
On the funny side of things though, the final moments of the segment are hilarious as the viewer can share in Ned's feelings of frustration and nervousness as he attempts to keep Homer from causing a nuclear meltdown.
I will be frank in saying that the segment doesn't quite live up to its' potential and may have worked better as a "Final Destination" type parody, but the concept and comedy we are given still help "The Ned Zone" stand out.
PREMISE: Homer and various other male characters find themselves on a reality show where Mr. Burns hunts humans for sport.
WHY IT MAKES THE LIST: As we get into the show's more mediocre seasons, I may tend to select segments that would probably fit in well with the classics. That being said, I'm kind of surprised that it took them sixteen years to do a parody of the "The Most Dangerous Game."
This segment just works on many levels. The idea itself of yet another psychotic version of Mr. Burns hunting various characters and how they're so callously killed is perfect for the Halloween special. The pacing is done well, not feeling too rushed with the humorous moments hitting the mark in quick succession.
Though the part of the segment that is both funny and kind of scary is how they legitimize Burns' manhunt as normal. Not only does Burns' lawyer draw up a document that would protect him in court (followed by being shot by Burns himself), but then you have it broadcast on TV like a sporting event with Terry Bradshaw providing commentary.
At a time when the show was getting stale, "Survival of the Fattest" was a reminder of the greatness that the Simpsons can still bring, Halloween or not.
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PREMISE: Milhouse summons a demon pumpkin who goes berserk when it sees humans carving its brethren into jack-o-lanterns as part of Halloween tradition.
WHY IT MAKES THE LIST: What really helps this one stand out to me is how it completely goes off the rails. As a parody of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (with the background and character wardrobe paying homage to this), it initially follows the source beat for beat with Milhouse filling Linus' role of the only one believing in the obscure Halloween figure. Things take a turn though when the Grand Pumpkin actually appears thanks to Milhouse's childlike belief. While the Grand Pumpkin has a delightful demeanor at first, that quickly vanishes when he discovers pumpkin atrocities committed by humans, such as being cooked into food and carved into jack-o-lanterns (we'll just ignore his own head is one), vowing revenge.
A similar parody had been done on Robot Chicken a few years prior to this (which was also good in its own right), but the Simpsons is able to play up the comedy more with the Grand Pumpkin's villainous turn being so unexpected and him having more of a personality. The ending matches the craziness with Lisa using Milhouse's childlike belief to create a Thanksgiving figure, Tom Turkey, to save them. The cycle begins again though when Tom finds out what happens to turkeys.
Whether you see it as paying tribute to or butchering a holiday classic, there's no denying that the Simpsons have left their trademark Halloween stamp on the Peanuts special.
PREMISE: In this twisted parody of Dr. Seuss' children's books, Homer abducts Bart, Lisa, and Maggie and rides around Springfield wreaking havoc as "The Fat in the Hat".
WHY IT MAKES THE LIST: I guess I have a thing when it comes to the Simpsons adapting children's stories. Compared to "It's the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse", "Oh, the Place You'll D'oh!" cranks the homage levels up with Springfield and the Simpsons' grand cast completely Seuss-ified. And it wouldn't be Dr. Seuss if there weren't constant rhyming, which is the cherry on top in this treat of a segment. Homer as the "Fat in the Hat" is quite entertaining in his psychotic role, bringing a level of hilarious chaos you'd expect from the Joker. The funniest thing though is despite the segment's violent nature, it still probably has more respect for Seuss than a certain Mike Myers movie.
PREMISE: Lisa's imaginary friend kills her real friends.
WHY IT MAKES THE LIST: Much like "Survival of the Fattest", this is another instance where a segment can come off as a classic during a time of mediocrity (in this case, particularly when it comes to pacing). The idea of an old imaginary friend seeking revenge for being discarded is actually pretty original though. There's true elements of horror in this segment with the deaths shown, first coming off as supposed accidents and then the imaginary friend Rachel reveals herself by straight-up asphyxiating Milhouse. Rachel is also voiced by Sarah Silverman, who brings the right kind of crazy you'd expect from both character and actress.
From what I can tell, not a lot of people talk about this one, possibly because it's part of what I found to be a pretty lackluster year for the Treehouse of Horror series. In any case, I still say "BFF RIP" is worth a look if you're curious.
PREMISE: Homer cannibalizes himself after he runs out of food while Marge and the kids are away from home.
WHY IT MAKES THE LIST: We round out the list with what I consider to be the most disturbing Halloween segment in Simpsons history. What else needs to be said? Homer eats himself.
After accidentally cutting off and grilling his finger, Homer tries it and finds he's the taste that can't be beat and begins using piece by piece of himself in various dishes. I'm just going to assume Homer's arteries are so clogged that it keeps him from bleeding out from the process. Marge soon enough finds out (seen in the picture), and her reaction is priceless. Homer is then met by famous chef Mario Batali, who uses the rest of Homer as ingredients across various restaurants. As Homer gifted his body of flavor for the enjoyment of others, he looks down from heaven while eating his angels wings, indicating the cycle continues.
And those are ten of what I consider to be some of the best the Simpsons have brought us from the Treehouse of Horror series. I have to say that watching these back to back has been a lot of fun, and there were so many close choices that I may return with a sequel list. This also allowed me to witness the Simpsons' evolution on an annual basis. The specials and series as a whole has had its ups and downs, but while some have fallen off, I'll keep watching the Simpsons until one of us reaches the end of the line; and I'm half expecting the series to outlive us all.
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