Top Ten Treehouse of Horror Segments
By Reagen Sulewski
October 31, 2011
BoxOfficeProphets.com
10. Night of the Dolphin – THOH XI
The most recent segment to make this list – and that it's now closer to the beginning of the show's run than the start says something – this has a lot of the classic elements of a great THOH segment. Lisa's do-gooder nature leads her to free a captive dolphin from an aquatic show, where he's revealed to be the King of the Dolphins, and none-too-impressed about the way he's been treated, forced to perform tricks like a common seal. He leads a revolution against humankind back on land, revealing that ages ago, mankind actually forced dolphins into the sea, and they've never been warm or mucous-free since. Where this segment succeeds is in laying easy on the dolphin jokes and simply letting the absurdity play out (and there's at least one legitimately chilling scene as Springfield is herded out to sea by a phalanx of angry dolphins.
9. The Genesis Tub – THOH VII
Another Lisa-centric segment, with Lisa accidentally creating a miniature new civilization in a tub filled with cola, a tooth and a static spark. As it rapidly progresses in technological complexity, it identifies Bart as its enemy, and then eventually decides to bring Lisa, who they regard as their God, into their own little world. A lot of the fun here comes from watching the miniature civilization evolve (something Futurama would turn into a more biting satire with Godfellas) and then the eventual reveal of what they've interpreted the larger world to be. Like a lot of the THOH segments, it just sort of stops rather than completes the story, but at least there's a bizarre little punchline at the end. Also: the spaceship attack sequence on Bart is some of the best animation the show has done.
8. Attack of the 50-Foot-Eyesores – THOH VI
This segment features a frequent theme – something viewed as innocuous comes to life and embarks on a destructive warpath. In this case, it's Springfield's advertising mascots, who awake after a freak electrical storm and begin to eat, torture and otherwise make life miserable for Springfield's citizens. It's in part set off by a typical act of misanthropy – Homer's stealing of the Lard Lad giant donut, and then setting the 50-foot tall mascot after Ned, then Moe. Other than the delightful scenes of mayhem the mascot wrought, there's also a bizarrely funny sideways move in the plot, which sees Lisa engage the services of an old-school ad-man to sell Springfielders on the idea of ignoring advertising, which is a nice, mind-bending idea.
7. Dial Z For Zombies – THOH III
One of the horrors started by Bart, this segment has he and Lisa accidentally raising the dead which searching the library for a book report (in one of the segment's better jokes,the prospect of having to read another book is viewed as just as horrible a fate as zombies). Zombies are a frequent subject for the THOH episodes, but it's never been done better than this first time, with the town overrun, and Homer having to lead the family back to the library to help them end the curse, mowing through Alfred Einstein, Shakespeare (“Is this the end of Zombie Shakespeare?”) and George Washington, along with letting Homer take out his hatred of Flanders for one of many times.
6. Clown Without Pity – THOH III
After forgetting Bart's birthday, Homer heads to a shop that's a loose parody of the shop in Gremlins, only to purchase an evil Krusty Doll (leading to the all-time classic frogurt exchange, which has to be one of the most quoted lines in the history of the show). Then it comes to life and tries to kill him, leading to a naked chase through the house (and I believe the first mention of Patty's lesbianism), and the truly hilarious sight of Homer being terrorized by a nine-inch tall doll brandishing a butcher knife and yanking on his tongue. The solution ends up being simple – turning his switch to “Good” - and it's another segment that winds to a weird halt, but not before giving Homer a chance to be pointlessly cruel, giving a nice rough edge to it. Other highlights – the return of the hold music gag and Grandpa's pained wail about all the presents being evil simply to get attention.
5. Lisa's Nightmare – THOH II
The classic Monkey's Paw segment, this packs an amazing number of moments into one short act – The Simpsons becoming famous (where the show parodies its own popularity), the wish for world peace (“Lisa! That was very selfish of you!”), leading to Kang and Kodos conquering the world with puny weapons, and then Homer's quest for the perfect wish, one that can't go wrong, until he realizes that the turkey in his turkey sandwich is a little dry. What kind of monster would create such a thing? Personally, I still live in fear of that board with a nail in it that will destroy the world.
4. Time and Punishment – THOH V
This one investigates the Butterfly Effect after Homer accidentally invents time travel through an over-powered toaster, and accidentally changes the course of history by stepping on a bug. This somehow leads to Ned Flanders becoming the unquestioned lord and master of the world, with his iron will enforced through Big Brother cameras and forced lobotomies. With a ton of great throwaway gags (“These sausages will give me the quick energy I need to escape these dogs!”) and Homer's clumsy attempts to find his own timeline, this is one of the most gag-filled segments the show has done.
3. Bart Simpson's Dracula – THOH IV
This segment has the benefit of not only being riotously funny, but also a little creepy, thanks to the shadow effects used for Mr. Burns' Dracula character. But let's not get carried away here with the scares. This is filled with tremendous gags, like Super Fun Happy Slide, the revelation of the true American Dream, and the Springfield police's clueless reaction to finding bodies with teeth marks and a cape marked “Dracula” - destroying the Mummy wing of the Springfield museum. As a bonus, the wrap-around segment for this bit – Homer going mad from the Dogs Playing Poker painting, is one of the most delirious bits of voice acting the show has ever produced.
2. The Devil and Homer Simpson – THOH IV
An all-time classic for good reason – with Homer selling his soul to the Devil (Ned Flanders – why are you so surprised?) for a doughnut, leading to him going to trial for his very soul. One of the more sentimental segments, with Homer saved by Marge's love, it's also got some of the best gags, with Homer spending a day in hell, and besting all of the tortures sent his way. Lionel Hutz's appearance is also worth the price of admission, as he mounts a confident sounding but nonsensical defense of Homer's soul. Other moments I love – Bart casually acknowledging the Devil's presence, Richard Nixon's appearance on the Jury of the Damned, and the surreal ending, with Homer forced to carry the burden of his ill-gotten doughnut forever.
1. The Shinning – THOH V
What other one could I choose for number one but this? The parody of The Shining never stops being funny for a second, from the repeated false starts, the casual fatalism of Mr. Burns and Smithers as they strand the family in the mountain hotel, Homer's rapid descent into madness thanks to the lack of beer and TV and his deliriously loopy attack on Marge... I could go on. Another little bit of clever self-criticism, the segment is an indictment on the hold that TV has on us (“Now let's all bask in TV's warm glowing warming glow.”) but even without that element this would top my list for how completely packed with classic moments it is.
Top Quotes:
“But you'll kill everyone!” “But ice-cream cake!” - The Ned Zone – THOH XV
“I believe I'll vote for a third party!” “Go ahead, throw your vote away!” - Citizen Kang – THOH VII
“Oh, don't be so shocked.” - The Thing and I – THOH VII
“You've got to hand it to those dolphins, they just wanted it more.” - Night of the Dolphin – THOH XI
“Did you wreck the car?” “No!” “Did you raise the dead?” “Yes.” “But the car's OK?” - Dial Z for Zombies – THOH III
“Dad, don't make us poke your eyes out!” - Attack of the 50-Foot-Eyesores – THOH VI
“He was a zombie?” - Dial Z for Zombies – THOH III
“The doll's trying to kill me and the toaster's been laughing at me!” - Clown Without Pity – THOH III
“Oh, Lisa, you and your stories! Bart's a vampire! Beer kills brain cells! Now let's go back to the … place … where our beds andTV… is.” - Bart Simpson's Dracula – THOH IV
“Teacher! Mother! Secret Lover!” - The Shinning – THOH V