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Bart introducing a segment of "Treehouse of Horror IV" in the manner of Rod Serling's Night Gallery.

The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes, also known as The Simpsons Halloween episodes, are a series of episodes in the animated television series The Simpsons. They are Halloween specials and consist of three separate, self-contained segments. These segments usually involve the Simpson family in some horror, science fiction, or supernatural setting. Considered non-canon, they always take place outside the normal continuity of the show and completely abandon any pretense of being realistic. The first Treehouse of Horror episode aired on October 25, 1990 as part of the second season and was inspired by EC Comics horror tales. There are currently eighteen Treehouse of Horror episodes, with one airing every year. The episodes are known for being more violent than an average Simpsons episode and contain several trademarks, including the alien characters Kang and Kodos, "scary names" in the credits, a special version of the opening sequence, and parodies of horror and science fiction films. The show's staff regard the Treehouse of Horror as being particularily difficult to produce as the scripts often go through many rewrites, and the animators typically have to design many new characters and backgrounds.

Many of the episodes are popular among fans and critics of the show and have inspired a whole off-shoot of Simpsons merchandise, including action figures, playsets, video games, books, DVDs, comic books and a special version of Monopoly. Several of the episodes have won awards for animation and sound editing. In 1996, "Treehouse of Horror VI" was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award in the "Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour)" category, but it ultimately lost.

Segments

Treehouse of Horror episodes typically consist of four parts: an opening and Halloween-themed version of the credits as well as three segments. These segments usually have a horror, science fiction or fantasy theme and quite often are parodies of films, novels, plays, television shows, The Twilight Zone episodes, or old issues of EC Comics. Although they are sometimes connected by "wraparounds", the three segments rarely have any kind of continuing connection within the segment. The exception is "Treehouse of Horror V", in which Groundskeeper Willie is killed by an axe in a similar fashion in all three segments.[1] From "Treehouse of Horror" to "Treehouse of Horror XIII", all three segments were written by different writers. In some cases there was a fourth writer who wrote the opening and wraparound segments.[2] For "Treehouse of Horror", there were even three different directors for the episode.[3] However, starting with season fifteen's "Treehouse of Horror XIV", only one writer was credited as having written a Treehouse of Horror episode, and the trend has continued since.[4][5][6][7][8] On occasion, the episodes will be used to showcase special animation, such as the "Treehouse of Horror VI" segment "Homer3", which uses computer animation. At the time, it was groundbreaking, as it was unheard of for a television show to use such animation. The segment was executive producer Bill Oakley's idea and included live action, which was directed by David Mirkin.[9]

Traditions

Opening sequence

Two of the tombstones from the opening segment of "Treehouse of Horror".

Every Treehouse of Horror episode opens with a special introductory segment. The first, second and fifth Treehouse of Horror episodes open with Marge standing on a stage and warning parents about the content of the episode, advising them to put their children to bed. The warning in the first episode was put in as a sincere effort to warn young viewers, as the producers felt it was somewhat scary.[10] The entire segment was a parody of the opening of the 1931 film Frankenstein.[11] Marge's warnings became a burden to write as the years went on and there was no warning for third and fourth Treehouse of Horrors. The tradition was revived for "Treehouse of Horror V" and after that, they were permanently dropped[12] and the writers did not make any attempts at reviving them.[9] Other Treehouse of Horror episodes open with parodies, for example "Treehouse of Horror III" had Homer introduce the episode in a way similar to Alfred Hitchcock in Alfred Hitchcock Presents[13] and "Treehouse of Horror V" featured a parody of The Outer Limits.[14] The sixth and seventh episodes featured very short clips with no lines because the episodes had run long and longer segments were cut.[9] Following "Treehouse of Horror VII", the opening can be upwards of a minute long and sometimes feature an introduction by a character, such as Mr. Burns in "Treehouse of Horror XVII"[7] or include over the top violence, such as "Treehouse of Horror VIII" which shows a FOX Network censor being brutally murdered and "Treehouse of Horror XIV" which showed the Simpson family killing each other.[4]

In the opening segment of the first five episodes, the camera zooms through a cemetery where several tombstones with humorous messages written on them can be seen. These messages include the names of canceled shows from the previous season, celebrities such as Walt Disney and Jim Morrison[15] and other messages such as one that read "TV violence", but was then filled with bullet holes. They were last used in "Treehouse of Horror V", which included a single tombstone with the words "Amusing Tombstones" to signal this.[14] The Tombstone gags were easy for the writers in the first episode, but like Marge's warnings, they eventually got more difficult to write, so they were abandoned.[11] Another reason they were dropped was because the tombstones would list television shows that had been canceled the previous season and after a few years, several of the shows that were canceled were produced by ex-Simpsons writers.[16]

While the early Treehouse of Horror episodes featured a Halloween themed opening sequence, the later ones only included the title and the "created by" and "developed by" credits. Every episode between "Treehouse of Horror II" and "Treehouse of Horror X" featured a couch gag with a Halloween theme, some examples of which included the Simpson family dressed as skeletons,[15] Zombies[2] and characters from previous Halloween episodes.[17]

Wraparounds

Bart and Lisa tell scary stories to each other in "Treehouse of Horror".

The first four Treehouse of Horror episodes had wraparounds which occurred before each segment and loosely tied together all three stories. "Treehouse of Horror" was the only one that actually included a treehouse as a setting.[18] In that episode, Bart and Lisa sat in it telling stories to each other.[18][3] "Treehouse of Horror II" presented all of the segments as being nightmares of Lisa, Bart and Homer;[15] "Treehouse of Horror III" had Lisa, Bart and Grampa telling stories at a Halloween party;[13] and "Treehouse of Horror IV" is presented by Bart in a parody of Rod Serling's Night Gallery.[2] The wraparounds were abandoned after a few years because eventually, the amount of airtime for an episode was lessened and there was not enough room for them.[12] There were no wraparounds for "Treehouse of Horror VI" because they had been cut to make more time for the segments, and following that, the writers permanently dropped them.[19]

Kang and Kodos

Kang and Kodos laugh uproariously in their brief cameo in "Treehouse of Horror III".

Two characters that are virtually exclusive to the Treehouse of Horror series are Kang and Kodos, who are a pair of large green space aliens who were introduced in the "Hungry are the Damned" segment of "Treehouse of Horror". Kang and Kodos have since appeared in every Treehouse of Horror episode, sometimes as important parts of a story, but often just for brief cameos. In some episodes, they only appear in the opening segment,[4][17] but quite often they will make a cameo appearance in the middle of a different story. For example, a story about zombies attacking the town will suddenly show them in space, watching the events and laughing maniacally at the Earthlings' suffering. The action will then switch back to the actual story.[13] The unofficial rule is that they must be in every episode,[10] although quite often they will be forgotten and are added at the last second, leading to some of their appearancess being short.[18] Their scene in "Treehouse of Horror VIII" nearly did not make the final cut of the episode, but David X. Cohen managed to persuade the producers to leave the scene in.[20]

"Scary names"

The "scary names" for the writers in "Treehouse of Horror IV". Due to the number of writers, the credits took up the entire screen.

"Scary names" is the name given to the special version of the credits that air only during the Treehouse of Horror episodes. Starting with "Treehouse of Horror II", the producers decided to give the cast and crew of the show "scary names" in the opening and closing credits. Although the names quickly became more silly than scary, there have been a wide variety of special credits, from simple names like "Bat Groening" to complex ones like "David²+S.²+Cohen²".[21] Former executive producer Sam Simon left the show during the fourth season and ever since has been credited in the shows opening as "Sam 'Sayanora' Simon". They were executive producer Al Jean's idea, which he based on EC Comics because some of the issues also used "scary" alternate names.[10] The scary names became such a burden to write that they were cut for "Treehouse of Horror XII" and "Treehouse of Horror XIII", but after hearing many complaints from the fans, Jean decided to bring them back.[22] Matt Groening's rule for the "scary names" is that they can not be longer than a person's real name, but this is rarely followed by anyone else.[23]

Cultural references

References to films, novels, plays, television shows and other media are quite common and many segments have been complete parodies of something. Many segments are spoofs of episodes of The Twilight Zone and entire segments will be based on a single episode.[24] Some of the Twilight Zone episodes parodied include "To Serve Man",[25] "A Small Talent for War",[26] "Living Doll",[27] "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet",[28] "Little Girl Lost",[29] and "The Little People".[30] The "The Bart Zone" segment of "Treehouse of Horror II" parodies the episode "It's a Good Life" and is even presented in a format similar to an episode of The Twilight Zone.[26] The Halloween episodes also regularly parody many horror and science fiction films such as The Exorcist, The Amityville Horror,[25] King Kong, Night of the Living Dead,[27] The Shining,[31] A Nightmare on Elm Street,[29] and The Fly.[32] Science fiction films have also occasionally been used as inspiration for segments, and in later episodes many of the segments were based more on science fiction than horror. Science fiction works parodied include The Omega Man,[33] the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four,[31] E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial[34] and Orson Welles's The War of the Worlds radio broadcast.[35]

Production

Al Jean has been executive producer for more Treehouse of Horror episodes than any other EP.

The first Treehouse of Horror episode aired in 1990 as part of the second season, and its on-screen title was "The Simpsons Hallowe'en Special." It was inspired by EC Comics Horror tales.[10] Although every episode is entitled "Treehouse of Horror", the first one was the only episode that actually used the treehouse motif.[18]

The Treehouse of Horror episodes are difficult for both the writers and the animators.[11] The episodes were originally written at the beginning of the production run, but in later seasons they were written at the end and aired at the beginning of the next season as holdovers, thus giving the animators more time to work.[10] Part of the difficulty for the animators is the fact that the episodes always involve many complex backgrounds, new characters, and new designs.[10] They are difficult for the writers because they must produce three stories, an opening and, in the early episodes, a wraparound. They would have to try to fit all of this into a 20-22 minute episode.[36] The episodes often go through many last minute changes such as rewrites, and new lines are recorded.[37] "Treehouse of Horror III" in particular underwent somewhere between 80 and 100 line changes in the six week period between when the animation came back from Korea and the airing of the episode.[22] By the fourth season, executive producers Al Jean and Mike Reiss were less enamored with Treehouse of Horror episodes and considered dropping them, but the other writers insisted that they be kept.[22]

David Mirkin believes the episodes should be both scary and funny and has been responsible for some of the more gruesome moments.

Part of the attraction for the writers is that they are able to break the rules and include violence that would not make a regular episode.[18] In some cases, the writers will have an idea that is too violent and far-fetched or too short for a normal episode and are used as segments.[10] Several of the writers, former executive producer David Mirkin among them, believe that the episodes should be scary and not just funny.[36] "Treehouse of Horror V" has been described by Mirkin as being "the most intense, disturbing Halloween show ever" as it was filled with violence and gore in response to new censorship rules.[1] Although gruesome for the most part, some segments, such as "Citizen Kang" in "Treehouse of Horror VII", satirize political issues. In "Treehouse of Horror XVII", a segment called "The Day the Earth Looked Stupid" ends with Kang and Kodos taking over Springfield as part of a mission called "Operation: Enduring occupation". The script originally called for Kodos and Kang to look over the smoking ruins of Springfield and say "This sure is a lot like Iraq will be." The Fox network did not have any objection to the line, but it was rejected by some of the writers as too obvious and was cut from broadcast. While cut from the aired version, the line does appear in the "review" version that was sent to various newspapers and magazines.[35]

The first "Treehouse of Horror" episode was the first time that an alternate version of the theme that airs over the end credits was used. Originally it was supposed to use a Theramin, but one could not hit all of the necessary notes.[18] Usually when the producers submit an episode for the Primetime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)", they submit a Treehouse of Horror episode,[10] and to date, seven episodes have been nominated.[38] The closing of "Treehouse of Horror IV" features a version of the theme that is a combination of the instruments from The Munsters theme song and the harpiscord and clicking from the Addams Family theme song.[36]

Although the series is meant to be seen on Halloween, in recent years new episodes have premiered in November. This is due to FOX's current contract with Major League Baseball's World Series.[39] Season twelve's "Treehouse of Horror XI" was the first episode to air in November, and this has continued since. There have been several references to this within the show, such as in "Treehouse of Horror XIV" where Kang looks at a TV Guide and says, "A Halloween special in November?" and Kodos replies "We've already got our Christmas decorations up!" The camera then cuts to a shot of the fireplace with Christmas decorations, complete with multi-legged stockings and alien reindeer, scattered about, and festive Christmas music plays over the opening credits.[4]

Merchandise

File:Treehouse of Horror Monopoly.jpg
The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror edition of Monopoly.

There has been a variety of merchandise based on the Treehouse of Horror episodes, including books, action figures, comic books, video games, DVDs and a "Treehouse of Horror" version of Hasbro's board game Monopoly.[40] Although every Treehouse of Horror episode until "Treehouse of Horror IX" has been released along with its season in a boxset, in 2003, The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror DVD was released. It includes Treehouse of Horrors V, VI, VII and XII.[41] Several Treehouse of Horror-inspired books have been published, including Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror[42] and Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror Spine-Tingling Spooktacular.[43] Several video games based on The Simpsons include levels with a Halloween theme, including The Simpsons Hit & Run and The Simpsons Game. In 2001, Fox Interactive and THQ released Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror on Game Boy Color. The entire game has a Halloween theme as the player tries to save the Simpson family from the Treehouse of Horror.[44]

Many of the special character designs featured in the episodes have become action figures.[22] Four different playsets have been made by Playmates Toys and released as Toys-R-Us exclusives. The sets are:

  1. The "Treehouse of Horror I" set was released in 2000 and included a cemetery playset as well as "Devil Flanders", "Bart the Fly", "Vampire Burns", and "King Homer". It also came with an "Evil Krusty Doll" and Gremlin as accessories.[45]
  2. The "Treehouse of Horror 2" set was released in 2001 and included an interior alien spaceship playset as well as Kang, Kodos and "Alien Ship Homer". The entire set was based on "Treehouse of Horror".[46]
  3. The "Treehouse of Horror 3" set was released in 2002 and included a playset based on the "Ironic Punishment Division" of Hell in "Treehouse of Horror IV". It came with "Donuthead Homer", "Witch Marge", Hugo Simpson and "Dream Invader Willie".[47]
  4. The final "Treehouse of Horror 4" set was released in 2003 and included a playset based on Comic Book Guy's "Collector's all-plastic lair". It came with "The Collector", "Clobber Girl Lisa", "Stretch Dude Bart" and Lucy Lawless. All of the designs were based on "Treehouse of Horror X".[48]

After the Playmates Toys sets were finished, McFarlane Toys produced four different Treehouse of Horror themed playsets including the "Ironic Punishment Box Set" released in 2004,[49] the "In the Belly of the Boss - Homer & Marge Action Figures" released in 2005,[50] "The Island of Dr. Hibbert Box Set" released in 2006,[51] and a "Lard Lad Box Set" released in 2007.[52]

Reception

Treehouse of Horror episodes are often among the top rated episodes of their season[22] and many of the Treehouse of Horrors have generally been well-received by fans. However, like The Simpsons itself, many critics have noted a decline in the quality of the later episodes.[53] In its first airing, "Treehouse of Horror" finished with a 15.7 Nielsen rating and a 25% audience share and would lose to The Cosby Show.[54] It was said that it "set a level of excellence that viewers never expected creator Matt Groening to repeat"[55] although it was also described as being "kind of stupid and unsatisfying,"[56] "Treehouse of Horror V" is considered the best episode by several critics: it finished ninth on Entertainment Weekly's top 25 The Simpsons episode list,[57] fifth on AskMen.com's "Top 10: Simpsons Episodes" list,[58] and was named best episode of the sixth season by IGN.com.[59] In 2006, James Earl Jones, who guest starred in "Treehouse of Horror" and "Treehouse of Horror V" was named seventh on IGN's "Top 25 Simpsons Guest Appearances" list.[60] "Treehouse of Horror VII" is Simpsons creator Matt Groening's seventh favorite episode, and the line he likes best is "We have reached the limit of what rectal probing can teach us."[61] "King Homer" of "Treehouse of Horror III" is one of Matt Groening's favorite segments.[62] "Treehouse of Horror III" is also noted for the moment where Homer shoots Ned Flanders and Bart says "Dad, you killed the zombie Flanders!" only for Homer to reply, "He was a zombie?"[63] It is also one of Groening's favorite lines.[62]

In 2006 IGN.com published a list of the top ten Treehouse of Horror segments, and they placed "The Shinning" from "Treehouse of Horror V" at the top, saying it was "not only a standout installment of the annual Halloween episode, but of The Simpsons, period."[63] Rounding out the list were "Dial "Z" for Zombies", "The Devil and Homer Simpson", "Time and Punishment", "Hungry Are The Damned", "Clown Without Pity" "Citizen Kang", "If I Only Had A Brain", "Bart Simpson's Dracula" and "Starship Poopers". The third, fourth and fifth episodes were each represented by two segments. The most recent episode was "Treehouse of Horror IX", which first aired in 1998.[63]

Awards

The second, third, fifth, eighth, ninth, fourteenth and fifteenth Treehouse of Horror episodes were nominated for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)" at the Primetime Emmy Awards. However, each one lost. The second and third "Treehouse of Horror" episodes were also nominated for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special", but lost.[38] In 1996, "Treehouse of Horror VI" was submitted for the Primetime Emmy Award in the "Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour)" category because it had a 3D animation sequence, which the staff felt would have given it the edge. However, the award went to an episode of Pinky & The Brain. Bill Oakley later expressed regret about submitting the episode, feeling that "Mother Simpson" would have easily won.[64]

In 1996, the "Homer³" segment of "Treehouse of Horror VI" was awarded the Ottawa International Animation Festival grand prize.[65] In 1998, "Treehouse of Horror VIII" won a Golden Reel Award for "Best Sound Editing - Television Animated Specials"; the recipients were Robert Mackston, Travis Powers, Norm MacLeod and Terry Greene. Bob Beecher also received a nomination for "Best Sound Editing in Television Animation - Music" for "Treehouse of Horror X".[66]

See also

References

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  2. ^ a b c O'Brien, Conan; Weinstein, Josh; Oakley, Bill; Daniels, Greg; McGrath, Dan; Canterbury, Bill; Silverman, David (1993-10-28). "Treehouse of Horror IV". The Simpsons. Season 04. Episode 05. Fox. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
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  6. ^ Wilmore, Marc; Silverman, David (2005-11-06). "Treehouse of Horror XVI". The Simpsons. Season 17. Episode 04. Fox. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ a b Gaffney, Peter; Silverman, David; Faughnan, Matthew (2006-11-05). "Treehouse of Horror XVII". The Simpsons. Season 18. Episode 04. Fox. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Wilmore, Marc; Sheetz, Chuck (2007-11-04). "Treehouse of Horror XVIII". The Simpsons. Season 19. Episode 05. Fox. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
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  13. ^ a b c Jean, Al; Reiss, Mike; Kogen, Jay; Wolodarsky, Wallace; Simon, Sam and Vitti, Jon (1992-10-29). "Treehouse of Horror III". The Simpsons. Season 04. Episode 05. Fox. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ a b Daniels, Greg; McGrath, Dan; Cohen, David S.; Kushell, Bob; Reardon, Jim (1994-10-30). "Treehouse of Horror V". The Simpsons. Season 6. Episode 06. Fox. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ a b c Swartzwelder, John; Meyer, George; Reiss, Mike; Jean, Al; Martin, Jeff; Simon, Sam; Reardon, Jim (1991-10-31). "Treehouse of Horror II". The Simpsons. Season 3. Episode 07. Fox. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
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  17. ^ a b Cary, Donick; Long, Tim; Hauge, Ron; Michels, Pete (1999-10-31). "Treehouse of Horror X". The Simpsons. Season 11. Episode 04. Fox. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
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  19. ^ Weinstein, Josh (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VII" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. {{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  20. ^ Cohen, David X. (2006). The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VIII" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. {{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  21. ^ Swartzwelder, John; Cohen, David S.; Tompkins, Steve; Anderson, Bob (1995-10-29). "Treehouse of Horror VI". The Simpsons. Season 07. Episode 06. Fox. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
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  40. ^ "v". The Simpsons Shop. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
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