I began this column with the daunting task of selecting the Best Episode Ever out of “The Simpsons” 25 years on the air. It was an ambitious way to begin, and I imagined we might revisit “The Simpsons” again. This Halloween it occurred to me there have been enough “Treehouse of Horror” episodes in those 25 years to constitute a series unto itself, worthy of highlighting its apex (I could also have gone with zenith. What do you think, apex or zenith?)
As most of you true fans probably expected, I thought it was going to be “Treehouse of Horrors V” with “The Shinning,” “Time and Punishment” and “Nightmare Cafeteria.” Those first two segments are possibly the most memorable and the running gag of Groundskeeper Willie was impeccable. “Nightmare Cafeteria” is a bit soft to me (cannibal teachers just a bit obvious I guess), but even if it held up to the previous two segments, it wouldn’t make “Treehouse V” the best. “The Shawsh-Hank Azaria” is the best fake credit though.
For memorable lines alone, “Treehouse of Horror III” is the best “Simpsons” Halloween episode ever. The cursed frogurt (“That’s bad.” “That’s Good.”), Grandpa’s “I just want attention,” “Ew, dog water,” “I was a fool to think anyone would want nude photos of Whoopi Goldberg,” “I think women and seamen don’t mix,” “You killed the zombie Flanders!” “He was a zombie?”, “See you in Hell.” “Still pushing that boulder?” “Uh-huh.”
Together, “Clown Without Pity,” “King Homer” and “Dial Z for Zombie” are three A+ segments combining for the strongest total “Treehouse” episode. Of course, this was early. “The Simpsons” were still spoofing every classic horror trope for the first time. It would get harder around year 20. I don’t hold that against them. I’m grateful they keep spoofing the latest horror craze, be it found footage or Harry Potter.
“Clown Without Pity” may be my favorite “Treehouse” segment ever. It manages to be a Child’s Play parody with a Cape Fear homage in there. It’s a pretty tight story arc in a single act too. Homer forgets Bart’s birthday so goes to get a last minute gift. A creepy magic store proprietor sells him a talking Krusty doll, and when nobody else is looking, Krusty tries to kill Homer. Homer spends the episode trying to get rid of the doll, and Krusty is relentless.
The resolution of “Clown Without Pity” is pretty genius too. They just flip his switch from evil to good. It’s amazing animated slapstick with naked Homer running from Krusty, the aforementioned tumble into dog water and that bottomless pit sequence. It’s so “Simpsons” because Krusty is such an icon, and the Krusty doll is essentially a mini-Krusty, but it totally works in the Child’s Play spoof.
“King Homer” is a pretty straight King Kong parody. If “Clown” was the concept of Child’s Play, “King” is really the exact plot of Kong. It’s appropriate. King Kong is much better known as an archetype (though I personally know Child’s Play beat by beat). What’s especially prescient is how well it works as a spoof of Peter Jackson’s King Kong which would not be made for another 13 years. No stampeding brontosauri, but the ship crew, the island and the New York sequences remain dead on.
There are still plenty of “Simpsons” non sequiturs in “King Homer,” like Lenny’s whole “Candy Apple Island” riff, Barney’s “Wow, look at the size of that platform” and his irritation at sharing peanuts with King Homer. Out of shape Homer’s failed climb, Mr. Burns’ anecdote about Al Jolson’s Kong-like rampage, and an interspecies wedding ending are all bits that have a way of Simpsonizing classic movie tropes. Everyone just seems to ignore the heart of King Kong and make different jokes, and that is great satire.
“Dial Z for Zombie” is just plain sound as a standalone story. It’s not based on a movie specifically, but rather the tropes of zombie movies. And this was way before Shaun of the Dead ushered in the neo-zombie wave. As a satire of a concept, rather than a specific movie (it doesn’t follow Romero in structure) it exercises another “Simpsons” muscle to great effect.
While reading in library, Bart finds the latest Where’s Waldo book, Find Waldo Yet Again. “The Simpsons” still got their digs at contemporary pop culture in there. The Pet Cemetery has tombstones for all the animal cartoons that didn’t make it: “Fish Police,” “Capital Critters” and “Family Dog.” Bart’s magic words are the names of department stores that have mostly gone out of business by now. Only Wal-Mart is still here. Now, THAT’S scary.
When Bart finds an occult book with ghostly voices, ghost voices cry “ouch” when Bart closes the spellbook. That’s just cute. So Bart unwittingly unleashes a zombie outbreak on Springfield which leads “The Simpsons” to take the irreverent approach to all things zombie, including politically correct terminology for zombies (living impaired), dimwitted dad Homer forgetting to barricade the door, zombies refusing Homer’s empty skull, Barney joining in the zombies just because, Homer shooting famous historical zombies and the John Smith grave mixup. Okay, the final zinger about the living being mindless zombies after all is a bit on the nose, but man, they were on fire with beats that were totally true to their characters and silly reactions to a zombie outbreak.
It’s funny to remember these opening segments warning the sensitive audience about the scary episode. Were they actually worried about the audience or just making fun of media sensitivity? Homer’s Alfred Hitchcock opening is a good one, basically calling the audience a wuss.
This was also still when they had wraparound segments explaining why there were three stories. They eventually just went straight into the three stories. Homer’s toga slapstick, his mixed up ghost stories, Grandpa’s pants wetting and more make the wraparound about telling spooky stories at a Halloween party a “Simpsons” classic as well. I think the sitcom style musical stinger at the end of each segment is funnier than the Willie runner in “Treehouse V.”
It’s actually rather heartening to discover one of the “Treehouse” episodes buried in my memory was in fact the best. I bet “The Shinning” and “Time and Punishment” are more firmly embedded in all of our minds, and those are some classics for sure. However there’s a secret weapon a few seasons earlier. “Treehouse of Horrors III” is the Best Episode Ever.
