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The Top 5 Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Segments (Pre-year 2000/Pre-Season 10) By: PoisonRamune, the Apathetic Lizardman I really like Simpsons Treehouse of Horror (Halloween) episodes. For the most part, they’re all very well written episodes that not only make you laugh through clever writing and pop-culture parody, but also kind of creep you out in a Twilight Zone way. I also enjoy the fact that they’re not at all canon, allowing the writers and animators to push the envelope of style and situation. Being that we’re in the dead of October, I figured there’s no more appropriate time to talk about these seasonal Simpsons episodes. And seeing that we haven’t done an RwN style Top 5 list in a few months, I figure I can fill that void here as well. I decided to only include Treehouse of Horror segments from the first 10 years of the Simpsons’ run because I honestly felt that the Simpsons had jumped the shark after season 10, leaving very little to care about from season 11 and beyond (and I am aware there are quite a few people that would strongly disagree with me, Josh included).
5) Attack of the 50 Foot Eyesores - The infamous mascot episode. The main reason this segment made it on the list was for its recognizability. By simply mentioning the name “Lardlad” to a crowd of friends, I’m sure that I could spark a discussion about this segment and even get people from the group to start singing “Just Don’t Look” by Lisa Simpson and Paul Anka. Just in case you don’t recall this one (if that’s the case, you might have just proven my point entirely wrong), this is the Halloween segment where Homer steals the giant donut from “Lardlad” (the Simpsonized version of Bob’s Big Boy) and faces monster movie-esque retaliation from Lardlad and the town’s other store mascots. The fact that this skit was from a Treehouse of Horror with 2 other great stories puts it in the “I remember the part, but I don’t remember where it’s from” category (something that most jokes from Family Guy suffer from) keeping it relatively low on this list.
4) Hungry Are the Damned - This one deserves a place on the list for multiple reasons. Aside from being a hilarious spin on the famous To Serve Man episode of the Twilight Zone, it’s also the first appearance of Kang and Kodos (who have become now make obligatory cameos in every Simpsons Halloween episodes). Though there are quite of people on the net that consider this segment more of a cop-out by spoofing a television classic; it actually set a precedent for future Treehouse of Horror episodes, as nearly every Treehouse of Horror has a spoof of some classic horror/thriller as one of their skits (actually, Bad Dream House came before this one and spoofed Poltergeist, but Hungry Are the Damned is much funnier). Add to the fact, that the ambiguous ending still has me wondering after 20 years as to what would be the Simpsons’ fate had they not told off the aliens and you got yourself on Hell of a Halloween skit.
3) The Genesis Tub - This is here more so because it’s a personal favorite of mine. I love this one because it’s a classic Lisa story in that she succeeds part way through the story when no one is watching her, yet ultimately fails in the end. I really feel for Lisa in those situations as I too feel like I can only do awesome behind the scenes. I also really like the theology jokes that are peppered into the story, such the citizens of the tub being confused when they find that God (Lisa) and Satan (Bart) are siblings. The segment also stands out because of its design; The Genesis Tub is done in rather vivid colors which are especially noticeable as the segment is sandwiched between 2 very dark skits, the disturbingly hilarious “The Thing and I” and the clever yet sadly outdated “Citizen Kang.” However, the real reason this entry is so high on the list is due to the fact that this is actually one of the inspirations for Futurama (the part where the tub launches a rocket powered assault against Bart).
2) Dial Z for Zombies - Season 4 of the Simpsons was really a banner season for the cast and crew. On one hand the show was still fresh and edgy (for an animated show) with the ability to still catch you off guard with their humor, but at the same time they were also establishing a pretty decent groove in that you could guarantee every episode coming out at that time would be a hit. Dial Z for Zombies is a prime example of this from its spin on a classic horror theme to the effectiveness of the all the gags that are literally crammed into this segment. Personally, I think this skit has the more lines quoted by the RwN staff than any full episode of the Simpsons (I’m almost positive I quote “Dad, you killed the zombie Flanders” near daily, regardless of the appropriateness of the situation). The segment proves that the members of the Simpsons production staff are true geniuses in that they can incorporate humor into anything, even situations and stories that should normally be outright terrifying.
1) Time & Punishment - If you’ve been paying attention to the last 4 entries on this list you’ll already know why this one made it to the number one spot. Not only is it a spoof of time travel stories from pop culture (especially those that warn about tampering with the time-space continuum, such as Back to the Future), it’s also one of those segments that are bursting at the seams with jokes. While the story is essentially a “shoot the shaggy dog tale” (a story where the characters ultimately gain nothing in the end), it is an interesting romp through various portions of a Simpsonized past, present and future with Homer. Along with the obvious nods to famous time traveling stories, Time & Punishment is filled with other hilarious references. Most notable is the 1984 like society run by Ned Flanders and also the cameos of Peabody and Sherman of Rocky and Bullwinkle fame (?). This segment also gets extra points for having really hilarious deleted content (which you can now see on the season 6 DVD collection) that showcases a lot more alternate realities that were going to be used in the show.
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