The Simpsons: "Treehouse Of Horror XIX"

Premiered November 2, 2008.

"I believe in the Grand Pumpkin, almighty gourd, who was crustified over Pontius pie plate and ascended into oven. He will come again to judge the filling and the bread."

-Milhouse Van Houten

This special Halloween episode opens on Election Day of 2008.  Homer Simpson (Dan Castellaneta) goes into a voting booth with a touch-screen and tries to vote for Barack Obama.  However, the machine registers it as a vote for John McCain.  Homer presses Obama's name several more times, but the machine keeps counting votes for McCain.  Suddenly, Homer is sucked into the voting machine...

...it kills him and spits out his mangled corpse.

Like earlier Simpsons Halloween episodes, "Treehouse Of Horror XIX" features three short segments, beginning with:

"Untitled Robot Parody": 

Bart Simpson (Nancy Cartwright) visits a toy store in search of a Christmas gift for his sister Lisa (Yeardley Smith).  When a toy truck flashes its headlights at Bart...

...he tells it that girls don't like trucks.  When his back is turned, the truck transforms into a pink Malibu Stacy Convertible and Bart knows he's found the perfect gift for Lisa. 

On Christmas morning, Lisa is very excited and grateful when she receives the the car.  

However, the Simpsons soon discover that the convertible is actually an alien robot, which transforms all of the Simpsons' electronic household gadgets into killing machines!  Springfield becomes the epicenter of a war between two robot armies! 

"How to Get Ahead in Dead-Vertising":

Marge and Homer take their youngest daughter Maggie to a new daycare center.  When she's nervous about her new surroundings, her parents encourage Maggie to look at the daycare's mural, which features Maggie's favorite TV personality Krusty The Clown (Castellaneta).  

Unfortunately, Krusty himself shows up and orders the mural to be sandblasted since he never authorized its construction, which makes Maggie cry.  Homer visits Krusty to confront the clown about the mural and accidentally knocks Krusty into a wood chipper, killing him. 

After this, an advertising agency gets Homer to kill other celebrities so they can use their likenesses to promote their products.  Homer does what they want and murders several celebrities.  

In Celebrity Heaven, Homer's victims decide to visit Earth (and Springfield) to take revenge on companies for exploiting their images. 

"It's The Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse":

When every kid in Springfield is preparing to go trick or treating, Milhouse Van Houten (Pamela Hayden) announces that he plans to spend Halloween in a pumpkin patch waiting for the arrival of the Grand Pumpkin.  Milhouse tells Lisa that the Grand Pumpkin is a giant pumpkin that appears in pumpkin patches and brings candy to all children who believe in him.  Bart scoffs at this and says he made up the Grand Pumpkin just to mess with Milhouse.  

When Halloween Night arrives, Milhouse waits in the pumpkin patch while the other kids go trick-or-treating.  Lisa decides to wait for the Grand Pumpkin with Milhouse.  

Eventually, she gives up and departs for the school Halloween dance.  Milhouse cries for the Grand Pumpkin to show himself and his "childlike belief" turns a pumpkin into the Grand Pumpkin (Hank Azaria).  However, when Grand Pumpkin learns that humans carve pumpkins for jack o'lanterns and pumpkin bread, he goes on a killing spree!  It seems that Springfield is doomed!  However, hope arrives in the form of another holiday symbol...Tom Turkey (Azaria)!

J.A. Morris says:

This is a great Halloween episode.  My favorite editions of "Treehouse Of Horror" are the ones that have "literal" connections to Halloween.  I mention that because some "Treehouse" epeisodes are just horror stories that don't mention actually All Hallows' Eve or trick-or-treating.  "It's The Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse" is the strongest segment.  

I'm a huge fan of Peanuts and "Grand Pumpkin" pokes fun at both It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and A Charlie Brown Christmas.  Milhouse, like Linus, is often his own worst enemy, so it's appropriate that he's the one spends Halloween waiting in the pumpkin patch.  "Grand Pumpkin" is also more directly connected to Halloween than the other two segments.  Kang and Kodos, who regularly appear in Simpsons Halloween episodes, also make a cameo appearance at the Halloween dance.

"Untitled Robot Parody," which pokes fun at the Transformers franchise, is also good.  It takes place during Christmas, so it's nice to get two holidays featured in one episode, something that rarely happens.  

I thought "How To Get Ahead In Dead-Vertising" was the weakest part, but only because it's not particularly related to Halloween, other than the murders Homer commits for the advertising likenesses.  Its homage/parody of Mad Men's opening montage is great.

Some viewers might watch "Treehouse Of Horror XIX" and think it's dated because it contains references to the 2008 election and Mad Men.  I think these references make this episode a nice snapshot of the pop culture of 2008.  Speaking of which, Homer kills Prince in "Dead-Vertising" and Rip Taylor is part of the "posse" that comes down from Celebrity Heaven.  Prince and Taylor are sadly both now deceased in real life. 

"Treehouse Of Horror XIX" is very funny and should be appreciated by all fans of All Hallows' Eve programming.  The inclusion of Christmas and Thanksgiving elements makes it even more enjoyable.

J.A. Morris's rating: 

4 jack o'lanterns!

RigbyMel says: 

I look forward to The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror anthology episodes every Halloween season.   Anthologies tend to be hit-or-miss, but generally Treehouse of Horror delivers enough spooky seasonal goodness and humor to be satisfying.  Overall "Treehouse of Horror XIX" works pretty well. 

That being said, as J.A. Morris mentions above,  I think the Mad Men parody portion of Treehouse XIX is the weakest link in this episode.   It's just not that funny, and could have made MUCH better use of its source material -  although some of the dead celebrity ads are memorably crass.  

The best bits of it are the homage to the title sequence to Mad Men and the random "dead celebrity" cameos, including an irate John Lennon astride a Yellow Submarine, but overall it just doesn't quite come into focus.  

Simpsonized John Lennon with Bob Denver (aka Gilligan) and Babe Ruth in the background

The satire of the Transformers movies in "Untitled Robot Parody" is much sharper -- skewering holiday commercialism and last minute gift purchases via alien robot battle mayhem.  We also get some amusingly naughty sight gags like Homer and Ned Flanders being trapped in ... interesting positions within their transformed cars.  

"It's the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse" is most definitely the highlight of this installment,  partly because of the loving homages to the original Peanuts specials from 1960s that it riffs on.  There are some particularly clever bits  including a cameo appearance of Santa's Little Helper in Snoopy v. Red Baron mode, Marge keeps making use of a muted trombone a la the speech of adults in the original specials and the dance scene from A Charlie Brown Christmas recreated with Simpsons characters...and an iPod. 

Santa's Little Helper as Snoopy! 

The Simpsons is certainly not the first TV show to play with the notion of what might happen should the Great... errr...Grand Pumpkin actually show up, but the Grand Pumpkin's outrage at learning that his kind are sliced and carved and cooked is both hilarious and also understandable.  

I also appreciated that Thanksgiving gets mashed up into the Grand Pumpkin stew when Tom Turkey is called upon for assistance! 

"Treehouse of Horror XIX" is not my favorite Simpsons Halloween episode,  but "It's The Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse" is a segment that I do enjoy revisiting seasonally. 

RigbyMel's rating:

.5

2 and a half jack o'lanterns.

The Simpsons: "Treehouse Of Horror XXIV"

Premiered October 6, 2013.

We're treated to three new Halloween vignettes!

"Oh The Places You'll D'oh!":

On Halloween night, Bart, Lisa and Maggie have contracted the mumps and aren't allowed to trick or treat.  When their mother goes out to a Halloween party, they're visited by an anthropomorphic cat named the Fat In The Hat.  He takes them out trick or treating.

But it turns into a night of murder and mayhem.

"Dead And Shoulders":

Bart is decapitated in an accident involving a box kite (and a helicopter!).  When he wakes up, his head has been grafted onto Lisa's shoulder.  Dr. Hibbert says it was "the only way to add a year to his life" and take 30 years off Lisa's.  Bart is disgusted by this and is determined to kill Lisa and take over their body.

"Freaks No Geeks":

Homer, a circus strongman has designs on marrying Marguerite, the trapeze artist.  But he changes his mind when he sees that Moe, a member of the circus' "Freak Show" has a valuable ring.

Homer talks Marguerite into marrying Moe out of pity...so Homer can kill Moe, marry Marguerite and gain possession of the ring!

J.A. Morris says:

Another solid Halloween effort from "Bat Groening" and company.  Not every "Treehouse Of Horror" specifically relates to Halloween, but this year's certainly does.  It's fun to watch The Fat in the Hat commit various crimes with trick or treaters and Halloween decorations in the background.  And it's a great Dr. Seuss parody, referencing the Grinch and The Lorax, in addition to The Cat In The Hat.

"Dead And Shoulders" is the weakest portion of the episode.  But it's still fun, highlighted by another humiliation of Seymour Skinner at the hands of his mother.  

The first thing that comes to mind regarding "Freaks No Geeks" is that it references Todd Browning's horror classic Freaks.  When I was growing up, that film was practically banned from television and home video.  Now it's "mainstream" enough to get referenced in a prime time series.  Homer's scheme involving Moe and the ring are among Homer's dumbest ideas (and that's saying something).

We also get a to hear Homer perform "Entrance Of The Gladiators" with lyrics ("This is the song that year at the circus, sung by a guy that you see at the circus!").

"Treehouse Of Horror XXIV" is a fun Halloween episode that I recommended, even if it's not exactly a classic episode I plan to revisit every year.

J.A. Morris' rating:

3 jack o'lanterns.

RigbyMel says:

This is a fun installment of "Treehouse of Horror".  As one would expect of The Simpsons,  it's very funny and cleverly written.  My favorite sequence was "The Fat In The Hat" -  the Dr. Seuss parody was spot on and wickedly amusing.

I also really enjoyed the extended couch gag opening sequence masterminded by Guillermo del Toro, which was a tribute to all manner of sci-fi and horror awesomeness over the years.

I will leave the exhaustive breakdown of each reference to other websites and just point out a couple of personal favorite references, like seeing H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe and Ray Bradbury (we even see Bradbury working on The Illustrated Man - so to speak) hanging around the streets of Springfield and various old school Universal movie monsters turning the tables and chasing the townfolks with pitchforks and torches.

 Moreover,  there are several incarnations of the Phantom of the Opera that show up, which made me very happy.

The Simpsons manages to remain smart and funny after more than twenty years, which is quite an achievement in and of itself.   This edition of "Treehouse of Horror" is well worth your time.

RigbyMel's rating:

3 and 1/2 jack o'lanterns.

The Simpsons: "The Simpsons Halloween Special II"(A.K.A. "Treehouse Of Horror II")

Premiered October 31, 1991

Dammit, Smithers, this isn't rocket science, it's brain surgery!

- Mr. Burns

I wish for a turkey sandwich on rye bread with lettuce and mustard. And... and I don't want any zombie turkeys, I don't want to turn into a turkey myself, and I don't want any other weird surprises, you got it?
-Homer Simpson

We open with a special "warning" from Marge Simpson that the Halloween episode isn't suitable for younger viewers.

Marge (dressed as the Bride of Frankenstein), Bart (an executioner), Lisa (a totem pole) and Maggie (a witch) have come home after night of trick or treating. Marge says they can have only one piece of candy, because eating candy late at night causes bad dreams. The kids (and Homer) ignore her, all the candy is gobbled up in seconds.



We get a series of vignettes, each representing one of their nightmares:

Lisa dreams that her family is vacationing in Marrakesh, Morocco, where Homer approaches a street vendor. He sees a monkey's paw and wants to buy it. The paw will grant its owner four wishes. The vendor cautions him, saying it will bring misfortune to the Simpsons.

Homer ignores the warning and buys the paw, they bring it home and they all take turns making wishes:Maggie wishes for a new pacifier and gets it. Bart wants wealth and fame for the Simpsons, the wish is granted. Suddenly, they have cash appearing all over the house and the Simpsons are best selling recording artists.

They're given VIP treatment wherever they go, but many citizens of Springfield quickly get tired of hearing about the Simpsons. Lisa wishes for world peace and gets it. Soon, all nations are working together and all weapons are destroyed. This lack of weapons is noticed by Kang and Kodos, two aliens who are monitoring Earth. They decide that the lack of weapons makes Earth the perfect planet to conquer! The monkey's paw has doomed the world! But Homer has one more wish. Will he use it to save the world or waste it on something selfish?


In Bart's dream, a Rod Serling-esque narrator tells of an omnipotent being who rules Springfield and the world. The being turns out to be Bart Simpson! Bart can read their minds and everyone is forced to cater to his every whim, especially Marge and Homer. His parents finally tire of Bart's oppression and Homer tries to kill him. Before he can do so, Bart
transforms Homer into a jack-in-the-box. Marge decides Bart has gone too far and takes him to Psychiatrist Marvin Monroe. Dr. Monroe says the root of Bart's evil is Homer's failure to bond with his son. Can Homer be a better father as a jack-in-the-box than he was as a human being?

In Homer's dream,he's caught sleeping on the job. His boss Mr. Burns directs his toady Smithers to fire Homer immediately. Burns thinks Homer can be replaced with a robot he's been (secretly) constructing. But he needs a brain to place inside the robot body.
Desperate for work, Homer gets a job as a grave digger. After hours of digging, he falls asleep in the grave.



Burns and Smithers are out grave robbing and mistake Homer for a corpse. When they notice he isn't dead, Smithers bludgeons him to death with a hammer. They cut open Homer's head and place his brain inside the robot.


But Burns' plan backfires, the robot still retains all of Homer's bad habits, like laziness and an obsession with donuts. His robot is a failure, Burns decides to return the brain to Homer (who isn't dead) and kicks the robot...which has disastrous consequences!

J.A. Morris says:
In case anyone who reads this hasn't seen "The Simpsons Halloween Special II", I  didn't want to spoil the endings of any of the nightmares.
For two decades running, The Simpsons Halloween episodes have been highlights of the Fall TV season. Some of the best episodes of the series have been Halloween shows, this one is no exception. It's filled with nice homages to classic horror and scifi. Bart's nightmare is a parody of a "Twilight Zone" episode, as is Lisa's wish that all wars come to an end. Mr. Burns' screams "it's alive" when his robot moves, an obvious (but fun) reference to Universal's "Frankenstein" movie.
The fame and fortune followed by a public turning on the Simpsons (in Homer's nightmare) is a parody of the Simpsons mania of the early 90s (the Simpsons were "meta" before most of us knew what "meta" meant).

And the opening credits show the Peanuts gang in their "ghost" costumes from It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.



But "The Simpsons Halloween Special II" is more than just a collection of pop culture references, it's a classic in its own right.

My rating:
4 jack o'lanterns





RigbyMel says:

One cannot possibly go wrong with a Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror" Halloween episode at this, the spookiest time of the year.  I always enjoy each new installation of the "Treehouse of Horror" every year,  but I find that my favorite installations tend to come from the early years of the series, such as this one.  (Whether this preference is due to being younger and more impressionable when the earlier episodes first aired, I do not know.)  
I think my favorite vignette from this episode is Lisa's nightmare, which is based on "The Monkey's Paw", a famous horror story by W.W. Jacobs.   Huzzah for intelligent, spooky television fun!

My rating:
4 jack o'lanterns