Welcome to Recommend Tree Houses of Horror

By accident, I started watching every “Simpsons” Halloween episodes. With how streaming services work, I became committed to finishing the infamous Treehouse of Horror episodes. Over the years, I’ve seen most of them - though there are large gaps in my memory - and my marathon rewatch has been both a treat and a bag of tooth paste and dental floss.

Some of the episodes still hold up. Others aged like milk left out on the Fourth of July. 

The fact that “The Simpsons” is still airing, is mind boggling as far as I’m concerned. The “golden years” of the series was definitely the first ten with occasional hits afterwards. That’s doesn’t mean these episodes and seasons aged well. It’s just when the series was the most relevant. 

I was mostly watching “The Simpsons” somewhere in the mid 2000s. Fox network reran older episodes at 5:00PM - a perfect post homework, pre-dinner time to watch TV for teenage me. However, my favorite episodes were the “Treehouse of Horror” anthologies. 

In recent years, I’ve kept my rewatch of the series to a few episodes I have on DVD - most are the Halloween specials with the addition of the Cape Fear parody from season 5 with Side Show Bob (which I feel is an honorary addition). Now that  Disney+ offers every “Simpsons” episode ever made for streaming, I can easily watch all of the episodes. I’m only doing this now because my sibling came to visit and we needed something fun to watch that was spooky and we both liked.

So here is my list of “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror” segments I think are still watching. These aren’t full episodes (necessarily) because some of the shorts in one episode are great, while others are full on duds. Due remember that this list is my opinion and you are allowed to disagree - just know I have the right to ignore your wrong opinion.

So here’s my count down list:

Honorable Mention: “Halloween of Horror” - though not a true Treehouse of Horror episode, this Simpsons’ Halloween special is hilarious and has a great parody of the “Time Warp”. 

#13: The opening of Treehouse of Horror XXIV directed by Guillermo del Toro - there are so many references in this opener and some of the visuals make me jump. If only the rest of the episode was as entertaining.

#12: “Coralisa” from Treehouse of Horror XXVIII - I love the book and movie Coraline and Neil Gaiman makes a guest appearance in this middle segment. I love how the animation changes when Lisa first goes to the “other world” and meter her “other family”. The buttons in the eyes is still creepy, as is “other” Marge turning into her true form.

#11: “It’s the Grand Pumpkin, Mulhouse” from Treehouse of Horror XIX - it’s a spot on parody of a beloved classic. It’s funny and somewhat disturbing at times. I especially love the animation done.

#10: “There’s No Business Like Moe Business” from Treehouse of Horror XX - the Simpsons has done a number of musical parodies over the years (the one with Lisa spoofing Evita lives rent free in my mind), however this one is all Sweeney Todd. Moe using Homer’s blood mixed with beer to make Marge fall in love with him is disturbing and funny. My favorite part of this episode is the fact that it’s framed like a play with some backstage shots included.

#9: “Four Beheadings and a Funeral” from Treehouse of Horror XV - a mash up of From Hell and Sherlock Holmes. The Simpsons kids are investing the gruesome murders of Jack the Ripper’s victims. Homer and Marge play a small role in this and Chief Wiggum has a lot more screen time than usual. My only issue with the segment is that it all ends in an opium dream for Ralph. Why? It’s obvious that this isn’t part of the main Simpsons storyline. 

#8: “Heck House” from Treehouse XVIII - Ned Flanders having a connection to hell or the devil is a bit of a trope at this point in the Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror episodes. I enjoy this one for the parody of the movie Hell House and the tricks played the kids. Some people don’t enjoy this episode, but I think it’s pretty funny with some good horror imagery.

#7: “Easy-Bake Coven” from Treehouse of Horror VIII - if anyone was going to be a witch in the Simpsons, I would have guessed Lisa. Marge and her sisters being evil witches is also a good choice. It’s a fun take on how trick-or-treating started and the I like the many references to witches in folklore and popular culture.

#6: “Scary Tales Can Come True” from Treehouse of Horror XI - this segment reminded me of older Bugs Bunny parodies of fairy tales. I loved that the family lives in a pumpkin and the scene where Goldilocks dies is delightfully gruesome.

#5: “House of Whacks” from Treehouse of Horror XIII - I grew up with the movie Smart House and that movie scared me as a kid. Seeing a Simpsons parody of the movie with the voice of 90s 007 as the evil robot house was a lot of fun. I feel a little bad for the robot going to Patty and Selma in the end, but the ridiculous murder of Homer is a good laugh.

#4: “Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace” from Treehouse of Horror VI - this segment is amazing from the death of Martin to Willie showing up at the end getting off a bus. I will forever enjoy cursing out the “stupid Smarch” weather.

Okay so here is where I ditch the segments and list my top three episodes that I love watching every year.

#3: Treehouse of Horror IV - all three segments are gruesomely funny. This is the first episode Ned Flanders shows up as the devil and his ironic punishment of Homer after not getting his soul is perfect. The gremlin puns are great and may have inspired me in some of my creative works. By far the best is the last one “Bart Simpson’s Dracula” and is a great parody of the Coppola film. Mr. Burns’s hair is fantastic and when else was Bart supposed to go down the “Super Happy Fun Slide”?

#2: Treehouse of Horror V - This is one of the first Treehouse of Horror episodes that I got on DVD and have watched every year. From Willie dying in all three segments with an ax to the back to the near gruesome end to the Simpson children it’s an all around classic treat. If only Homer had stayed for five more seconds for his donut. Shh “you wanna get sued?”

#1: Treehouse of Horror I - the original is still my favorite and a classic. Special guest James Earl Jones is the highlight in all three segments. His reading of “The Raven” is one of my favorite things in animation (and may have introduced me to the famous gothic poet). It’s not perfect, but it is my favorite.

As of writing this post, I haven’t yet seen this year’s special (it’s a few hours before it airs). The segment parodying “Death Note” looks promising. I kind of hope there are potato chips (look it up on YouTube).

If you have a favorite Treehouse of Horror episode or segment, let me know in the comments. I’m still not sure why I did this to myself, but such is life.

End?

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to the Halloween Special

It's the Spookiest Time of the Year...

It's almost Halloween everyone and you guys know what that means: scary movies galore! I've seen many of the old black and white movies I love (with the exception of Abbott and Costello) and a lot of the more modern ones. We can of course than ABC Family for all the kids movies, AMC and Spike for blood guts and gore and TCM for all of the classics.

The groups I follow online (you guys are very familiar with my obsession with  love of Nostalgia Critic) have also had holiday specials all October long. Plenty of zombies, vampires, and possessed trucks (wait possessed trucks?) too keep me entertained.

I do confess, I've been in front of the TV all day watching every Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror ever made. It hasn't been the productive Sunday I had hoped it would have been.

However I have noticed that there are several Halloween specials that I haven't seen. The majority of them were from the Disney Channel original movies collection. At least Halloweentown and Hocus Pocus is still shown every year, but what about Don't Look Under the Bed or Tower of Terror. I at least hoped that they would show Phantom of the Megaplex since Mickey Rooney died this year.

So here are the top five movies/specials I wish I could get, but can't.

1) Phantom of the Megaplex - a great little mystery loosely based off of Phantom of the Opera. Someoen is trying to ruin the premier of a horror movie at a local movie complex. Can three kids solve the mystery or will the phantom succeed? Mickey Rooney plays an older gentleman whose family used to own the theater, but has since moved into the basement.

2) Don't Look Under the Bed - What happens to an imaginary friend when a child stops believing too soon? They become the boogyman who lives under the bed. This movie was a great story about having an imagination and not growing up too fast.

3) The Scream Team - The grandfather of two kids passes away just before Halloween. The Scream Team (three banished ghosts who guide the souls of the dead to the next life) try to help him, but the grandfather is kidnapped by an angry spirit hell bent on getting his revenge. It's up to the two kids and three ghosts to rescue the trapped souls and solve the mystery of the angry spirit.

4) Tiny Toon: Night Ghoulery - If you don't know who the Tiny Toons are you didn't grow up in the 90s. Babs and Buster Bunny (no relation) take you through several mini episodes, each with it's own introduction. They are set up like a Treehouse of Horror episode and got a lot of laughs out of me.

5) Scooby Doo on Zombie Island - (I'm slightly cheating as it can be brought on Amazon) Scooby and the gang and invited to Zombie Island which is cursed by the spirits who wander the island. It seems like a normal mystery for the gang, until its relieved that the zombies aren't guys in masks.

I hope you guys have a happy Halloween on Friday. I'll be hiding under a blanket trying to defeat the zombies of Resident Evil.

Anyway here's a picture of a cute pumpkin my mom gave me.

If you enjoyed this post (or you really hated it) please like, share or leave a comment. If there was special that you remember seeing that I didn't include let me know in the comments. I love hearing from my readers and hope you enjoy my posts. Until next week.