Treehouse of Horror, also known as The Simpsons Halloween Specials, is a series of Halloween-themed episodes of the animated sitcomThe Simpsons, each consisting of three separate, self-contained segments. These segments usually involve the family in some horror, science fiction, or supernatural setting and always take place outside the normal continuity of the show. Therefore, they are considered non-canon.
The original "Treehouse of Horror" episode aired on October 25, 1990, and was inspired by EC Comics Horror tales.[1] From "Treehouse of Horror" (1990) to "X" (1999), every episode has aired in the week preceding or on October 31; "II" and "X" are the only two episodes to air on Halloween. Between "XI" (2000) to "XIX" (2008) and "XXI" (2010), due to Fox's contract with Major League Baseball's World Series, episodes had originally aired in November.[2] "XX" (2009) and each Treehouse of Horror episode since "XXII" (2011) has aired in October, with the exception of season 32's "XXXI" (2020), which was originally scheduled for October 18, but was postponed to November 1 due to the 2020 NLCS reaching game 7. This was the first time since "XXI" that a Treehouse of Horror episode aired in November. The same thing happened with season 35's "XXXIV" (2023) and season 36's "XXXV" (2024), which aired on November 5, 2023, and November 3, 2024, respectively.
The first 13 Treehouse of Horror episodes had all three segments written by different writers and in some cases there was a fourth writer that wrote the opening and wraparound segments.[3] The original episode even had three different directors.[4] Starting with season 15's "XIV" (2003), only one writer was credited as having written a Treehouse of Horror episode, and the trend has continued through season 33's "XXXII" (2021).[5][6][7][8]Season 34's "XXXIII" (2022) went back to the earlier notion of having different writers for each segment.
As of 2024, there are 35 Treehouse of Horror episodes, with one airing every year. The 27th season marked the first time two Treehouse of Horror specials were aired, with one episode being a single story ("Halloween of Horror") and another featuring three segments ("Treehouse of Horror XXVI").[9] The 31st season included a Thanksgiving-themed spinoff, "Thanksgiving of Horror". They are known for being more violent than an average Simpsons episode and contain several different trademarks, including the alien characters Kang and Kodos who have appeared in every episode. Quite often the segments will parody well-known movies, books, radio shows, and television shows. The Twilight Zone has been parodied quite often, and has served as the inspiration for numerous segments.[10]
^Properties are only listed if a significant portion of the segment's plot is a parody, and has been cited by the show creators or a review published by a reliable source. Excluded are title-only references and brief jokes.
References
^Jean, Al (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^Ryan, Andrew (2006-11-04). "Pick of the Day: The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XVII". The Globe and Mail. p. 12.
^O'Brien, Conan; Weinstein, Josh; Oakley, Bill; Daniels, Greg; McGrath, Dan; Canterbury, Bill; Silverman, David (1993-10-28). "Treehouse of Horror IV". The Simpsons. Season 04. Episode 05. Fox.
^Swartzwelder, John; Kogen, Jay; Wolodarsky, Wallace; Simon, Sam; Archer, Wes; Moore, Rich; Silverman, David (1990-10-25). "Treehouse of Horror". The Simpsons. Season 2. Episode 03. Fox.
^ abcdMatt Groening, Wally Wolodarsky, Al Jean, Jay Kogen, and Jon Vitti (2004-03-29) [Episode 9F04 first broadcast October 29, 1992]. "Commentary for Treehouse of Horror III". The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season: Disk 2 (DVD) (Collector's ed.). 20th Century Fox. OCLC55034037.
^"CBR: How Return of the Living Dead Popularized Pop Culture's Most Iconic Zombie Trait". It's surprising then that the notion of zombies eating brains came not from Romero but from another zombie classic. 1985's The Return of the Living Dead, written and directed by Dan O'Bannon, quietly slipped a few notions of its own into the mix. That included the hunger for brains, an active part of its satirical approach to the end of the world.
^"How To Get Ahead In Dead-Vertising". Take 5 Reviews. Retrieved 2024-03-13. It does start with a parody of 'Mad Men' for its intro, but the story here is much more about the use of likeness rights in general.
Episode guide from Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood's book "I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide" on the BBC website. November 10, 2007