Filmday Fridays: Treehouse of Horror VIII-XIV, The Simpsons Spooktacular

Now we are on to the next batch of Treehouse of Horror segments! These segments all fall after the end of what others consider the Golden Age of The Simpsons. While I don't think the Simpsons got suddenly worse after Season 8, I do see some weaker Treehouse of Horror segments in this batch of episodes as well as some really solid ones. These episodes fall into an interesting place because it was much easier to find my picks for the worst segments, but there are also memorable segments that I like. My working theory for seasons after Season 8 is that the division between a great episode and a terrible one became much more obvious. Many of my worst picks here fall lower than my worst segments for last week, while the best segments don't quite reach to the heights of segments like "The Raven" or "The Shinning," but are still pretty good. Let's start ranking! 

Top 7 Best Segments

7. "Scary Tales Can Come True" ("Treehouse of Horror XI")

This segment has some fun jokes about the Grimm's fairytales. I also really like the fact that Bart is basting himself in the Witch's house or that he thinks that she seems nice when she is cackling. There is also the part when it seems like the Witch is making up a fake boyfriend named George Cauldron only for the characters to actually meet him at the end of the segment. It is also funny to see Bart try the first two bowls of porridge in the Three Bear's house and assume that the solution is to mix the two of them together. I think the concept of Lisa using the fairytale book to help them navigate these stories is a cool concept, but I wish they had included a few more examples. 

6. "Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off" ("Treehouse of Horror XIV")

The main concept in this episode of time being frozen is an interesting idea that I will admit is much better and more emotionally executed in the Futurama finale. That said, I think this segment has some fun with the idea as well. I like the fact that it takes them so many years to fix the stopwatch. I also enjoy all the pranks that they play on Homer. I think these pranks are the funniest part and a unique element that differs from other uses of frozen time. The one thing that bothers me is that their worldbuilding could use some work in this segment. If the stopwatch had a few extra buttons, then the part at the very end of the episode makes sense, but since they only have one button, it doesn't make sense that it would freeze time in some cases and tamper with the nature of reality in other moments.

5. "G-G-Ghost D-D-Dad" ("Treehouse of Horror XI")

This segment has such a fun opening few minutes! I love seeing Homer come so close to death in so many ways. It is also hilarious that Lenny compliments him on the snake that is biting his arm. After he survives so many potential deaths, it is funny that broccoli is ultimately what gets him. It is funny that even Doctor Hibbert considers broccoli a deadly killer. I also like seeing Homer try and struggle to find a good deed and even compete with the boy scouts to rescue a woman that he accidentally kills. The fact that St. Peter isn't looking when Homer finds a good deed is also pretty funny. 

4. "House of Whacks" ("Treehouse of Horror XII")

I love the concept for this one! It is fun to see the small, but comprehensive changes to the Simpson home after they integrate the futuristic technology. There are segments like "Wiz Kids" that are not as creative in their recreation of setting or their changes to existing locations to make them fit with the theme of the episode. Pierce Brosnan's voice is so charming and it makes sense to me that he would be attracted to Marge. I also think it is absurd, but also funny that Homer says that if he died, Marge would be available to both men or machines. It is cool to see that Homer survives and also funny that he is missing the back of his head and starts to attack the water softener. Overall, I think I am drawn to the concept and creepiness more than the jokes, but the concept is enough to keep me invested in the story the whole time! 

3. "I Know What You Diddily-Iddily-Did" ("Treehouse of Horror X")

This segment is such a fun tribute to slasher movies! I think it is fun to see the Simpson family coming back from another adventure where their entire mission was to get back their sugar crisp cereal. The segment gets a tad weak when Homer tries to fake Flanders' death in a way that Maude can see and will not arouse suspicion, but the energy picks right back up when the family is smiling at the funeral to avoid making people suspicious. There is also a fun scene when the Simpson family wonders who saw them and see a variety of Springfield citizens acting suspiciously as well as Homer pointing in a funny way. I love the ending when Homer tells each family member to hide out in a location that has or would make the perfect setting for a slasher, like an abandoned camp, a spooky roller disco, or a lake where the sexy teenagers were killed one hundred years ago that night. The only thing that I think is a little weak about the segment is that it was a bit of a cheat for Ned to be alive because he became a werewolf right before he got hit by the car. It would have been funnier if he had been immortal all along or if they brought back the fact that he was the devil from "Treehouse of Horror IV." I think this segment has some great laughs and also some great suspense. 

2. "Fly vs. Fly" ("Treehouse of Horror VIII") 

This segment almost seems like two different segments, but both of them are a ton of fun! I like all the ways that Homer uses the teleportation machine including putting it next to the fridge, accidentally punching Lisa in the face when he punches into the void, or trying to go to the bathroom through the portal so that he wouldn't have to go upstairs when he clearly had to go upstairs to put the teleportation machine there as well. I think the part that actually gets into Bart mixing with a fly is also really fun. I like that Bart enjoys the two-headed cat and dog mix but responds in disgust to the two-butted copy that comes out next and says that that one will belong to Lisa. The parts with tiny fly Bart are funny, but not quite as engaging as the parts with the actual fly that has Bart's body. It is hilarious that the family cannot tell that the fly isn't actually Bart even though it eats sugar and doesn't speak anymore. I love seeing Homer try to reach around Bart's shoulder and grab some of his shoulder and the fly with Bart's body growls at him. The ending isn't particularly memorable, but I have so much fun the rest of the time that it isn't an issue for me.

1. "Reaper Madness" ("Treehouse of Horror XIV")

Some of these other segments moved around a bit in my ranking, but this one was always solidly at the top of this batch. The concept for this segment may not officially be based on any particular story, but the idea of Homer killing and then becoming Death reminds me of Piers Anthony's book On a Pale Horse. I have a lot of great memories of listening to that book and so I am sure that my positive associations are impacted by that connection to some extent, but I also believe that it is a really interesting concept. The Benny Hill chase at the beginning is funny and I think the segment offers a nice balance of a world without Death, Homer becoming death and doing his job well, and Homer abusing his position. I wonder if the reason why Homer has to reap Marge at the end is because he has abused his position. There are some fun ideas, a great concept, and so many great laughs here! 

Top 7 Worst Segments

7. "The Island of Dr. Hibbert" ("Treehouse of Horror XIII")

This segment has some interesting ideas and I do like to see the final animal forms of the characters, but some of their animal forms seem a bit random rather than the best choice for each of the characters. I like seeing Frink as the turkey, and I think there are some interesting existential questions that the segment teases about whether a human or an animal form is better. The issue is they do not really delve into these existential implications and instead, the segment just says that it gives characters a chance to be hedonistic. My other issue with this segment is that the jokes don't land and there are some parts that are just uncomfortable. It isn't funny that Homer can't tell his wife has been turned into a cat. I also find it very cringy when Flanders is turned into a cow and Homer needs to milk him. It makes no sense that Flanders would be a female cow and the visuals are disturbing rather than funny.

6. "Easy-Bake Coven" ("Treehouse of Horror VIII")

I think it is interesting to see a segment where Marge is a witch, but this segment falls flat for me. She starts off seeming like a normal villager before she is accused and we learn that she is a witch. It would have been funnier if she had obviously been a witch and it took a while for the townspeople to accuse her. They also do not establish that the witches actually enjoy eating children beyond the rumor that Maude describes. It is a fun imagining of how Halloween first started, but it is not funny and also a bit disjointed.

5. "Night of the Dolphin" ("Treehouse of Horror XI")

I love the scene that is a direct homage to The Birds with the dolphins standing everywhere staring at the townspeople. I also enjoy the part at the beginning when Lisa frees the dolphin and it parallels Free Willy. But I think the concept of dolphins having lived on the land in the past is a bit nonsensical and lacks the worldbuilding to make it believable. There is also this joke where Moe keeps tuning out and then asking what is going on and I find that it bit repetitive and irritating. The visual of the Simpsons living in the sea at the end is neat, but not enough to salvage very weak execution.

4. "The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms" ("Treehouse of Horror XIII")

This segment has parts that I enjoy. I like the fact that Kaiser Wilhelm tries to pass himself off as a cowboy and I also enjoy the distinction the cowboy ghosts place between "piano" and "pianey." What I dislike is that the segment is really trying to say something about guns, but unlike episodes like "The Cartridge Family," it is not clear what the segment is actually trying to say. Lisa's case for banning guns would seem to advocate gun control, but the ghosts rising up due to the city being unarmed would suggest that gun control is not effective. Also, the Homer that returns from the distant future to describe the harm caused by guns would veer back toward gun control once again. It is hard to figure out what this episode is trying to say and they also are not good at satirizing the different sides.

3. "Desperately Xeeking Xena" ("Treehouse of Horror X")

This segment was a superhero parody that came too early and I think it is tragic that the combination of this segment and another one parodying Spiderman makes it less likely that the show will parody the MCU. The humor for this segment depends on a familiarity with Xena, who I barely know and have no interest in knowing. It also pulls a lot of humor from the cheesy format of the old Batman show and movies, but I don't think that humor really works here either. I also think that it is fun to see superpowers that either really fit the character's personality, like Dash's superspeed, or powers that directly contrast with the characters and cause them to grow, like the Hulk who is so different from Bruce Banner. The issue with the superpowers that they use here is that stretchiness works perfectly for Bart's personality, while Lisa's superstrength does not fit her personal traits at all and they do not develop the way this strength conflicts with her personality either.

2. "Life's a Glitch, Then You Die" ("Treehouse of Horror X")

I think there are some ways that this segment offers a fun time capsule for the anxiety surrounding Y2K at the time. But while the destruction of technology is interesting, I think King of the Hill has a much better Y2K episode that covers much of the same material in a more meaningful way. The first part of the segment has some exciting ideas and good jokes about the extent of technology and the destruction it would pose if it went crazy, but I think the ending is a bit mean-spirited. It is sad that Lisa easily picks her mother over her father when it comes to the survival rocket. It also seems like such a waste to put all the bad celebrities on a rocket headed toward the sun. Couldn't they have used that rocket to save more people? The joke that all of the celebrities on the other rocket are irritating falls flat for me because I have not seen any movies featuring these actors. 

1. "Starship Poopers" ("Treehouse of Horror IX") 

This segment also has some parts that I enjoy at the beginning, but it really goes downhill fast! I like seeing Maggie lose her baby legs and develop traits similar to Kang. I also like the juxtaposition between Marge's narration of how Kang impregnated her and what actually took place. She says she was given no warning and that they used powerful mind persuasion techniques, but both of these are exaggerated. My issue, and the problem that makes this segment almost unwatchable, is when the family tries to resolve their situation on the Jerry Springer show. It is not funny to see Kang on the talk show or to see him disintegrate Springer and his audience. I think there are also jokes specific to talk shows and I never have seen those shows and I also never would want to. Homer's anger makes sense, but they don't do much to develop how or if his feelings have changed after hearing Marge recount what happened. I also don't think it is even slightly funny when they start swearing at each other and the show bleeps out every single word. I don't like strong language, but I also think that much bleeping is just irritating and not particularly funny.