Plenty of TV Shows trot out an obligatory holiday special now and again but no one has flourished in the seasonal tradition like the Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror. A yearly October institution, here are the Top 10 Treehouse of Horror Episodes of All Time.
#10. Treehouse of Horror XVI
Treehouse XVI starts off pretty strong, taking the heart breaking moment from Steven Spielberg's A.I. where a young cyborg Haley Joel Osment is dumped in the woods by his family and rewrites the ending with a betrayed Bart coming back for revenge as a bulked up killing machine. The second segment features Mr. Burns hunting the dimwits of Springfield for sport ala The Most Dangerous Game, making for some solid bits throughout despite never quite capturing the true horror of the premise. "I've Grown A Costume on Your Face" is probably the strongest segment of the bunch but suffers from a weak ending.
#9. Treehouse of Horror XIII
The first story, "Send in the Clones" isn't perfect by any means but there's a lot funny sight gags with a surge of Homer replicas taking over Springfield. "The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms" (despite it's terrible title) is one of the better politically themed Treehouse of Horror segments The Simpsons have ever been able to pull off. Plus the image of Ralph going down a slide made of recycled gun parts randomly firing into the air behind him is absolutely phenomenal. Top it all off with a more entertaining version of Dr. Morreau than the lame Marlon Brando / Val Kilmer adaptation they seem to be parodying and you've got a solid Halloween special.
#8. Treehouse of Horror VIII
Watching Homer walk around as the lone survivor of Springfield in "The Homega Man" is definitely the highlight of Treehouse VIII, with it's incredible dystopian wasteland visuals showcasing The Simpsons' uncanny ability to turn sitcom animation into true artistry. It's just a shame that none of the segments really have much to them beyond the premise. "Fly v.s. Fly" is an okay take on The Fly but again, doesn't go anywhere. Neither does "Easy Bake Coven" once Marge and her sisters are outed as Witches. All 3 make for some memorable imagery but the stories don't fill out the costumes much and feel a tad underdeveloped. It's still good but it definitely should have been better.
#7. Treehouse of Horror VI
Yes, Treehouse of Horror is a Halloween special. But I don't think most people would consider any of them actually scary. However, watching Groundskeeper Willie burning alive while cursing the children of Springfield is actually pretty chilling stuff. "Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace" has plenty of jokes but also feels much more like a straight forward horror segment than any other Treehouse bit to date. And while the Elm Street parody is top notch, "Attack of the 50 Foot Eyesores" and "Homer3" rely almost entirely on sight gags to carry them. Though honestly, they mostly succeed.
#6. Treehouse of Horror XI
The opening "Ghost Dad" segment feels like mostly filler but "Scary Tales Can Come True" kicks up the laughs considerably, fleshing out the grizzly and horrific details of classic fairy tales. Then you have the finale, "Night of the Dolphin", which is such a bizarre and unique segment that this episode ranks as THE most memorable post 90's Simpsons content in my opinion. That's right, the curiously violent porpoise uprising ranks even higher than the 2006 movie does for me.
#5. Treehouse of Horror I
The inaugural Halloween Special feels a little slow compared to later seasons but it sets the template with 3 absolute landmark segments. "Bad Dream House" parodies haunted house films like The Amityville Horror and Poltergeist pretty ingeniously by concluding with the living house choosing to destroy itself rather than house the Simpsons. Then we get our introduction to Treehouse of Horror's most infamous characters, Kang and Kudos, followed by an illustrated interpretation of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" narrated by the wonderful James Earl Jones. Great stuff.
#4. Treehouse of Horror III
Starting off with a Child's Play parody (which funny enough, seems to have gone on to inspire a few bits for the Child's Play sequel Bride of Chucky), Treehouse III kicks off considerably faster and funnier than it's predecessors. "King Homer" is a fairly predictable King Kong parody but the final segment, "Dial Z for Zombie", picks up the slack. Seeing the town of Springfield overrun with familiar faces turned into flesh eating ghouls is pretty great. Especially when Homer blasts through zombie Ned Flanders and responds to Bart's shock with "he was a zombie?" Or the classic moment when Homer attempts to sacrifice himself to save his family only to be passed over by the living dead who find he has little to no brains to eat. And even though there are some subtle nods to various zombie influences, this is the first segment in the Treehouse of Horror series that doesn't stay beholden to mimicking any one source material, giving the creative team free reign to unleash chaos.
#3. Treehouse of Horror VII
While Treehouse of Horror is widely known for it's horror parodies, it's the original segments in Treehouse VII that make it one of the series' best. First, the simple yet twisted tale of Bart's neglected twin brother living in the attic is surprisingly unsettling for a cartoon and one of the most iconic entries in the entire Simpsons run. "The Genesis Tub" is a great Twilight Zone update but easily the weakest of the three stories. But that's only because "The Thing and I" and "Citizen Kang" are so great. The Simpsons never shy away from making a mockery of the U.S. political system but "Citizen Kang" marks the first and most successful instance that they were able to implement their biting political satire into a Treehouse segment, birthing the classic quote "Don't Blame Me, I Voted For Kodos".
#2. Treehouse of Horror V
I know everybody loves "The Shinning" but personally, I think the two segments that follow it are what make Treehouse V one of the undisputed champions of Halloween specials. The cause and effect time travel parable, "Time and Punishment", is a hilarious take on Ray Bradbury's short story in which Homer's accidental actions in prehistoric times bring unforeseen circumstances each time he returns to the future. It feels like the best Twilight Zone episode never made. Then "Nightmare Cafeteria" introduces a fun spin on Soylent Green where the cheap public school begins feeding the students to one another to save money. Twisted, eerie, and hilarious - Treehouse V tackles every angle you'd want in a Simpsons Halloween Special. And even if "The Shinning" is a tad overrated - if that's your weakest segment, you've got a damn good episode.
#1. Treehouse of Horror IV
Treehouse of Horror IV is top to bottom, the best Simpsons Halloween Special there is. And "The Devil and Homer Simpson" is the best Treehouse segment there is. Homer's exchange with the Devil (aka Ned Flanders) in which he offers his soul for a donut takes us on a hilarious animated journey through hell and climaxes with a demonic trial highlighted by the always incredible Phil Hartman voicing Lionel Hutz as Homer's inept defense attorney. The selfish moral conundrum and sappy sentimental conclusion are the epitome of what The Simpsons aims to be. "Terror at 5 and a Half Feet" parodies one of the best Twilight Zone segments ever made, replacing the airplane setting for a school bus in an effectively creepy re-imagining. The swirling paranoia is executed beautifully, even though the villain himself has a pretty weak character design. The final segment, a parody of Bram Stoker's Dracula, is a perfect lampoon of the vampire sub-genre without sticking strictly to Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 film. Treehouse IV is a highlight not only for the Halloween Season, but the entire 30+ year run of the animated series.