The Simpsons, an iconic TV show that has been going on for more than thirty years. Ever since the first episode aired in 1989, we have been on a roller coaster of adventures with all the family members growing and changing with them as the time went. But since they are not exactly serialized in the way that other shows are, their most well-known and long awaited episodes are their specials, which happen a few times a year. But one is always a bit more anticipated than the rest, and that is the Halloween special, which is always good and based on a unique concept.
With summer right around the corner, it seems strange to talk about spooky season, but fans will not be deterred when it comes to finding out what piece of media The Simpsons will parody this year in their “Treehouse of Horror” episode. This has been going on since the beginning of the show and they have parodied everything, from The Amityville Horror, The Twilight Zone or The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe.
The Simpsons treehouse of horror episodes
Since these are specials, they follow a similar pattern between them but are not the same as a regular episode. They get the name “Treehouse of Horror” because they usually start the same way, with Bart and Lisa hiding in their treehouse while they tell each other spooky stories to try to frighten the other. This is usually why there is not just one plot, there are at east three stories encased in each special to give both the viewer and the siblings plenty of opportunity to get into the Halloween vibe and be scared.
Unlike many long running shows, The Simpsons managed to get the format right on the first try. This first episode featured three segments, “Bad Dream House,” “Hungry Are the Damned,” and “The Raven” based on the Edgar Allan Poe novel of the same name.
The “Bad Dream House” segment follows The Simpson family as they move into a new home, but not any regular home, one that is in an upscale neighborhood but inexplicably has an affordable price tag. The home comes with a curse, of course, a demonic voice that tells the family to “get out” constantly. It is a play on The Amityville Horror and has several callbacks to it, like the house being built on an ancient Indian burial ground, with one tombstone being Mahatma Gandhi’s.
The second segment, “Hungry Are the Damned” features Kang and Kodos, the alien duo that have become well-known for any The Simpsons fans, although this was their debut and no one could predict how well known they would be in a very short time. This segment is based on The Twilight Zone, the first of many, and is inspired by the episode “To Serve Man.” Kang and Kodos kidnap the family and begin to feed them, which makes them put their guard down, while they talk about a feat on their home planet. Lisa then discovers a cookbook entitled “How to Cook Humans,” and believes that they will be the meal for the alien’s celebration. The book is later discovered to be “How to Cook for Forty Humans.”
The final segment is the adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven. In this very creatively written segment, Homer becomes the narrator and Bart becomes the Raven, which is seen as a symbol of continual suffering and agony. Homer recites the dialogue word for word from the narrator as he speaks to the raven and performs a monologue chronicling his thoughts of sorrow, teetering on the brink of madness. An impressive closing to a chilling episode.