Spooky season is finally here, which means it’s time to laugh.
As one who is not a fan of Halloween, I am perfectly fine skipping all of the horror and scariness that comes with it. What I do enjoy about this season is sitcoms as they put on some of their best episodes around Halloween.
From Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s heist episodes to the recurring Slutty Pumpkin from How I Met Your Mother, there is no shortage of great Halloween content to watch this year.
But The Simpsons is on a whole different level.
Since 1990, this animated sitcom has aired annually its Treehouse of Horror episodes, an anthology broadcast with three short stories. These segments center on parodies and spoofs of horror, science-fiction, and other supernatural movies and TV shows.
The Treehouse of Horror episodes rank as some of the best in the long-running series. I chalk this up to how ridiculous Matt Groening and crew can get since the episodes function outside the already absurd continuity.
With Halloween so close, it’s always a great time to revisit these animated classics via Disney Plus. That is why I created a list suggesting what I believe to be the best of these special episodes.
Admittedly, my rankings will lean to the earlier episodes given that the Treehouse of Horror episodes follow the same trajectory as The Simpsons: they decline in quality the longer they go on.
This was a hard ranking to make but one that was a lot of fun. Let’s hop into the rankings:
5.) Treehouse of Horror (Season 2, Episode 3)
Nothing’s better than the original, right? Well, in this list there are, but that’s besides the point. The original Treehouse of Horror introduced the format and even took place in the eponymous Simpson treehouse.
The opening segment called Bad Dream House sees the Simpson family buying a haunted house complete with an dimensional portal. This segment is the weakest in my opinion.
The episode follows it up with Hungry are the Damned. We first get introduced to Kang and Kodos as they seemingly fatten up the family to eat them. This segment has one of my favorite jokes as Lisa tries to prove the aliens want to cook the family only to find out it was a huge misunderstanding.
The final segment is called The Raven and its a retelling of the famous poem from Edgar Allen Poe with Bart as the titular Raven. This segment is the strongest as it’s full of only visual gags set to the sultry narration of James Earl Jones. This segment completes an episode where each bit was better than the last.
4.) Treehouse of Horror IV (Season 5, Episode 5)
The fourth installment of Treehouse of Horror has one of my favorite segments in The Devil and Homer Simpson. Ned Flanders is the devil and seeks to claim Homer’s soul after he trades his soul for a donut. I think the fact that Greg Daniels wrote this one is why I find it hilarious.
The only reason this one isn’t higher is that segment sets such a high bar that the other two don’t quite reach that height. Terror at 5 1/2 feet is a spoof of the Twilight Zone episode Nightmare at 20,000 Feet where a man sees a gremlin on an airplane. This one was funny but forgettable.
The final segment called Bart Simpson’s Dracula is really good, just not as good as the opening segment. The Simpsons attend a midnight feast at Mr. Burns’ castle only to discover he is a vampire.
The strong showing in the opening segment followed by a bit of a letdown in the second gives some inconsistent pacing at time. Still, this is a fantastic episode with good segments.
3.) Treehouse of Horror IX (Season 10, Episode 7)
Treehouse of Horror IX starts out with Hell Toupée where Snake gets executed and Homer receives his hair as part of a transplant. The hair possesses Homer and sends him to seek revenge on Snake’s enemies. This segment is an example of how ridiculous these episodes can get and how well they work.
Bart and Lisa enter the world of Itchy and Scratchy in the second segment called The Terror of Tiny Toon. Through a series of hilarious events, Itchy and Scratchy begin chasing Bart and Lisa through various TV episodes only to arrive in the real world. Again, ridiculously hilarious.
The final segment is called Starship Poopers and it features the reveal that Kang the alien is actually Maggie’s father. This segment is definitely reminiscent of the time as Homer and Kang head to The Jerry Springer Show to settle their differences. David X. Cohen writes this one as he prepares to jump ship to Futurama a few months later.
This episode does a great job at keeping each segment fairly even and leaning into a ridiculous premise for each one. It works so well and delivers a solid entry for the show.
2.) Treehouse of Horror V (Season 6, Episode 6)
Treehouse of Horror V is an absolute classic episode. All three of the segments are fantastic and this episode has the best running gag of someone killing Groundskeeper Willie with an axe to the back in each bit.
We start off with a parody of The Shining called The Shinning (you know, so they don’t get sued, according to Willie). The Simpsons become caretakers for Mr. Burns’ haunted lodge where Homer goes crazy and Bart can read minds.
The second segment is called Time and Punishment. Homer mistakenly turns a broken toaster into a time machine and uses it to go back in time. He endures changes to the future as he disrupts the past thanks to the Butterfly Effect.
The last segment is Nightmare Cafeteria. It sees the Springfield Elementary teachers turn into cannibals as they one-by-one eat the children to address overcrowding. It’s actually one of the only The Simpsons segments that is a bit disturbing but it mixes it well with the comedy, making for a memorable episode.
This is another even episode where each segment was fantastic. Not only that, they’re memorable and stand out as some of the best in the series.
1.) Treehouse of Horror III (Season 4, Episode 5)
We have arrived at what I believe to be the best Treehouse of Horror episode. This episode starts with Clown Without Pity where Homer buys Bart a cursed Krusty the Clown doll that ends up trying to murder The Simpson patriarch.
King Homer follows and is a parody of King Kong. Homer plays the eponymous ape that Mr. Burns and crew bring back to civilization. The large gorilla becomes enamored with Marge and begins to run amuck.
The final segment is Dial “Z” for Zombies and I believe this segment to be the greatest bit in Treehouse of Horror history. Bart accidently raises the dead after he finds a book at school and tries to resurrect Lisa’s cat Snowball I.
The writing in this episode is phenomenal and shows how witty The Simpsons could be in the early years. I love the pop culture references in this episode, especially one in King Homer that has the indigenous tribes chanting “Mosi Tatupu” in reference to the former New England Patriots running back of the same name.
For me, this is the pinnacle of Treehouse of Horror as it has three solid segments. While I do admit King Homer doesn’t rank among the best despite being great, the strength of the other two carry this episode to levels above the rest.
Honorable Mentions
Ranking Treehouse of Horror episodes is hard because, honestly, they’re all so good. Even the later ones have a fun charm to them. In celebration of these, I wanted to add in a few honorable mentions, in no particular order:
- Treehouse of Horror II (Season 3, Episode 7): This episode include The Monkey Paw, The Bart Zone, and If I Only Had a Brain. The final segment is some of the best in the series and the episode could’ve easily made the list.
- Treehouse of Horror VIII (Season 9, Episode 4): This episode include The HΩmega Man, Fly vs. Fly, and Easy Bake Coven. The first and last segments are great as they both focus on Homer and Marge, respectively.
- Treehouse of Horror XI (Season 12, Episode 1): This episode include G-G-Ghost Dad, Scary Tales Can Come True, and Night of the Dolphin. The first segment is really strong but it starts to decline after that.
- Treehouse of Horror XIII (Season 14, Episode 1): This episode include Send in the Clones, The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms, and The Island of Dr. Hibbert. A collection of good-not-great segments.
- Treehouse of Horror XV (Season 16, Episode 1): This episode includes The Ned Zone, Four Beheadings and a Funeral, In the Belly of the Boss. This was a fun episode but the first and final segments really stand out.
What did you think about this ranking? Did we forget any episodes? Which Treehouse of Horror episodes are your favorite? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.
Featured Image: 20th Television Animation (via Entertainment Weekly)
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