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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.

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