Saturday coffee: The 10 best ‘Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror segments
It comes with a free Frogurt! That’s good!
I haven’t written much about The Simpsons in this newsletter, which is odd considering that I consider it the pinnacle of modern American comedy, and that I have a theory that everything in life can be illustrated with a quote from it. I guess The Simpsons has just been so accepted as a cultural institution that even I take it for granted; either that, or there’s so much Simpsons that I don’t know where to start (and given that I haven’t watched a current episode in a few years, maybe it slips my mind.
But October’s a great time to talk about The Simpsons, as the month gives me the excuse to turn to Disney+ and watch their annual “Treehouse of Horror” anthologies. Routinely the most inventive episodes of the season, many of these are classics in the Springfield pantheon. To help kick off your Halloween viewing, here’s a list of the 10 best Treehouse of Horror stories. You’ll notice all of these come from the show’s first decade, heavily bunched in the middle. Everyone’s favorite “Simpsons” era is different, but this happens to coincide with mine, so I’d love to hear what others love.
Citizen Kang (Season 8, episode 1): This episode is almost 30 years old and yet, aside from the real-life political figures it parodies, it hasn’t aged a day. Aliens Kang and Kodos take on the forms of Bill Clinton and Bob Dole in a bid to win the election and rule the world. A deeply funny episode that is still endlessly quotable (“We must go forward, not backward. Upward, not forward. And always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom!” and “Abortions for some, miniature American flags for others”) and politically astute.
The Shinning (Season 6, episode 6): This riff on Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is top-shelf Simpsons, aping the horror classic’s tone and atmosphere and then slipping in some uproarious jokes (Homer smashing through various doors and then unveiling a line of late-night catchphrases is a highlight). Mocks Kubrick’s film lovingly, and still manages to keep the warm-hearted vibe the show has been known for (if you can call a family freezing around a portable television heartwarming).
Bart Simpson’s Dracula (Season 5, Episode 5): A spoof of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the gags are pretty obvious (“Kill my boss? Do I dare live out the American dream?”) but still plenty funny (“Dad, that’s his crotch”). Montgomery Burns as Dracula is pretty pitch-perfect, but the funniest moment comes at the end, when the story shifts gears and becomes, of all things, a tweak of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”
Time and Punishment (Season 6, Episode 6): A fast-paced, screwball take on Ray Bradbury’s A Sound of Thunder finds Homer repeatedly screwing up timelines as he tries to fix a broken toaster. In just a few short minutes, we get a dictatorial Ned Flanders, the death of the dinosaurs and a world that rains donuts. This is indeed a disturbing universe.
King Homer (Season 4, Episode 5): I’ll admit it: I rank this segment, a King Kong parody, so high almost solely for Smithers’ line, “I think women and seamen don’t mix.”
Nightmare Cafeteria (Season 6, Episode 6): Man, that sixth season “Treehouse” is classic. And it ends perfectly, with a deliciously dark and funny story about cannibalistic teachers (Uterbraten!). But the best part is how it leads into the show’s twisted end credits, in which the “it’s only a dream” trope spins into a weird sequence involving inside-out Simpsons and Bart being dragged away to be eaten by the family dog while singing a song set to the tune of “One” from A Chorus Line.
The Raven (Season 2, Episode 3): Early proof that The Simpsons could straddle high and low art, this segment is a pretty straight retelling of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven,” except that the titular bird bears a resemblance to Bart. The joke is how the cartoon shenanigans mash up against the eerie pomposity of Poe’s poetry. Bart driving Homer crazy by repeating “Nevermore” is funny, but “Quote the Raven: Eat My Shorts” still earns a chuckle.
Attack of the 50 Foot Eyesores (Season 7, Episode 6): There are some great gags here, particularly the top-heavy Pep Boys knockoffs tumbling to the ground and Homer sending a giant donut statue to squash Flanders’ house. But what’s most memorable is the Lisa Simpson/Paul Anka ditty “Just Don’t Look,” which is square and catchy at the same time.
Clown without Pity (Season 4, Episode 5): A pretty simple one. Homer buys a Krusty the Clown doll for Bart, but it tries to kill Homer (stupid “evil” switch). But you get plenty of Homer screams, wonderful use of “Everybody Loves a Clown,” talk of cursed Frogurt (that’s bad), and the classic line “the doll’s trying to kill me and the toaster’s been laughing at me.”
HOMER3 (Season 7, Episode 6): Homer ventures into the virtual world to try and escape his dreaded step-sisters. The new computer animation looked really cool for its time (it’s not aged well), but the show finds some nice gags for it. Whenever I’m lost, I still use the line “I’m somewhere where I don’t know where I am.” And the final shot of Homer in the real world is wonderfully weird. Plus, mmm...erotic cakes.
When I was a kid I loved Time and Punishment. It’s always been on of my favorites Simpsons moments. And the closing line is so good: “Meh, close enough.” I also really loved Nightmare Cafeteria. So gory.
“How to cook forty humans”