3. Treehouse of Horror

Episode Title: "Treehouse of Horror / The Simpsons Halloween Special"
Episode Number: 16
Original Air Date: October 25, 1990

Plot Synopsis: "The Simpsons Halloween Special" features three distinct, out of continuity stories, each of which tackles a different segment of popular Halloween-themed movies and television shows.

In "Bad Dream House," the Simpsons move into a giant old house that they curiously got an amazing deal on. The walls tend to bleed and there's a portal to another dimension in the kitchen, but nobody really pays this any mind. At night, the house speaks to each family member individually and convinces them to try to kill everyone else. Marge is the only one that realizes what's going on, and stops the other four Simpsons before they all stab one another to death. Marge lectures the house, which annoys it. Lisa tries to psychoanalyze the house, which weirds it out. In the end, the house chooses to destroy itself rather than live with the Simpsons, which causes Lisa to note that they can't help but feel a little rejected.

In "Hungry are the Damned," the Simpsons are abducted by three green, tentacled aliens named Kang, Kodos and Serak the Preparar. The aliens are way, way into the idea of feeding the Simpsons and watching them grow fat, which initially doesn't cause anyone to really notice that something strange might be happening. The aliens promise that the Simpsons will be treated really well when they all return to Rigel IV. Lisa, being the only family member self aware enough to realize that something odd might be happening, thinks she's uncovered a plot to fatten up the family so that they can be eaten by the alien race. In reality the exact opposite is true - Kang, Kodos and Serak really did just like the idea of feeding them and treating them really well. The aliens get offended and drop the Simpsons back off at home.

"The Raven" features a pretty literal adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's story of the same name featuring narration by James Earl Jones. Homer plays the story's main character and Bart plays the raven.

The beginning, middle and end of the episode features Bart and Lisa in the treehouse telling stories to one another. The episode ends with everyone going to sleep very peacefully that night, except Homer, who is terrified from the stories he just heard.

Overall Thoughts: This episode must have been a shock when it originally aired. Starting with Marge's opening "warning" to parents about how what they're about to see might not be suitable for the kids in the audience, it's very clear almost immediately that this is something unlike anything the show had done up to this point. It's a great celebration of Halloween and pop culture in general. I'm not sure if this was ever actually scary, but that certainly doesn't mean it isn't good.

What Works:  This episode features some incredibly ambitious animation. Each segment features its own distinct look that is modeled after whatever it's parodying. "The Raven" is probably the best directed, as it just goes wild with crazy camera angles and quick cutting. The colors are also very profound across all three pieces. The Simpsons' abduction by Kang and Kodos and the interior of the alien spaceship are particularly striking.

These are three fun, out of continuity stories. That separation from continuity is a great opportunity to break free from the confines of the show's own internal universe and rules, which is definitely an opportunity that isn't wasted. All three segments are unique, and for the most part they're all successful at their own specific goal. James Earl Jones' reading of "The Raven" is so good that I wish I could find some type of recording that didn't feature the show going on around it.

As is the trend this season, this episode is very funny. Most of the bigger laughs come from the first appearance of Kang and Kodos, the aliens who will appear quite often in "Treehouse of Horror" episodes on a yearly basis. These two characters are a great deal of fun and are very memorable almost instantly.

These segments feature references that have no business being in a "kids" animated show - and that's part of why they're so great. "Bad Dream House," for example, is a parody of/love letter to movies like "The Shining" and "The Amityville Horror." What ten year old is going to recognize those references? But even if you don't know what they're referencing, each segment is good enough to stand on its own.

Also of note: James Earl Jones' reading of "The Raven" is so good that it's easy to overlook the great music that plays over this segment. Series composer Alf Clausen begins is tenure with the series in this episode, and that tenure begins with quite the impressive little bang.

What Doesn't Work:  Ironically enough, I'm not a huge fan of the actual "treehouse" motif. Each segment is book-ended by Lisa and Bart up in the treehouse telling stories to one another. They're the only "okay" parts of an otherwise great episode. I'm glad that the writers eventually kill the wraparound idea (editors note: at least I think they do - we'll see, I guess), as all they really do is A) identify that these stories are out of continuity, which you quickly realize on your own, and B) take time away that could be better served by gently expanding the actual pieces themselves.

"The Raven" isn't particularly funny, so there's that, but James Earl Jones' reading is great, so there's that, too.

Closing Thoughts: Certain things in this episode are a total cheat, but the joke those cheats make possible is good enough to be worth it. Example: once you know that Kang and Kodos really do have no intention of cooking and eating the Simpsons, almost every last thing they say or do in the episode doesn't really make sense. But at that point, the joke becomes "It's funny how obviously evil they are and then they turn out to be not evil at all", which is great in and of itself.

The "Bad Dream House" choosing to essentially commit suicide rather than live with the Simpsons is a terrific joke.

It's also important to note that this episode is not actually called "Treehouse of Horror" - the title card marks this as "The Simpsons Halloween Special." The DVD refers to it as "Treehouse of Horror," though, so I can't figure out if that's what it was always called and they just gave it a different title card, or if it was retroactively changed to "Treehouse of Horror" after the second entry in the series the next year. These are the types of things I lay awake at night thinking about, FYI.

All in all, this is a fun break from the normal reality of the series and a great beginning to a longstanding tradition.

Final Grade (out of 10): 8