Since age seven or eight, I’ve been a huge fan of “The Simpsons.” For years, I filled up the family DVR with an ever-growing collection of episodes, tried to learn how to draw the characters and accumulated an abundance of their comic books before they went out of print- I think I ended with a grand total of 50 or so. I am also a coward, so the Simpsons’ annual Treehouse of Horror Halloween specials offered me the opportunity to participate in the spooky season without losing the ability to sleep for a month. However, with a show that has gone on as long as this one, not all specials are created equally; some craft three near perfect segments that wonderfully balance the goof and gore, while others fall victim to the same generic plotting that has plagued the show’s past ten or so seasons. Here are my personal picks for the all time best specials. As a disclaimer, I have not seen every single special. I have seen quite a few, though, and this list was pulled from the ones I have seen.
Honorable Mentions
“Treehouse of Horror XXIII” from Season 24: I have mixed feelings about this episode. While I think some aspects are very well done, others definitely feel phoned in. I love the intro, which plays into the 2012 Mayan calendar conspiracies, as well as the first segment, in which a black hole appears in Springfield. However, segments two and three drag the episode down, being “Paranormal Activity” and “Back to the Future” spoofs, respectively. While the intro feels like a thoughtful parody of a time relevant event, the “Paranormal Activity” spoof feels stale, cashing in on overused jokes that had already been made about the IP. The “Back to the Future” segment also feels lackluster overall, with few notable jokes and even fewer incorporations of horror. It gives off the impression that they needed one more segment and that this was the best they could come up with.
I think the episode had high points in the beginning that were worth watching. However, if someone was to stop after that, I wouldn’t blame them.
“Treehouse of Horror XXI” from Season 22: This entry has a lot of fun concepts, but falls lower on the list due to its struggle to incorporate horror into them. It begins with Bart and Milhouse accidentally bringing a board game to life, follows with Homer and Marge finding their second honeymoon at sea interrupted by a suspicious castaway and ends with a Twilight parody that sees Lisa falling for a vampire voiced by Daniel Radcliffe. All of the segments carry themselves well comedy-wise, but they don’t completely feel like THOH entries because of their distinct lack of gore. As someone who is easily spooked, I usually wouldn’t be one to advocate for making something scarier, but even I think this one is too tame. There was a lot of potential that wasn’t followed through on.
- “Treehouse of Horror VII” from Season 8: This episode was one I grew up with; it was on a THOH DVD collection that my dad bought, which we frequently watched together during October. The first segment carries this episode. Bart discovers he has an evil twin that Marge and Homer have hidden in their attic. The execution is genuinely creepy at times, with a generous sprinkling of the Simpson’s signature humor to keep it from becoming too much. It’s a solid concept that doesn’t require an overabundance of filler to flesh it out, as a lot of the best THOH segments are.
The other two segments are still above average, especially the last one, which is about Homer discovering that aliens are replacing high ranking political figures. It’s a fresh and original spoof on the famous conspiracy theory. The second segment has Lisa becoming the ruler of a world she accidentally creates when conducting an experiment. Again, it’s above average amongst THOH entries, but is still the weakest link of the episode.
- “Treehouse of Horror XII” from Season 13: This is another one that I grew up with. It’s one of the rare cases filled from beginning to end with great segments. The first, which sees Homer getting his family cursed by a fortune teller, walks the fine line between horror and comedy excellently. In all honesty, this one genuinely creeps me out a little bit, which in this case is a sign of success. The second is my favorite of the three, with the Simpson’s converting their home to a smart house who is voiced by Pierce Brosnan. There is again a great balance between genres, even more so than the first. The third segment is a Harry Potter parody. It’s above average fun, but is still probably my least favorite of the three, as some of the jokes were pretty commonplace in other Potter parodies that came out at the time.
- “Treehouse of Horror VI” from Season 7: This is another that is incredibly strong from start to finish. For me, its best and most memorable segment is “Homer Cubed,” where Homer enters the third dimension, changing his two dimensional appearance to match. The mixing of animation styles is a lot of fun, and the lean into science fiction is done quite successfully, especially compared to other THOH episodes that have tried to do the same.
The second segment is a “Nightmare on Elm Street” parody with Groundskeeper Willie taking on the role of Freddy Krueger. It is another segment that is genuinely creepy at times, mostly due to the imaginative animation in the dream sequences. Again, for something like this, I chalk that up as a win.
The first segment sees Springfield mascots coming to life and terrorizing the town. Though it is a fun and successful blend of genres, it is not as memorable as its successors.
- “Treehouse of Horror V” from Season 6: I actually didn’t grow up with this one, but rather saw overwhelming praise for it during article research and figured I had to give it a watch. I one hundred percent agree with the consensus that this is an excellent episode. It begins with a Shining parody that feels rather simple, seeing Homer lose his sanity due to a lack of beer and TV, but it works excellently. Whereas some entries thrive from a casual bombardment of jokes, this one has such a strong lead that it doesn’t need it. The same can be said for the last segment, which is about the elementary school using its students in their cafeteria lunches. While this one’s premise is a little more hardcore than a lot of the others I’ve seen, I think it still works; it keeps the concept verbal as opposed to visual, which definitely saves it and keeps it from becoming too grotesque. This is a running theme that I’ve noticed as the THOH’s go on. The earlier episodes seemed to focus more on stronger, creepier ideas while the later ones are more focused on shocking, grotesque visuals. I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing, it’s just something I’ve observed.
The middle segment is still entertaining and strong, but I would argue less so than the other two, with Homer traveling back and forth in time using a toaster. Overall, this episode displays mastery of the THOH concept, and I would highly recommend it to any fans like me who hadn’t seen it before.
- “Treehouse of Horror XXIV” from Season 25: People often consider the later seasons of the Simpsons to represent a fall from grace, however, I have a soft spot for 20-25, as these were the ones airing around the time I started watching the show. That being said, I can’t deny nostalgia plays a role in my placing this entry at the top of the list, but it certainly doesn’t come down to that alone either. Most of my praise can be attributed to the first of the three segments, “Oh The Places You D’oh” which is a spoof on the works of Dr. Suess. This segment encapsulates everything I love about “The Simpsons” and its sarcastic, absurd sense of humor. It’s chock full of excellent jokes and visual gags– I tried to pin down just a few to mention, but one strong one after another kept flooding in until it became too difficult to narrow down. It avoids the trap most of the later entries fall into of relying too heavily on the visual gags to carry it. Here, the visuals enhance the concept. I could write an entire article in itself about this segment alone as it’s hands-down my favorite THOH segment, so much so that I have it memorized.
The episode’s second segment is also strong and memorable, following the premise of Bart getting decapitated while flying a kite and having his head attached to Lisa’s body as a result. They play around with the premise well, again finding a sweet spot between horror and comedy. The last segment, about Marge and Homer being performers in a traveling freak show, is definitely the weakest of the three. It’s just kind of boring, but the strengths of the other two outweigh the weaknesses of this one.
This episode also has a fantastic intro, which I learned while doing research was conceived by director Guillermo del Toro. It’s the best THOH intro by far.
