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Anyone who knows me well will tell you I love Halloween. One Halloween tradition I’ve enjoyed since my childhood is watching The Simpsons’ annual “Treehouse of Horror.” A tradition that’s been going 25+ years strong, I love these episodes because they’ve parodied many of my other favorite things over the years, ranging from cinema classics such as The Shining (though they pronounced it shinning – do you want to get sued?) King Kong, A Nightmare on Elm Street and A Clockwork Orange to The Twilight Zone, Harry Potter, Peanuts and even gothic literature, such as The Raven, Dracula and Frankenstein. The Simpsons writers have always managed to put a clever, smartass twist on each canon, giving it a life of its own in gory, animated form.
While some “Treehouse of Horror” episodes are better received and remembered than others, this year’s “Treehouse of Horror XXVI” was a special treat for loyal Simpsons fans. From that clever opening featuring wonderful Ren & Stimpy-esque animation from guest animator John Kricfalusi (complete with nods to vintage Huckleberry Hound costume masks and to Frank “Grimey” Grimes – a character who was killed off on the show back in 1997) to the revelation that Sideshow Bob was finally going to kill Bart Simpson after 24 years of attempting it, the episode did not disappoint. Here were some of the highlights:
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“Wanted: Dead Then Alive”
24 years of trying to kill a bratty 10-year-old child have finally paid off for Sideshow Bob! All it took was a fiendish plot involving stealing Milhouse’s cell phone to trick Bart into meeting him in a deserted place. Bob channels his inner Daryl Dixon to pierce Bart through the heart with a spear gun. And what does he do next in all his evil glee? Why, he dances and sings a show tune and changes his Facebook status from Attempted Murderer to Murderer, of course. He pours Bart’s blood into a wine glass, savoring it like a fine wine, and plays putt-putt using Bart’s saggy, decomposing corpse as par for the course. It was evil villainy at its best.
After accepting a new job as an Associate Professor at Springfield University, Bob realizes he can’t find any solace in his teaching career. It seems the only thing that made him happy in life was killing Bart, and he longs to do it again – and again and again. He reanimates Bart’s corpse and kills him using several more inventive methods, including a mallet, chopping him into pieces, running him over with a steamroller, feeding him to a hungry lion and inducing a heart attack by showing him the reanimator’s electric bill. The Simpsons family eventually comes to Bart’s rescue, and Homer manages to sever Bob’s head from his body using the broken shards of a lamp. Marge allows Bart to reanimate Bob, and in the end, he is shown teaching with his head attached to the body of a chicken and other miscellaneous animal parts thrown in for grisly good measure. Overall, I felt this was a very satisfying story arc. I’ve always rooted for Sideshow Bob to finally have his moment of triumph and seeing that moment replay over and over with even more outlandish cartoon violence each time was absolute perfection. Kudos, Sideshow Bob!
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“Homerzilla”
Next up in the trio of terror was an homage to the old black-and-white Godzilla movies. Aptly titled “Homerzilla,” this story featured poorly dubbed sound, a convincing Japanese backdrop and a large Homer Simpson/Godzilla-like creature terrorizing the city. Did you happen to notice that Mr. Sparkles ad on the billboard in the background (another nod to a classic 1997 episode)?
Everyone mocks Grandpa Simpson for sending out donuts into the sea. What they don’t realize was that was the only thing keeping Homerzilla at bay. After Grandpa dies and the donuts stop, Homerzilla rises up from the watery depths and wreaks havoc. One of my favorite scenes: he steps on the town of Dojo, while uttering his familiar catchphrase “D’oh.”
Other best parts: movie execs discussing that the movie is so cheap, it’s funny and they can make millions after spending hundreds of millions on its production, and Krusty the Clown announcing that as a special promotional tie-in with the movie, Krusty burgers will be made using reptile meat (but not to worry PETA, they only buy the sick ones). In the end, the movie is a huge flop, all the merchandising is “lost at sea,” and the viewer is left with the tongue-in-cheek message that Homerzilla will return as soon as people have forgotten about the last one.
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“Telepaths of Glory”
The final tale involved Milhouse falling into a hole with Bart and Lisa going in after him with their cell phone camera to record everything (because everything must be on film these days). A radioactive explosion gives them special powers – they can now fly and alter things with their minds. Milhouse goes mad with power and must be stopped – leave it to Maggie Simpson to put him – and everyone else in the universe – in his place. Not the best of the night’s offerings, but not the worst of the “Treehouse of Horror” specials either.
And if you were hoping to catch a glimpse of beloved space aliens Kang and Kodos, they appear briefly in a cameo at the very end. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next year, although I think Sideshow Bob killing Bart is going to be tough to beat!
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