|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||
|
Treehouse of Horror |
|
|
|
Treehouse of Horror |
|
|
This episode is considered non-canon, and the events featured are not part of the timeline of the series' continuity. The reason for this decision is: This episode belongs to the Treehouse of Horror series. If you disagree with this, please discuss it on the talk page to dispute. |
- This article refers to the first episode in the Treehouse of Horror sub-series. For an overview of the sub-series as a whole, see Treehouse of Horror.
| “ | Hello, everyone. You know, Halloween is a very strange holiday. Personally, I don't understand it. Kids worshiping ghosts, pretending to be devils. Oooh, things on TV that are completely not appropriate for younger viewers. Things like the following half-hour. Nothing seems to bother my kids. But tonight's show, which I totally wash my hands of, is really scary. So, if you have sensitive children, maybe you should tuck them into bed early tonight, instead of writing us angry letters tomorrow. Thanks for your attention. | „ |
| ~ Marge Simpson |
"Treehouse of Horror" (also known as "The Simpsons Halloween Special") is the third episode of Season 2, the show's 16th episode overall, and the very first Halloween special. Kang and Kodos both make their first appearance in this episode.
Synopsis[]
The first of the annual Halloween spook-fest where Bart and Lisa tell scary stories in their treehouse while Homer eavesdrops. In "Bad Dream House", the Simpsons move into a haunted house whose spirits urge them to kill each other. In "Hungry Are the Damned", The Simpsons get abducted by aliens who may or may not be fattening them up for dinner. Finally, Lisa tells her spin on Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven", where the narrator (Homer) is haunted by a raven (Bart) while pining for his lost Lenore (Marge).
Full Story[]
Opening Sequence[]
The Episode's logo
In a parody of the original Frankenstein film, Marge warns viewers that the following program (The Simpsons) may give their children nightmares, so she suggests the adults to "tuck your children into bed tonight instead of writing us angry letters tomorrow." The show then begins.
Wraparound[]
Bart, Lisa and Maggie at the Treehouse
When Homer comes back from trick-or-treating, he notices that Bart and Lisa are telling ghost stories (while Maggie watches) in Bart's treehouse. He climbs up and eavesdrops while Bart comments on Lisa's first story. Bart begins telling his own story called: Bad Dream House.
Bad Dream House[]
Bad Dream House title card
In a parody of The Amityville Horror, the Simpsons move into a new home at a great price. Lisa and Marge are scared there is an evil presence lurking in the house, though Homer says there is nothing to worry about, despite there being a vortex in the kitchen. Homer throws an orange into the vortex, although the ones who live in the vortex throw it out with a note that asks them not to throw in stuff. Bart is then strangled by a lamp cord as the house threatens the family to leave, hurling Homer up to the ceiling.
When everyone tries to settle into sleep, the house takes possession of Homer and the children, and the four of them grab various weapons to kill each other, but Marge stops them. The family then finds out there is an ancient Indian burial ground in the cellar. Suddenly, the house threatens them that they will perish horribly. Marge becomes outraged and yells at the house to shut up and show them some manners, and after a few moments, hurt by Marge's words, it complies. After harassment by Bart and Lisa, Marge asks Homer if he knew that the house was haunted, Homer says no but after calling the real estate agent had told them multiple times the house was haunted. Marge explains that since they are living in the house, the house is going to have to accept this. The house asks them to leave for a moment as it chooses what to do. The estate determines that it would rather die than live with the Simpsons, and the house implodes into nothingness, which is a nod to Poltergeist (1982). Lisa implies that the house's self-destruction cannot help but cause her some guilt and feeling insulted for its rejection.
Hungry are the Damned[]
Hungry Are The Damned title card
In a parody of the 1950 story by Damon Knight from Galaxy Science Fiction (and its 1962 Twilight Zone episode adaptation) titled "To Serve Man", the Simpsons are having a outdoor barbecue in their backyard until an alien spaceship suddenly abducts them (and struggles to abduct Homer due to his immense weight). When they arrive on the ship, they meet Kang, Kodos, and Serak the Preparer, who treat the Simpsons extremely well by giving them countless amounts of food to hold them over until "the great feast at Rigel 4." These three aliens call themselves Rigellians.
After the family is weighed on a giant scale and the Rigellians constantly make references to food, Lisa becomes suspicious and questions the aliens' true motives. One night, she wanders around the spaceship and heads into the aliens' kitchen, when the chef Serak cooks something to "give the humans the perfect flavor".
After he leaves the room, Lisa grabs the book called "How to Cook Humans", runs to her family and accuses the Rigellians of feeding them all up to eat the humans. However, it is then revealed that Lisa did not see the whole title of the book, which is actually called "How to Cook for Forty Humans". The Rigellians feel sad, disappointed, and angry at the family, for suspecting them. When Lisa asks why they were forcing the family to eat in the first place, the Rigellians retort that they didn't force anyone as they merely offered them a banquet and are rather disgusted by the family's gluttony. As punishment, they return the family to Earth. Before leaving, Kang and Kodos state that the family could have lived in luxury, but now because of their inability to trust they will have to live the life "not gods, but normal human beings".
As the aliens leave, Lisa laments that, sadly, they were right. They, the Simpson family, were the true monsters after all. The rest of the family don't share this sentiment, since Lisa was the only one to inaccurately suspected that the aliens were up to no good. Marge, calls her daughter out on this, stating that sometimes she is just to smart for her own good. Bart and Homer end the segment sarcastically thanking Lisa for ruining their chance to live in prosperity.
The Raven[]
Bart as ”The Raven”
The Raven Title Card
In a retelling of the Edgar Allan Poe's classic poem, "The Raven", The Raven Narrator (Homer) reads a book to forget the lost lover of his, Lenore (Marge). He hears a knock, but there is no one in front of the door. Knocking goes on and he finds out it is a raven (Bart) behind the window. As he opens it, the raven flies into the room, sits on the bust of Pallas above the door and says "Eat my shorts" (actually said by Bart, who is interrupted by Lisa telling him that the raven says Nevermore and nothing else). But as the story continues, the raven keeps on repeating "Nevermore", driving the narrator crazy. He tries to catch the raven, destroying his room in the process. At the end, the mad narrator lies in the centre of the room, surrounded by books, gaping helplessly at the raven, who cruelly laughs.
Epilogue[]
Later, as the whole episode comes to a close, Bart argues that the story Lisa just read was more "depressing" than "scary." Lisa concedes her brother's point, noting how the poem was originally published way back in the 1840s and figures that people were simply easier to scare back then. This ultimately leads to discussion between the kids about how the other stories they told weren't really all that scary and how, at least when it comes to stuff like horror movies and horror stories, standards have changed a lot over the years -- even a movie like the original Friday the 13th to be fairly tame by modern standards.
Bart, Lisa and Maggie climb down from the treehouse and go to bed, unaware that their dad was listening in on all the stories and, unlike his kids, is genuinely freaked out by them. While the family is lying in bed, Homer's still freaked but Marge tries to assure her husband that they're just made-up stories and won't bring him any harm. As they're lying in bed, Homer notices the Bart raven outside their bedroom window. He declares that he "hates Halloween" and hides under the sheets as a wolf howls.
Transcript[]
Behind the Laughter[]
Production[]
The episode is considered to be non-canon and takes place outside the normal continuity of the show. Part of the series' attraction to the writers is that they are able to break the rules and include violence and kill off characters, which they would not usually be able in a regular episode.
This episode introduced the title to future Halloween episodes of the show, it was supposed to represent the Simpson children telling scary stories in their treehouse.
Reception[]
Since it first aired, the episode has received very optimistic reviews from television critics and is near always included in the lists of "best episodes" of the show. "The Raven" received singular praise, for James Earl Jones' performance, the atmosphere and take on the classic poem. It is often cited as one of the best Treehouse of Horror, and overall Simpsons segments.