- Treehouse of Horror
:"This article refers to the first "Treehouse of Horror" episode. For an overview of the series of episodes, see
Treehouse of Horror (series) ."Infobox Simpsons episode
episode_name = Treehouse of Horror
image_caption = Bart and Lisa tell each other scary stories in the Treehouse. This is how the title 'Treehouse of Horror' originated.
episode_no = 16
prod_code = 7F04
airdate =October 25 ,1990
show runner =James L. Brooks Matt Groening Sam Simon
writer =John Swartzwelder (part 1)Jay Kogen &Wallace Wolodarsky (part 2)Sam Simon andEdgar Allan Poe (part 3)
director =Wes Archer (part 1)Rich Moore (part 2)David Silverman (part 3)
guest_star =James Earl Jones as the moving man, Serak the Preparer, and the narrator of The Raven.
commentary =Matt Groening James L. Brooks David Silverman Al Jean Mike Reiss Jay Kogen Wallace Wolodarsky
season = 2"Treehouse of Horror" is the third episode of "
The Simpsons " second season, which aired onOctober 25 ,1990 . It was the first of a series of Halloween themed episodes, currently consisting of 18 episodes. The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes are a yearly tradition. The Treehouse of Horror episodes generally do not obey the rest of the series' rules of realism, and are not treated as canon, although the first and third (and to a lesser extent, the second and fourth) are set-up in a fashion that they could be considered canon. In addition, since1995 ,Bongo Comics has produced an annual comic book titled "Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror".Plot
In a parody of
Edward Van Sloan 's introduction to the original 1931 "Frankenstein" film, Marge warns the audience that this episode may frighten some viewers and suggests that parents with sensitive children "tuck them into bed early tonight instead of writing us angry letters tomorrow". This practice was kept up in a small number of subsequent episodes. The creators eventually decided that people knew that the episodes were scary and stopped adding warnings.The opening is similar to the canon opening, save for athunderstorm, the blood-cut title, cutting out the gags, and instead have a look at the
cementary , then cut to the Simpsons house and go into the backyard into Bart's treehouseOn Halloween, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie are in their treehouse telling three scary stories, while Homer eavesdrops on them.
Bad Dream House
The Simpsons move into an old house, wondering why it was so inexpensive. Their questions are soon answered when the walls begin to bleed and objects begin to fly through the air. Marge wants to leave, but Homer tells her to sleep on it first. That night, the house possesses Homer and the children, manipulating their minds and making them chase each other with axes and knives. Marge intervenes and confronts the house, demanding that it treat them with respect while they are living there. The house thinks it over, eventually opting to destroy itself instead.
Hungry are the Damned
The Simpsons are abducted by extraterrestrial life forms. The aliens introduce themselves as
Kang and Kodos , and tell the Simpsons that they are taking them to their home planet. En route they present the family with enormous amounts of food and watch eagerly as they gorge themselves. Lisa is suspicious, so she sneaks into the kitchen where she finds a book called "How To Cook Humans". She takes the book and confronts the aliens with it. They inform her that part of the title was obscured by space dust, which they blow away to reveal the title "How To Cook For Humans". Lisa, skeptical at this, blows off more space dust, revealing the title to be "How To Cook Forty Humans". The aliens blow off the last of the space dust, finally revealing the real title "How To Cook For Forty Humans", allegedly proving that the aliens were trying to treat the humans well. Enraged at Lisa's distrust, they return the Simpsons to Earth, but not before rubbing in how she ruined their chance of paradise on the aliens' home planet. This episode parodies "To Serve Man ", an episode of "The Twilight Zone".The Raven
Lisa reads "
The Raven " byEdgar Allan Poe . In this adaptation, Bart is depicted as the raven, Homer finds himself in the role of the poem's lead character, while Lisa and Maggie areseraph im. Marge appears briefly as a painting of Lenore.James Earl Jones narrates. The poem is read verbatim, with some of the poem edited out for time. Several times a bust of Edgar Allan Poe is visible in the background on a bookshelf.Bart, Lisa and Maggie are not frightened by any of the stories. They climb down from the treehouse and sleep peacefully the whole night. Homer, on the other hand, is scared witless. As Bart, as the raven, appears outside the window, laughing at him, Homer says he now "hates" Halloween.
External links
* [http://www.snpp.com/episodes/7F04.html Episode capsule on "Simpsons Archive"]
*imdb episode|id=0701278|episode=Treehouse of Horror
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