Treehouse of Horror, also known as The Simpsons Halloween Specials, is a series of Halloween-themed episodes of the animated sitcom The Simpsons, each consisting of three separate, self-contained segments. These segments usually involve the family in some horror, science fiction, or supernatural setting and always take place outside the normal continuity of the show. Therefore, they are considered non-canon.

The original "Treehouse of Horror" episode aired on October 25, 1990 and was inspired by EC Comics Horror tales.[1] From "Treehouse of Horror" (1990) to "X" (1999), every episode has aired in the week preceding or on October 31; "II" and "X" are the only episodes to air on Halloween. Between "XI" (2000) to "XIX" (2008) and "XXI" (2010), due to Fox's contract with Major League Baseball's World Series, episodes had originally aired in November.[2] "XX" (2009) and each Treehouse of Horror episode since "XXII" (2011) has aired in October, with the exception of season thirty two's "XXXI" (2020), which was originally scheduled for October 18, but was postponed to November 1 due to the 2020 NLCS reaching game 7. This was the first time since "XXI" that a Treehouse of Horror episode aired in November.

The first 13 Treehouse of Horror episodes had all three segments written by different writers and in some cases there was a fourth writer that wrote the opening and wraparound segments.[3] The original episode even had three different directors.[4] Starting with season fifteen's "XIV" (2003), only one writer was credited as having written a Treehouse of Horror episode, and the trend has continued through season thirty-three.[5][6][7][8] Season thirty-four’s “XXXIII” (2022) went back to the earlier motion of having three writers.

As of 2022, there are thirty-three Treehouse of Horror episodes, with one airing every year. The 34th season marked the first time two Treehouse of Horror specials were aired, with one episode being a single story ("Not It") and another featuring three segments ("Treehouse of Horror XXXIII").[9] The 31st season included a Thanksgiving-themed spinoff, "Thanksgiving of Horror". They are known for being more violent than an average Simpsons episode and contain several different trademarks, including the alien characters Kang and Kodos who have appeared in every episode. Quite often the segments will parody well-known movies, books, radio shows, and television shows. The Twilight Zone has been parodied quite often, and has served as the inspiration for numerous segments.[10]

Episodes

See also: List of The Simpsons episodes
Installment Season No. in
regular series 		Segments Parody of[a] Directed by Written by Original air date Prod.
code
I 2 16–203
"Bad Dream House"
 Poltergeist and The Amityville Horror[11] Wes Archer John Swartzwelder October 25, 1990 7F04
"Hungry are the Damned"
 "To Serve Man"[12] Rich Moore Jay Kogen & Wallace Wolodarsky
"The Raven"
 "The Raven"[13] David Silverman Sam Simon & Edgar Allan Poe
II 3 42–307
"The Monkey's Paw"
 "The Monkey's Paw" and "A Small Talent for War"[14] Jim Reardon Al Jean, Mike Reiss
Jeff Martin, George Meyer
Sam Simon, John Swartzwelder 		October 31, 1991 8F02
"The Bart Zone"
 "It's a Good Life"[15]
"If I Only Had a Brain"
 Frankenstein[15]
III 4 64–405
"Clown Without Pity"
 "Living Doll"[12] and Child's Play[16] Carlos Baeza Al Jean & Mike Reiss
Jay Kogen & Wallace Wolodarsky
Sam Simon, Jon Vitti 		October 29, 1992 9F04
"King Homer"
 King Kong[13]
"Dial 'Z' for Zombies"
 Return of the Living Dead,[17] Night of the Living Dead and Pet Sematary[12]
IV 5 86–505
"Wraparounds"
 Night Gallery[18] David Silverman Conan O'Brien[19] October 28, 1993 1F04
"The Devil and Homer Simpson"
 "The Devil and Daniel Webster"[12] Greg Daniels & Dan McGrath[20]
"Terror at 5½ Feet"
 "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"[11] Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein[21]
"Bart Simpson's Dracula"
 Bram Stoker's Dracula[18] Bill Canterbury[22]
V 6 109–606
"The Shinning"
 The Shining[11] Jim Reardon Bob Kushell[23] October 30, 1994 2F03
"Time and Punishment"
 "A Sound of Thunder"[12] Greg Daniels & Dan McGrath[24]
"Nightmare Cafeteria"
 Soylent Green[11] David X. Cohen[25]
VI 7 134–706
"Attack of the 50-Foot Eyesores"
 — Bob Anderson John Swartzwelder[26] October 29, 1995 3F04
"Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace"
 A Nightmare on Elm Street[11] Steve Tompkins[26]
"Homer3"
 "Little Girl Lost"[12] David X. Cohen[27]
VII 8 154–801
"The Thing and I"
 — Mike B. Anderson Ken Keeler[28] October 27, 1996 4F02
"The Genesis Tub"
 "The Little People"[12] Dan Greaney[29]
"Citizen Kang"
 1996 U.S. presidential election David X. Cohen[30]
VIII 9 182–904
"The HΩmega Man"
 The Omega Man[11] Mark Kirkland Mike Scully[31] October 26, 1997 5F02
"Fly vs. Fly"
 The Fly[32] David X. Cohen[33]
"Easy-Bake Coven"
 — Ned Goldreyer[31]
IX 10 207–1004
"Hell Toupée"
 "Hell Toupee" (Amazing Stories)[34] Steven Dean Moore Donick Cary[35] October 25, 1998 AABF01
"The Terror of Tiny Toon"
 Stay Tuned[36] Larry Doyle[37]
"Starship Poopers"
 — David X. Cohen[38]
X 11 230–1104
"I Know What You Diddily-Iddily-Did"
 I Know What You Did Last Summer[11] Pete Michels Donick Cary[39] October 31, 1999 BABF01
"Desperately Xeeking Xena"
 Fantastic Four[32] Tim Long[40]
"Life's a Glitch, Then You Die"
 Year 2000 problem Ron Hauge[41]
XI 12 249–1201
"G-G-Ghost D-D-Dad"
 — Matthew Nastuk Rob LaZebnik[42] November 1, 2000 BABF21
"Scary Tales Can Come True"
 Grimms' Fairy Tales[15] John Frink & Don Payne[43]
"Night of the Dolphin"
 The Day of the Dolphin and The Birds[11] Carolyn Omine[44]
XII 13 270–1301
"Hex and the City"
 — Jim Reardon Joel H. Cohen November 6, 2001 CABF19
"House of Whacks"
 2001: A Space Odyssey and Demon Seed[16] John Frink & Don Payne
"Wiz Kids"
 Harry Potter[13] Carolyn Omine
XIII 14 292–1401
"Send in the Clones"
 Multiplicity[45] David Silverman Marc Wilmore November 3, 2002 DABF19
"The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms"
 — Brian Kelley
"The Island of Dr. Hibbert"
 The Island of Doctor Moreau[11] Kevin Curran
XIV 15 314–1501
"Reaper Madness"
 — Steven Dean Moore John Swartzwelder November 2, 2003 EABF21
"Frinkenstein"
 Frankenstein[13]
"Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off"
 "A Kind of a Stopwatch"[15]
XV 16 336–1601
"The Ned Zone"
 The Dead Zone[13] David Silverman Bill Odenkirk November 7, 2004 FABF23
"Four Beheadings and a Funeral"
 From Hell and Sherlock Holmes[15]
"In the Belly of the Boss"
 Fantastic Voyage[15]
XVI 17 360–1704
"B.I. Bartificial Intelligence"
 A.I. Artificial Intelligence[15] David Silverman Marc Wilmore November 6, 2005 GABF17
"Survival of the Fattest"
 "The Most Dangerous Game"[15]
"I've Grown a Costume on Your Face"
 "The Masks"[46]
XVII 18 382–1804
"Married to the Blob"
 The Blob[47] David Silverman
Matthew Faughnan 		Peter Gaffney November 5, 2006 HABF17
"You Gotta Know When to Golem"
 The Golem[48]
"The Day the Earth Looked Stupid"
 The War of the Worlds[13]
XVIII 19 405–1905
"E.T., Go Home"
 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial[32] Chuck Sheetz Marc Wilmore November 4, 2007 JABF16
"Mr. & Mrs. Simpson"
 Mr. & Mrs. Smith[32]
"Heck House"
 —
XIX 20 424–2004
"Untitled Robot Parody"
 Transformers[13] Bob Anderson Matt Warburton November 2, 2008 KABF16
"How to Get Ahead in Dead-vertising"
 —
"It's the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse"
 It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown[13]
XX 21 445–2104
"Dial 'M' for Murder or Press '#' to Return to Main Menu"
 Strangers on a Train[12] Mike B. Anderson
Matthew Schofield 		Daniel Chun October 18, 2009 LABF14
"Don't Have a Cow, Mankind"
 28 Days Later, I Am Legend[11] and Children of Men[32]
"There's No Business Like Moe Business"
 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street[13]
XXI 22 468–2204
"War and Pieces"
 Jumanji[13] Bob Anderson Joel H. Cohen November 7, 2010 MABF16
"Master and Cadaver"
 Dead Calm[15]
"Tweenlight"
 Twilight[13]
XXII 23 489–2303
"The Diving Bell and Butterball"
 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly[32] Matthew Faughnan Carolyn Omine October 30, 2011 NABF19
"Dial D for Diddly"
 Dexter[32]
"In the Na'Vi"
 Avatar[32]
XXIII 24 510–2402
"The Greatest Story Ever Holed"
 — Steven Dean Moore David Mandel & Brian Kelley October 7, 2012 PABF17
"Un-normal Activity"
 Paranormal Activity[15]
"Bart & Homer's Excellent Adventure"
 Back to the Future[32]
XXIV 25 532–2502
"Oh the Places You'll D'oh"
 The Cat in the Hat[15] Rob Oliver Jeff Westbrook October 6, 2013 RABF16
"Dead and Shoulders"
 The Thing with Two Heads[49]
"Freaks no Geeks"
 Freaks[12]
XXV 26 556–2604
"School is Hell"
 — Matthew Faughnan Stephanie Gillis October 19, 2014 SABF21
"A Clockwork Yellow"
 A Clockwork Orange[13]
"The Others"
 The Others[50]
XXVI 27 579–2705
"Wanted: Dead, Then Alive"
 — Steven Dean Moore Joel H. Cohen October 25, 2015 TABF18
"Homerzilla"
 Godzilla[32]
"Telepaths of Glory"
 Chronicle[32]
XXVII 28 600–2804
"Dry Hard"
 The Hunger Games and Mad Max: Fury Road[13] Steven Dean Moore Joel H. Cohen October 16, 2016 VABF16
"BFF R.I.P"
 —
"Moefinger"
 Goldfinger and Kingsman: The Secret Service[13]
XXVIII 29 622–2904
"The Sweets Hereafter"
 Sausage Party[51] Timothy Bailey John Frink October 22, 2017 WABF18
"The Exor-Sis"
 The Exorcist[51]
"Coralisa"
 Coraline[51]
"Mmm... Homer"
 Survivor Type[51]
XXIX 30 643–3004
"Intrusion of the Pod-Y Switchers"
 Invasion of the Body Snatchers[52] Matthew Faughnan Joel H. Cohen October 21, 2018 XABF16
"Multiplisa-ty"
 Split[52]
"Geriatric Park"
 Jurassic Park[52]
XXX 31 666–3104
Prologue
 The Omen[53] Timothy Bailey J. Stewart Burns October 20, 2019 YABF18
"Danger Things"
 Stranger Things[53]
"Heaven Swipes Right"
 Heaven Can Wait[53]
"When Hairy Met Slimy"
 The Shape of Water[53]
XXXI 32 688-3204
"Toy Gory"
 Toy Story[54] Steven Dean Moore Julia Prescott November 1, 2020 ZABF17
"Into the Homerverse"
 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse[54]
"Be Nine, Rewind"
 Russian Doll[54]
XXXII 33 709–3303
"Barti"
 Bambi[55] Matthew Faughnan John Frink October 10, 2021 QABF16
"Bong Joon Ho’s 'This Side of Parasite'"
 Parasite[55]
"Nightmare on Elm Tree"
 —
"Poetic Interlude" (aka "The Telltale Bart")
 Artwork of Edward Gorey[55]
"Dead Ringer"
 The Ring and TikTok[55]
Bonus episode 34 733–3405
"Treehouse of Horror Presents: Not It"
 It and It Chapter Two[9] Steven Dean Moore Cesar Mazariegos October 23, 2022 UABF17
XXXIII 734–3406
"The Pookadook"
 The Babadook[56] Rob Oliver Carolyn Omine October 30, 2022 UABF18
"Death Tome"
 Death Note[56] Ryan Koh
"Simpsonsworld"
 Westworld[56] Matt Selman
XXXIV 35 7??-35??
TBA
 TBA TBA Jeff Westbrook[57] TBA OABF17[58]
TBA
 TBA Jessica Conrad[57]
TBA
 TBA Dan Vebber[57]
XXXV 36 7??-36??
TBA
 TBA TBA TBA[57] TBA 35ABF??[59]
TBA
 TBA TBA[57]
TBA
 TBA TBA[57]

Notes

  1. ^ Properties are only listed if a significant portion of the segment's plot is a parody, and has been cited by the show creators or a review published by a reliable source. Excluded are title-only references and brief jokes.

References

  1. ^ Jean, Al (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  2. ^ Ryan, Andrew (2006-11-04). "Pick of the Day: The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XVII". The Globe and Mail. p. 12.
  3. ^ O'Brien, Conan; Weinstein, Josh; Oakley, Bill; Daniels, Greg; McGrath, Dan; Canterbury, Bill; Silverman, David (1993-10-28). "Treehouse of Horror IV". The Simpsons. Season 04. Episode 05. Fox.
  4. ^ Swartzwelder, John; Kogen, Jay; Wolodarsky, Wallace; Simon, Sam; Archer, Wes; Moore, Rich; Silverman, David (1990-10-25). "Treehouse of Horror". The Simpsons. Season 2. Episode 03. Fox.
  5. ^ Odenkirk, Bill; Silverman, David (2004-11-04). "Treehouse of Horror XV". The Simpsons. Season 16. Episode 01. Fox.
  6. ^ Wilmore, Marc; Silverman, David (2005-11-06). "Treehouse of Horror XVI". The Simpsons. Season 17. Episode 04. Fox.
  7. ^ Gaffney, Peter; Silverman, David; Faughnan, Matthew (2006-11-05). "Treehouse of Horror XVII". The Simpsons. Season 18. Episode 04. Fox.
  8. ^ Wilmore, Marc; Sheetz, Chuck (2007-11-04). "Treehouse of Horror XVIII". The Simpsons. Season 19. Episode 05. Fox.
  9. ^ a b Schneider, Michael (2022-07-23). "'The Simpsons' Season 34 to Parody 'It,' 'Ellen,' 'Death Note' and Feature Guest Melissa McCarthy". Variety. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  10. ^ Kogen, Jay (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "12 Truly Scary 'Simpsons - Treehouse Of Horror' Segments | Entertainment Tonight". www.etonline.com. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i October 20, Hillary Busis Updated; EDT, 2014 at 05:00 PM. "'The Simpsons': 25 Best 'Treehouse of Horror' Segments". EW.com. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Kurp, Joshua (2019-10-21). "Every Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Segment, Ranked". Vulture. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  14. ^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Treehouse of Horror II". BBC. Archived from the original on 2012-11-13. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k October 18, Hillary Busis Updated; EDT, 2014 at 04:00 PM. "Every 'Simpsons' 'Treehouse of Horror' short, ranked". EW.com. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  16. ^ a b Bartleet, Larry (2016-10-27). "The Simpsons' 15 Best 'Treehouse Of Horror' Segments". NME. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  17. ^ Jean, Al; Wolodarsky, Wallace (2004). The Simpsons season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror III" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  18. ^ a b "The Simpsons (Classic): "Treehouse Of Horror IV"". The A.V. Club. 2012-12-16. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  19. ^ O'Brien, Conan (2004). The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror IV" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  20. ^ Daniels, Greg (2004). The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror IV" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  21. ^ Weinstein, Josh (2004). The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror IV" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  22. ^ Mirkin, David (2004). The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror IV" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  23. ^ Mirkin, David (2005). The Simpsons season 6 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror V" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  24. ^ Daniels, Greg (2005). The Simpsons season 6 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror V" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  25. ^ Cohen, David X (2005). The Simpsons season 6 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror V" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  26. ^ a b Oakley, Bill (2005). The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VI" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  27. ^ Cohen, David X (2005). The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VI" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  28. ^ Keeler, Ken (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VII" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  29. ^ Greaney, Dan (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VII" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  30. ^ Cohen, David X (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VII" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  31. ^ a b Scully, Mike (2006). The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VIII" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  32. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Peitzman, Louis. "All 87 "Treehouse Of Horror" Segments Ranked From Worst To Best". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  33. ^ Cohen, David X (2006). The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VIII" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  34. ^ Dessem, Matthew (2020-03-14). "The Episodes of Amazing Stories That Are Actually Worth Watching". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  35. ^ Cary, Donick (2007). The Simpsons season 10 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror IX" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  36. ^ jbindeck2015 (2019-10-30). "13 Great Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Halloween Stories". Den of Geek. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  37. ^ Scully, Mike (2007). The Simpsons season 10 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror IX" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  38. ^ Cohen, David X (2007). The Simpsons season 10 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror IX" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  39. ^ Cary, Donick (2008). The Simpsons season 11 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror X" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  40. ^ Long, Tim (2008). The Simpsons season 11 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror X" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  41. ^ Hauge, Ron (2008). The Simpsons season 11 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror X" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  42. ^ LaZebnik, Rob (2009). The Simpsons season 12 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror XI" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  43. ^ Frink, John; Payne, Don (2009). The Simpsons season 12 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror XI" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  44. ^ Scully, Mike (2009). The Simpsons season 12 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror XI" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  45. ^ "'You said we'd be greeted as liberators!': 10 anxiety-reflecting Simpsons Halloween segments". The A.V. Club. 2013-10-23. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  46. ^ "The Simpsons: Every Twilight Zone Parody". ScreenRant. 2020-08-26. Retrieved 2022-07-27.
  47. ^ "The 31 best horror spoofs from The Simpsons' "Treehouse Of Horror"". The A.V. Club. 2022-10-24. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  48. ^ The Golem Returns. ISBN 978-0-472-11759-8.
  49. ^ "The Simpsons: "Treehouse Of Horror XXIV"". The A.V. Club. 2013-10-07. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  50. ^ "The Simpsons will also crossover with The Simpsons". The A.V. Club. 2014-09-11. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  51. ^ a b c d "The Simpsons walks us through a visually ambitious but forgettable Treehouse Of Horror". The A.V. Club. 2017-10-23. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  52. ^ a b c ""Treehouse Of Horror XXIX" sees The Simpsons ladle out some tepid horrors". The A.V. Club. 2018-10-22. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  53. ^ a b c d ""The Simpsons" boss Al Jean teases 30th "Treehouse of Horror"—which is also Episode 666". Newsweek. 2019-10-20. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  54. ^ a b c Schneider, Michael (2020-10-12). "'Simpsons' Lists 50 Reasons Why Re-Electing Trump Is Terrifying in Exclusive 'Treehouse of Horror' Clip". Variety. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  55. ^ a b c d Schneider, Michael (2021-10-04). "'The Simpsons' Parodies 'Parasite,' 'The Ring,' TikTok and 'Bambi' in Latest 'Treehouse of Horror'". Variety. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  56. ^ a b c Bojalad, Alec (2022-10-31). "The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XXXIII Tackles Anime and Westworld". Den of Geek. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  57. ^ a b c d e f "Writers for Treehouse of Horror XXXIV". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  58. ^ "Simpsons, The - WGA Directory - Treehouse of Horror XXXIV". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  59. ^ "Michael Price's Twitter - Treehouse of Horror XXXIV". Twitter. Retrieved 2022-10-27.

Bibliography

External links

The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror
The Simpsons episodes
Categories