Our family has an annual tradition of spending October watching as many Tree House of Horror episodes we can stand. At this stage we are usually looking at a golden era The Simpsons (we'll call that the first 10 seasons, although we're partial to seasons 3-8), but we generally move on to the later teen seasons of the show. However, this year we decided to pay special attention to the classics.
Instead of going through the nearly impossible task of evaluating every segment out of all 36 tree house episodes, we've decided to rank the first 10, spanning seasons 2–11. Each of them has something special, but some fit the spirit of the season better than others. Our powers: we have named our cat Monty after Mr. Burns.
Here are the first ten Tree House of Horror episodes, rating:
10. Treehouse of Horror VIII (Season 9, 1997)
(“Mega Man”, “Fly Against Flight”, “Easy Baking Coven”)
Among the fans of season 9 The Simpsons is generally considered the beginning of the end of his golden era. Although the real moment where he “jumps the shark” is “The Headmaster and the Pauper” part eight tree house notes a similar decline in the show's quality, due in part to issues with writing and pacing. Megaman XOM progresses quite smoothly until its climax, when Homer discovers that his family is still alive and the mutants are breaking down their door. Then, out of nowhere, they pull out firearms and kill the mutants. These are truly nightmares; not because it's really that scary, but because it seems random and meaningless, like a dream.
“Fly vs. Fly” is entertaining enough (bonus points awarded for Homer's attempt to urinate through a teleporter), but the corny Halloween origin story of “Easy-Bake Coven” is as bland as you'd imagine Maud Flanders cooking to be. Still, it's always nice to see the Fox censor understand what's coming to him.
9. Treehouse of Horror X (Season 11, 1999)
(“I Know What You Did-Stupidly-Did”, “Desperately Seeking Xena”, “Life Is a Glitch, Then You Die”)
This is the only record to firmly move beyond the golden era The Simpsonsand this is evident beyond the Y2K segment. This is when Tree House of Horror really started to favor non-canon storylines over Halloween ones, and while we got I know what you did last summer a parody of this, the ending of “Flanders as a Werewolf” is not strong. It's fun to see Bart and Lisa as superheroes in Desperately Seeking Xena, although it's certainly not creepy. It must be difficult to come up with three original horror stories every year, but if satire is the show's name, there's a lot to work on.
8. Treehouse of Horror IX (Season 10, 1998)
(“Hell's Wig”, “Terror of the Little Toon”, “Starship Poop”)
All three of these segments are a lot of fun to watch, but like much of Season 10, they're pretty inconsistent. Wig from Hell takes too long to build its story, only to falter in the third act. It's funny seeing Lisa and Bart on TV in Tiny Toon Terror, but we can take it or leave it. The highlight of this episode is the “Star Poop” sequences featuring The Simpsons. The Jerry Springer Show and fun locations of the crossing program on the ship of Kang and Kodos.
7. Treehouse of Horror III (Season 4, 1992)
(“Clown Without Pity”, “King Homer”, “Zombies Dial Z”)
For an episode from the show's impressive fourth season, third Tree House of Horror falls a little flat. “Clown Without Pity” is a highlight, but its resolution when flipping the Good/Evil switch is a little lazy. “King Homer” and “Zombies Dial Z” are unremarkable in many respects, although we do laugh at Smithers' warning that “women and sailors don't mix.” Treehouse of Horror III It's more than watchable – it just doesn't feel as bold as it should. The stories stick too closely to the source material and the jokes too often rely on the superficial qualities of the characters. This is an episode that just doesn't have much to say about it.
6. Treehouse of Horror IV (Season 5, 1993)
(“The Devil and Homer Simpson”, “Terror at 5½ Feet”, “Bart Simpson's Dracula”)
Is Flanders the devil? Ned Flanders? It's too good. Is Homer both condemned and spared ironic punishment by his mindless gluttony? How sinfully pleasant. This episode really shines with the depth of its writing. Many of his jokes are so obscure that most younger viewers won't get them, and it's still a riot. Who the hell is James Coco? Why is it funny that Hans Moleman's car exploded and didn't crash? What made the Philadelphia Flyers so notorious in 1976? These mysteries are naturally much easier to solve now with a smartphone in hand than they would have been in the '90s, but this episode is an example of what The Simpsons performed very well at its peak. By presenting humor that was patently and outrageously funny, along with some truly clever jokes that only a portion of the knowledgeable audience could understand, the series created episodes that become even funnier with repeated viewings. “Bart's Dracula” is funny and doesn't drag the episode down per se, but it lacks the series' clever qualities.
5. Treehouse of Horror II (Season 3, 1991)
(“The Monkey's Paw”, “Bart's Zone”, “If I Had a Brain”)
A gem of the third season that shows off much of this early The Simpsons sincerity and creativity in the new annual Halloween special. Bart is an omniscient being, an allusion to The Twilight ZoneThe Monkey's Paw delivers a frighteningly dry turkey sandwich, and Homer and Mr. Burns bond for life. All the sketches are great – this episode is in the middle of our list because of how far the series has come. tree house concept later, and not through any fault of its own.
4. Treehouse of Horror VI (Season 7, 1995)
(“Attack of the 50 Foot Eyesores”, “Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace”, “Homer³”)
Bad weather in Smarch is to blame for the dangers encountered in this major episode of season seven. The show was at the height of cultural satire (more on that later), turning Willie the gardener into Freddy Krueger and warning us to beware of commercials with Paul Anka tunes. This episode is also the first of many times the series uses Tree House of Horror experiment, giving us the first live-action footage and the first 3D animated footage in The Simpsons history in Homer³. This is the turning point of the show, both internally and externally. tree house region.
3. Tree House of Horror (season 2, 1990)
(“House of Bad Dreams”, “The Hungry Damned”, “The Raven”)
For the second season The Simpsons was still finding my footing. However, the first Tree House of Horror matters beyond its enduring legacy. Its first half is filled with the signature wit, warmth and cunning that makes the show so great. Lisa has some great moments here, especially in her revelations about her family's moral failings in the first two segments. This self-awareness helps balance out her family's general buffoonery and suggests that the Simpsons are truly trying their best, despite their flaws. Also, a juxtaposition of Edgar Allen Poe's classic poem. Crow against the boorish qualities of Homer and Bart is a stroke of genius. Plus, the richness of James Earl Jones' voice cameo should be enough to attract anyone.
2. Treehouse of Horror V (Season 6, 1994)
(“The Shining”, “Time and Punishment”, “Nightmare Canteen”)
It is widely believed among fans that The Simpsons The fifth Halloween episode is the scariest of them all, and it's not just that Groundskeeper Willie gets an ax to the back in all three segments. Sure, a time-traveling toaster isn't all that scary, but stepping on the wrong foot and returning to overlord Ned Flanders lobotomizing the masses certainly is (“Hiddili-ho, rabarino!”). Detention has never felt so damn good thanks to some Uterbraten, and what's scarier than the copyright infringement laws in The Shining? This episode is also home to the iconic “It's Raining Again” and The Joys of Cooking Milhouse footage that has become one of the show's most replayed moments online. This is a truly disturbing universe.
1. Treehouse of Horror VII (Season 8, 1996)
(“The Thing and I”, “Bath of Genesis”, “Citizen Kang”)
It's like Dr. Hibbert punching through an empty mirror frame. It has everything – loud laughter, instantly recognizable shots, one more The Twilight Zone a reference and always relevant advertisement for two-party democratic political systems. The revelation that Bart has been the evil twin all along is charmingly self-aware, as is the literal expression of Lisa's god complex. “Citizen Kang” is not only the highest achievement Tree House of Horrorbut from The Simpsons All in all. There's something wonderful (and truly hysterical) about the absurd image of Bob Dole and Bill Clinton holding hands; it's as “bipartisan” as it gets in politics, but who ever really believed in that dream?
Additionally, references to the Clinton-era political “third way” (“Abortion for some, tiny American flags for others!”) and the meaningless florid language of the stump speeches (“Always turning, turning to freedom!”) underscore the deft depth of the series’ approach to satire. People often attribute a certain amount of foresight The Simpsonspointing to an uncanny ability to predict major cultural events in advance; however, this is not entirely true. Rather, the series captures the present so well that its observations remain eerily timeless. Don't blame me—I voted for Kodos, after all.
