The Simpsons 28th Halloween special – and its 600th episode ever – has now aired. To mark the occasion, we name the 30 great ‘Treehouse of Horror’ segments…
Honorable Mention: The Wraparounds
In the first few Treehouse of Horrors, there was a narrative throughline that weaved the segments together e.g. The kids telling each other ghost stories in Bart’s treehouse (from where the series gets its name). It’s something that has been phased out over time but we really wish the narrative device would make a comeback.
30. Bad Dream House, Treehouse of Horror
What better place to start our list than with the very first ToH segment? It’s a basic premise – the family move into a haunted house – but with a good mix of spookiness and silliness.
29. Desperately Xeeking Xena, ToH X
The Simpsons parodies superhero cartoons, when Bart and Lisa become Stretch Dude and Clobber Girl. Naturally, Comic Book Guy is the villain (with his collection of sci-fi actors).
28. It’s The Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse, ToH XIX
Arguably the last great ToH segment is this irreverent yet affectionate parody of the Halloween fixture. There are some good twists and it’s fun to see the Simpsons as Peanuts characters.
27. The Ned Zone, ToH XV
In this entertaining skit on Stephen King’s The Dead Zone, Ned Flanders has premonitions of people’s deaths. But what will he do when he has a vision of Homer destroying Springfield?
26. Homer’s Nightmare, ToH II
The main plot is fun – Mr Burns puts Homer’s brain his Franken-robot worker – but the best bit is the famous final moments. Who would want their boss’ head grafted onto their body?
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