It just isn’t Halloween until The Simpsons air their annual Treehouse of Horror episode.
For the last few decades, this spooky special has taken over the mantel of the nighttime Halloween special left vacant when networks stopped airing Raggedy Ann and Andy’s The Pumpkin Who Couldn’t Smile or Witch’s Night Out.
Twenty-six years of 78 shorts featuring parodies of favorite horror movies, alien attacks, killer dolphins, Twilight Zone tributes, sci-fi send-ups and more puns than you can shake a stick at.
Not all are amazing, but the annual Treehouse is usually the best Simpsons episode of the year.
To get into the spirit of the holiday, a completely unscientific poll was held to find out the definitive ranking of the best segments of Treehouse of Horror by asking inebriated people during Happy Hour, pestering co-workers and reading rants off message boards.
(Please Note: Your favorite segments might differ from those of twentysomethings who happen to be intoxicated on a Tuesday afternoon.)
Here is a look at the top nine segments (and one couch gag intro) from almost three decades of Treehouse of Horror.
“Hungry Are The Damned” (Treehouse of Horror I)
Where would Treehouse of Horror be today without The Twilight Zone?
With the introduction of Treehouse regulars Kang and Kodos, the Simpsons are abducted by the alien duo with promises of an alien-planet paradise where the family with live in luxury. Skeptical Lisa soon discovers a more sinister plan for the family, as the episode makes a turn into parody as it takes on the classic Twilight Zone episode “How To Serve Man.”
Best Quotes:
- “Radish rosettes! These are hard to make. They’re a very advanced race.”
- “On this cable system, we receive over one million channels from the furthest reaches of the galaxy.” “Do you get HBO?” “No. That would cost extra.”
“The Bart Zone” (Treehouse of Horror II)
Returning to the well of The Twilight Zone for a second time, The Simpsons riff off of “It’s a Good Life,” with Bart in the role of human monster Anthony Fremont, the little boy whose every wish comes true.
Bart terrorizes his town and family with his omnipotent powers, forcing Krusty to perform 24/7 while turning Snowball the cat in a freak of nature for shits and giggles. Part of the fun of the episode comes from watching the skateboarding little brat have his say in every matter, from humiliating Principal Skinner to turning Homer into a jack-in-the-box.
Best Quotes:
- “Well, class the history of our country has been changed again, to correspond with Bart’s answers on yesterday’s test. America was now discovered in 1942 by ‘Some Guy.’ And our country isn’t called America any more. It’s Bonerland.”
“Clown Without Pity” (Treehouse of Horror III)
A remake of the one of the freakiest and best-remembered Twilight Zone episodes, “Clown Without Pity” casts Krusty the Clown in the role of Talky Tina, the bloodthirsty children’s plaything who sets his sights on Homer.
Best Quotes:
- “The Frogurt is also cursed.”
- “The doll’s trying to kill me…and the toaster’s been laughin’ at me!”
“The Shinning” (Treehouse of Horror V)
This spot-on parody of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining casts Homer as Jack Torrance, a family man who is driven to insanity after he is cut off from cable TV and beer. The whole episode makes great use of the Springfield’s denizens, casting Bart as mind-reading Danny, Groudskeeper Willie as Dick Halloran, Moe as Lloyd the homicidal bartender and Sherri and Terri as the Grady girls.
A classic segment in the Treehouse legacy, the episode set the standard for Stephen King adaptations for The Simpsons.
Best Quotes:
- “I’m Mike Wallace, I’m Morley Safer, and I’m Ed Bradley! All this and Andy Rooney tonight on 60 Minutes!”
“Time and Punishment” (Treehouse of Horror V)
Homer attempts to fix a toaster and is accidentally transported back into into prehistoric times. Remembering the Grandpa’s old mantra of “because even the tiniest change can alter the future in ways you can’t imagine,” Homer attempts to escape unscathed, but then absent-mindedly kills a mosquito.
Upon his return, he finds that Ned Flanders is now the dictator of the world, forcing people to be kind to each other under the threat of forced lobotomies.
Best Quotes:
- “As long as I stand perfectly still and don’t touch anything, I won’t destroy the future. (mosquito flies by) Stupid bug! You go squish now!”
“Nightmare Cafeteria” (Treehouse of Horror V)
The final segment is what was probably the best episode of Treehouse of Horror is a yellow-tinged take on Soylent Green as the episode follows Bart and Lisa in the fight for survival in Springfield Elementary.
Budget cuts and overcrowding in the school have left the teachers and staff in crisis mode, until they come up with a simple solution: eat the kiddies.
Soon, the classrooms are barely populated, while the teachers are well fed. As the only remaining students in the school, Bart, Lisa and Milhouse must find a way to escape or else they will share a future with the “free-range children.”
Best Quotes:
- “Homework: eat a stick of butter”
- “Don’t worry, guys. Something always comes along to save us.” (Milhouse falls to his death) “Uh, nevertheless I remain confident that something will come along and save the two Simpson children…”
“Homer³” (Treehouse of Horror VI)
It’s Homer! In 3D! Gaze at the future of modern technology! By 2005, all of television will look this way!
Inspired by the The Twilight Zone episode “Little Lost Girl,” this 1995 iconic episode featured all the glory of Homer in wondrous 3D, sort of.
Homer find himself trapping in dimensional shift after having fallen into the third dimension while hiding from Selma and Patty. Soon, he is sucked into a black hole and finds himself wandering the mean streets of Santa Monica Blvd. where he find refuge in an erotic cake shop. (Note: Is it weird that I know the exact location of the cake shop?)
Best Quotes:
- “Did anybody see the movie Tron?” “No.” “No.” “No.”
- “It’s like something from that Twilighty show about that Zone”
“The Thing and I” (Treehouse of Horror VII)
A horrible mutant version of Bart is discovered in the attic of the Simpson home in this seventh annual special. After years of living off buckets of fishheads, Bart’s long-lost twin brother kidnaps his sibling in order to return to normal…as a conjoined twin.
Best Quotes:
- “You never forget the birth of Siamese twins!” “I believe they prefer to be called “Conjoined twins.” “And hillbillies want to be called “Sons of the Soil,” but it ain’t gonna happen.”
Special Mention: Guillermo Del Toro’s couch gag in Treehouse of Horror XXIV
While not an episode, this 2:54 minute couch gag packs quite a punch.
The master director makes rapid-fire references from everything including his own movies, past episodes of Treehouse, film references ranging from iconic to obscure and a tip of the hat to the masters of horror.
Need help with the references? MoviePilot made this handy dandy little guide for you.
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