Treehouse of Horror: The Simpsons' Ongoing Halloween Tradition

The Simpsons is the longest-running animated series in history since the 1980s. The show centers around the misadventures of a middle-class family of five. It spans across hundreds of episodes, including the Treehouse of Horror specials. Depicting the titular family in horror-themed scenarios, these are the seasonal Halloween broadcasts. Many are parodies of famous movies, but not all are from the horror genre.

Photo byFox Animation/20th Century Studios

The Iconic Animated Family, The Simpsons

Created by Matt Groening, The Simpsons started on the Tracey Ullman Show. The characters starred in shorts throughout the variety show before becoming an independent show. The Simpsons premiered on December 17, 1989, with Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire. This episode also served as the series' first-ever Christmas special. The show began broadcasting regularly with James Brooks, Sam Simon, and Groening as producers. It started slow but eventually gained immense popularity, becoming Fox's groundbreaking series.

The Simpsons takes place in the fictional city of Springfield, supposedly named after Springfield, Oregon. The show focuses on a family of five and their crazy slice-of-life adventures. Leading the household is Homer Simpson, the bumbling yet loving family man. Opposite him is Marge, the stereotypical housewife and involved mother. Bart, their oldest child, possesses a Dennis-the-Menace motif, except he terrorizes the town. His sister Lisa is the family's child prodigy with a love for jazz. Lastly, there is Maggie, the youngest child, who is speechless and adores her pacifier.

The First Treehouse of Horror Special

Many memorable stories exist within The Simpsons, and the initial Treehouse of Horror is one. Titled Treehouse of Horror, the special revolved around Bart and Lisa. They and Maggie sit up in their treehouse and tell three ghost stories. Since it's Halloween, the older siblings try to scare each other with their tales. Their attempts fail, and neither was scared, though Homer, who was listening in, was terrified. The kids sleep peacefully through the night while Homer cowers under his bed sheets.

The first story in Treehouse of Terror was entitled Bad Dream House. A parody of Poltergeist and The Amityville Horror, The Simpsons move into a haunted house. Hungry are the Damned is the next story, parodying To Serve Man. Two aliens abduct the family and constantly feed them glorious banquets. Lisa tells the final tale of Treehouse of Horror, The Raven. In a parody of the poem The Raven, Bart plays a raven and torments Homer.

The Treehouse of Horror Specials Afterward

Since the initial special, Treehouse of Horror has become a seasonal Simpsons event. Each episode consists of three story segments, with most parodying popular movies. Some have likened the specials to The Twilight Zone since they possess similar formulas. They are set as non-canon, meaning the series continuity is unaffected by their events. This freedom also means the showrunners can kill off any character without consequence. For example, Treehouse of Horror V featured Groundskeeper Willie brutally dying in each story.

The non-canon nature of the Treehouse of Horror episodes even allowed for unique stories. In Treehouse of Horror XXVI, Sideshow Bob finally killed Bart, ending their long-standing conflict. The same episode also featured Homer as a Godzilla-esque monster in an old foreign film. While being an obvious spoof of Godzilla, it served as a fourth-wall-breaking joke. This parody revealed how the Treehouse of Horror specials have become more than fear-inducing sketches. They can be reflections of the modern age, which is scary in its own right.

Final Thoughts

The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror specials are a fun yet horrific Halloween television tradition. They have given birth to iconic Simpsons moments and stories. And the parodies and pop culture references have kept them relevant to the modern age.

Despite being entertaining, the newer Treehouse of Horror shows aren't as scary as their predecessors. They focus more on spoofing movies instead of inducing nightmares. Luckily, the older and scarier specials are on streaming services like Disney+ and Hulu. And with more Simpsons seasons coming, Treehouse of Horror will always be around for Halloween.

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Originally written by Ashton Wilson.