Time for our next set of Treehouse of Horror segments! These segments had both higher highs and lower lows than the segments I discussed last week. Some of this could be because they are newer and many of the episodes in seasons 9-15 were Treehouse of Horror episodes that I have seen more and liked a bit less, but I think these slightly newer seasons also had some rich material to work with and had started to find a balance for a good horror parody. The downside is that I am much less fond of the bad segments in this list. The bad segments from this set shared a similar issue of featuring a significant amount of violence without really engaging with the story it is endeavoring to parody. I am excited to talk about some of these segments, so let's get started!
Top 7 Best Segments
7. "Don't Have a Cow, Mankind" ("Treehouse of Horror XX")
The previous Zombie segment from Treehouse of Horror III didn't make it into my best or worst list. While I thought it was serviceable, it also didn't do as much as it could have with the Zombie concept. This segment builds on apocalyptic movies and Zombie films like 28 Days Later that give it so much more to work with! I like the joke that the Zombie-ism comes from eating at tainted Krusty Burger because it builds on the joke that these burgers are usually filled with questionable meat. I also think the segment does a good job putting characters into positions that are consistent with both the genre and their larger characterization. It makes sense that Ralph would become a muncher early on and that he would try biting himself. It also makes sense that Apu would survive since he is well-armed and also a vegetarian. I don't like the joke about communion that they have in this segment, but otherwise, this is a fun segment.
6. "War and Pieces" ("Treehouse of Horror XXI")
While this segment is not a direct parody of Jumanji, it plays with a similar concept and does it in a fun and exciting way. I love the fact that the game is clearly evil, but Bart and Millhouse casually start playing it. It is also funny that there is an exciting demon figure and a thimble. I also think the segment offers a fun, short glimpse of all the different games that people play together, including how confusing Yahtzee can be your first time playing. The short scenes of Clue, Mouse Hunt, Shoots & Ladders, and so many others offers enough time to get a good joke in and not so long that you get tired of the game. I think Millhouse suddenly giving up came out of nowhere and seemed like it was just there to create drama and possibly parody Titanic, but my sister made a good point that this sudden desire to quit games is one other element of group gameplay. Sometimes you play games with people who aren't good sports or just want to stop playing when it gets too hard. Overall, this was a fun concept that was very well-executed.
5. "The Ned Zone" ("Treehouse of Horror XV")
This segment had a great concept and it was so fun to see Flanders as the focal character. Like many other shows and movies about precognition, I like the fact that Flanders doesn't have a complete picture of how things are going to happen, just a brief glimpse of what the future will look like for each person he touches. It is funny that he accidentally causes Melman to be eaten by alligators and I also find it funny that Flanders is hit on the head with a bowling ball that Homer keeps throwing up on the roof. I also like that Flanders tries to avoid killing Homer by moving away, only to for him to wind up killing Homer and Homer accidentally blowing up the town. It fits with the fascinating idea that we meet our fate in the steps that we take to avoid it.
4. "Four Beheadings and a Funeral" ("Treehouse of Horror XV")
What I love about this segment is that it brings together the Jack the Ripper murders and Sherlock Holmes. It is so funny when the prostitute at the beginning of the segment asks for a snug, only to exclaim "That's not a snug!" when he stabs her. I like that they slot the Simpsons and other characters into so many interesting roles in this segment. Lisa is a great Sherlock Holmes and I think it is funny that Bart is easily impressed by doorknobs (It's odd that they aren't consistent with this portrayal throughout the segment though). They have a fun mystery here and I like that they have Homer as the red herring. I think the segment drags a little when they go to Comic Book Guy's shop, but it still has some good jokes later in the segment. I think it is funny when they encounter a stabbed Selma and Bart assumes that she has been dead for days only for her to reanimate and tell him that it's only been 17 minutes. Overall, it is a fun segment and anything with a Victorian aesthetic is a winner in my book!
3. "Heck House" ("Treehouse of Horror XVIII")
As Treehouse of Horror went on and began to include violent segments or sci-fi concepts, there were several segments that lacked that spooky Halloween aesthetic. If you want a segment that feels just like Halloween, this is the segment for you! I like the way that their trick-or-treating turns into pure trickery and that even Lisa's efforts to be nice by feeding Lenny's goldfish are still considered tricks. The Heck house is also a fun look at Christian traditions like Fall Family Festivals and similar church Halloween activities. While I think it is a bit of a problem that Flanders prays that he can scare the kids into loving God, but I love the gruesome imagery they use to depict the Seven Deadly Sins. This episode is the reason that I remember them! I also think they have a creative visualization of Hell that both differs from other visions of Hell in this show and offers some good scares.
2. "Dial 'M' for Murder or Press '#' to Return to Main Menu" ("Treehouse of Horror XX")
This segment is amazing and is right up there with "The Raven" or "The Shinning." I love the way that this segment works with both the storytelling and the imagery of Hitchcock. It also has so much great tension and suspense! Even if you haven't seen Strangers on a Train, the concept of Bart and Lisa trading crimes against Miss Hoover and Edna is such an exciting concept. It's a concept that crime shows have used occasionally as well because it is interesting and makes for a good puzzle. It is funny to see how Bart defines pranks differently from what Lisa expects, seeing Ding-dong ditch as "throwing that ding-dong in a ditch" or TP as "torture and pulverize." There is also so much suspense in the moment when Lisa is holding up the paper slicer so that it doesn't slice her like a bagel. The suspense, tension, and twists in this segment make it so much fun to watch!
1. "Master and Cadaver" ("Treehouse of Horror XXI")
While the Hitchcock segment is amazing, I think this segment is just a little more suspenseful and masterful in its execution. I have never seen the thriller that they are basing this segment on, but this segment really makes me want to watch it! I love that you can never really tell whether the castaway is telling the truth or is a suspicious murderer. It was a great decision for them to create a new character instead of casting one of the existing Springfield characters as Roger. If they had cast Skinner or Apu as Roger, you would be inclined to trust him while casting Snake or Sideshow Bob would make you suspicious. The new character creates a blank slate that helps you to be in just as much suspense as Homer and Marge are. They have some signs that look suspicious while also offering some great explanations later. When they actually encounter the Albatross Ship and find out what happened, it is so great at tying things together. Even Homer's homicidal killing makes sense because he is trying to cover up their initial attempted murder. It also helps that this segment has a creepy ghostship vibe and some great nautical trends as well!
Top 7 Worst Segments
This segment has a lot of strengths at the beginning. I think the way they put Bart into a coma makes sense, and the segment has good pacing as it shows the family adopt David and living with just him for a while, then it shows Bart come back and the two boys fighting to win Marge's love. I also like the funny twist it has when it sounds like Homer is abandoning the robot but he is actually ditching Bart in the woods. My issue with this segment is that it begins to drag once Homer abandons Bart and it never really picks back up again. They don't really give you enough time to like the robots that Bart meets. They use new characters for this, but I think it would be more interesting and they would have a better shorthand to care about the characters if they had used Springfield residents instead. Bart's return and his upgrades really aren't scary, funny, or particularly interesting, and I wish that the episode had kept up with the energy it had started with at first.
6. "You Gotta Know When to Golem" ("Treehouse of Horror XVII")
There are parts of this segment that I find a bit uncomfortable. On the positive side, this was my first exposure to the golem. I took a Jewish American literature class in graduate school a few years ago and I was able to read a couple of stories that played with the golem as a figure. Golems have some features in common with Frankenstein's monster in their form and origins. They also have an interesting story as figures that start as defenders of the Jewish people but eventually get carried away (At least in the stories that I read). In this segment, the flashback describing the origins of the golem is really good and consistent with the other stories that I have read. I also think their depiction of the golem after they give him the ability to speak is pretty fun and he has a nice dynamic with the family. My issue with this segment is once again with the ending. The female golem that they make is stereotypical and obnoxious in her depiction. While it could be that I am not fond of Fran Drescher's voice acting, I think it could have worked if they had made her nicer and a bit less callous. She is only in the last minute or two of the segment, but it always puts a bad taste in my mouth. Also, the golem's violence works for most of the episode, but eventually just becomes violence for the sake of violence. There was so much potential with this concept and the golem as a mythological figure, but they really waste this potential.
5. "Mr. & Mrs. Simpson" ("Treehouse of Horror XVIII")
I liked Mr. & Mrs. Smith as a movie. It had a fun concept and it was interesting to see the husband and wife's surprise as they both discover that they are spies and discover that they are supposed to assassinate each other at the exact same time. My issue with this segment is that it barely does anything with the source material other than wearing the skin of the concept. Homer and Marge are never told that they have to kill each other. Marge just foils Homer's assassination attempt on the political leader and they both decimate their home as they try to kill one another. I remember that there was a similar scene in the movie as well, but there was more to the story than that. This episode just uses the premise as an empty excuse for violence.
4. "E.T., Go Home" ("Treehouse of Horror XVIII")
While the last segment on this bad list wasted a concept that I enjoyed, this one is working with a concept that I don't like nearly as much. Steven Spielberg has been at the helm of some great films, but I watched E.T. and I found it a bit boring if I'm being honest. The Simpson version of this concept, with Kodos being an obviously evil alien that tries to pretend he is good, is pretty interesting. The problem is that I don't like what they do with Bart in this segment. In order for Bart to go along with Kodos, they make him extremely naïve and shocked every time Kodos kills someone. I think it would have worked better if they chosen a different character like Lisa, Millhouse, or Marge for this role because it is way too out-of-character for Bart. Also, the scene at the end when they plan to vivisect Kodos before Homer smothers him is a scene that I find extremely uncomfortable.
3. "Untitled Robot Parody" ("Treehouse of Horror XIX")
This segment is yet another example of the show wasting a solid concept. It barely does anything with either the Transformers movies that had been coming out at the time or the old Transformers TV show. It has transforming creatures in it, but doesn't use any of the plot. I find it amusing when Homer says "The toaster has never lied to me before," but other than this, the segment is short on both jokes and story. It is almost an excuse for violence, but even the violence isn't particularly interesting.
2. "Married to the Blob" ("Treehouse of Horror XVII")
I think that this segment tried to experiment with some gross-out humor that was popular at the time, but I don't see the humor in being disgusted by gross things. Homer spends far too much time in this segment trying to swallow a sentient glob of fluorescent green goo. The color and consistency of the goo looks a lot like snot and it is disturbing to look at. The episode doesn't get much better after that. Homer eating Bart or the pets isn't funny and I don't like the ending with Homer eating the homeless either. The worst part of the segment is Dr. Phil's appearance near the end because it is both unfunny and manages to be condescending at the same time. The one bright spot is that the 50-ft Lenny who everyone ignores because they are all paying attention to Homer instead.
This segment is extremely irritating to watch. The premise is pretty much an excuse for violence and gore with very little in the way of a story. It is also mean-spirited at points. Why does Burns kill Apu and the rabbit he reincarnates himself into? There is also a part when Homer flings several of his friends into the air and Burns shoots each of them as they fly past him. The ongoing brutality makes the segment uninteresting because it never really delves into why Mr. Burns wants to hunt human beings. At least The Island of Dr. Hibbert offers some reflection on why he likes to experiment with putting human brains in animal bodies. My larger issue with this segment is their attempt to turn it into a sporting event with those sports announcers. They offer commentary throughout the episode and their comments heighten the mean-spirited nature of the kills while merging it with sports which I do not really enjoy at all. The announcers offer obnoxious commentary and it is disturbing when they watch Homer and Marge together at the end of the segment as well.
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