Simpsons Re-Visited

[Neverending]

Originally Posted by Neverending

TREEHOUSE OF HORROR
Written by John Swartzwelder, Jay Kogen & Wallace Wolodarsky, Sam Simon and Edgar Allan Poe
Directed by Wes Archer, Rich Moore, and David Silverman
Original Airdate: October 25, 1990

After trick-or-treating, Bart and Lisa go into the treehouse and tell each other scary stories. Hence the title. Although this is the only Halloween special to feature the treehouse. The first tale is about the Simpsons moving into a possessed house that rather destroy itself than live with them. The second story introduces Kang and Kodos who kidnaps the family and intends to eat them. Or atleast that's what Lisa suspects. And the finale is a re-telling of Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven. Overall, the episode works. It's a nice start to a series of specials. By the way, this was the first episode to be scored by Alf Clausen who has been with the show ever since.

TREEHOUSE OF HORROR II
Written by Al Jean & Mike Reiss, Jeff Martin, George Meyer, Sam Simon and John Swartzwelder.
Directed by Jim Reardon
Original Airdate: October 31, 1991

Marge warns Homer, Bart, and Lisa that if they eat too much candy, they will have nightmares. They don't listen, of course. Lisa's nightmare is about the families trip to Morocco where Homer buys a monkeys hand that will grant 4 wishes. Things don't work out as you can imagine. Bart's nightmare is that he spends quality time with his father and they love each other. And finally, Homer's dream involves him being turned into a lazy robot and waking up to discover Mr. Burns as a second head. For the most part, this is a step-down from the previous special with the exception of Homer's segment which is quite awesome.

TREEHOUSE OF HORROR III
Written by Al Jean & Mike Reiss, Jay Kogen & Wallace Wolodarsky, Sam Simon & Jon Vitti
Directed by Carlos Baeza
Original Airdate: October 29, 1992

During a Halloween party at the Simpson's home, Marge and the rest of the family decide to tell scary stories. All of them end up being spoofs of horror films. They include Child's Play, King Kong, and Night of the Living Dead. Like the previous special, only one of the segments standout. This time being the Chucky spoof with Krusty the Klown as an evil doll trying to kill Homer. By the way, this is the last special to feature the original writing staff.

TREEHOUSE OF HORROR IV
Written by Conan O'Brien and some other people
Directed by David Silverman
Original Airdate: October 28, 1993

In a tribute to the work of Rod Sterling, Bart introduces three tales: Homer selling his soul in exchange for a donut, a spoof of Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, and, in a change of pace, Dracula. Like the original Halloween special, this one is good overall. By the way, this is the first special without original showrunner Sam Simon. It is here where the running gag of Sam "Sayonara" Simon began. For those who don't know, Simon is the true creator of the show. And he was getting very upset that Matt Groening was taking all the credit and profits.

TREEHOUSE OF HORROR V
Written by Greg Daniels, the creator of Futurama, and some other people.
Directed by Jim Reardon
Original Airdate: October 30, 1994

This is the first Halloween special without an introduction to the segments. Although there is a running gag featuring Groundskeeper Willie trying to save the day. It's also the first special where violence becomes a prominent feature. But, most importantly, it's the first Halloween special that can be considered GREAT. The segments, which are all CLASSICS include: a spoof of The Shining, Homer turning a toaster into a time machine and Springfield Elementary turning its students into lunch meals. Many people consider this to be the best of the Halloween specials. I need to re-watch all of them before I arrive to that conclusion.

TREEHOUSE OF HORROR VI
Written by John Swartzwelder, Steve Tompkins, and David "Futurama" Cohen
Directed by Bob Anderson
Original Airdate: October 29, 1995

It's safe to say that this is the most famous installment in the Treehouse of Horror series. And all because of Homer's journey into the 3rd dimension. But before I get there, let me acknowledge the first two segments. Both of which are quite brilliant as well. The first one is about giant billboards coming to life and attacking Springfield. The amount of hilarious satrical humor is a prime example of why The Simpsons used to be so awesome. The second segment is a spoof of Nightmare on Elm Street with Groundskeeper Willie playing the Freddie role. Although calling it a spoof is a bit misleading. It's basically NOES but with Simpsons characters. And that's why it's so effective. Now for the main event: Homer in 3D. At the time, this segment was mindblowing. 3D Animation was in its early days so just seeing it was super cool. But what's even cooler is that nearly two decades later, it's still one of the highlights in the show's history. I find it incredibly amusing that almost all the jokes/gags rely on the fact that they're using CGI. It's so self-aware and - meta - that one can't help but laugh. For example, I really love this line, "wow! This place looks expensive. I feel like I'm wasting money just standing here."

TREEHOUSE OF HORROR VII
Written by Ken Keeler (of Futurama fame), Dan Greaney, and David S. Cohen
Directed by Mike B. Anderson
Original Airdate: October 27, 1996

Bart discovers he has an evil twin. Lisa becomes "God." And Earth is destroyed by the two-party political system in America. All three are great with brilliant doses of satrical humor. But considering that we are in an Election year, I have to single out the third segment. Every four years it seems like we're complaining about the lack of support for a third political party and here is The Simpsons creating great humor out of it all those years ago.

[JBond]

1 and 5 are the best.

You didn't mention "He was a zombie?"

[Neverending]

TREEHOUSE OF HORROR VIII
Written by Mike Scully, David S. Cohen, and Ned Goldreyer
Directed by Mark Kirkland
Original Airdate: October 26, 1997

Treehouse of Horror 5, 6, and 7 are AMAZNG! The holy trio of the series. Any of the installments will have a tough time competiting with those three. Especially one made under the supervision of the much-debated Mike Scully. The three segments here are: Homer as the sole survivor of a nuclear bomb, Bart as The Fly, and the origin of trick-or-treating with Marge as a witch. All three segments are good, especially the third one which I think is great. But the episode, in general, is missing the on-point comedy and creativity that made 5 thru 7 so brilliant.

[IanTheCool]

The Fly episode is pretty good. And I liked the Omega Man episode too. "You shot zombie Flanders!" "He was a zombie?"

[Alien]

The Shinning is my fave. I've seen the movie of The Shining and through out I couldn't help thinking, The Simpson's did it better.

[Neverending]

TREEHOUSE OF HORROR IX
Directed by Steven Dean Moore
Written by Donick Cary, Larry Doyle, and David "Futurama" Cohen (his last)
Original Airdate: October 25, 1998

One segment prevented this installment from being one of the best. I'm referring to the third segment which features Homer and Kang the Alien at the Jerry Springer show. Apparently, Maggie is Kang's daughter and he's fighting for custody. The other two, thankfully, are very funny. In the first segment, Snake the Criminal is killed on Death Row and his body is donated to hospitals. So, Homer finally gets the hair transplant he always wanted. But the hair is possessed by the spirit of Snake and he uses Homer to get revenge on those who got him arrested. The second segment is one of the best. Bart and Lisa transport themselves to an episode of Itchy & Scratchy and then become potential victims when the cat and mouse decide to team-up and murder them.

TREEHOUSE OF HORROR X
Directed by Pete Michels (who later became a director on Family Guy)
Written by Donick Cary, Tim Long, and Ron Hauge
Original Airdate: October 31, 1999 (great timing)

This one suffers the same fate as the previous installment. One segment holds it back. However, it's the first one, so at least the bad taste of it is gone by the end of the episode. The first segment is a spoof of I Know What You Did Last Summer with Ned Flanders as the Fisher Man. The second and third segments are among the best. In the second one, Bart and Lisa become superheroes and battle Comic Book Guy when he kidnaps Lucy Lawless a/k/a Xena Warrior Princess. The third segment makes fun of Y2K. What show didn't back then? But it stands the test of time by including a gag in which two space ships escape the planet. One has all the important people of Earth. And the other has the worst and it's heading towards the sun. When Homer and Bart realize they got on the wrong ship, they prefer to commit suicide than stay on the ship. Overall, a memorable way for The Simpsons to end their glory decade of the 1990's.

[JBond]

Itchy and Scratchy Land...is that the one with the "Bort" licence plates?

[Neverending]

TREEHOUSE OF HORROR XI
Directed by Matthew Nastuk
Written by Rob LaZebnik, Mike Scully, John Frink, Don Payne, and Carolyn Omine
Original Airdate: November 1, 2000

After 10 Halloween specials that aired during October, here is the first one to air in November. Only three episodes have aired in October in the last 12 years. And all because of baseball. The producers have, of course, found the humor in this and a new Treehouse of Horror gag was born. In every other installment, a joke is made about it. Usually, it's the highlight of the episode. But anyway... the first Halloween special of the 21st century features Homer as a ghost, Bart & Lisa in a Grimm's adventure, and dolphins rebelling against humans. It's a pretty decent episode and the last to be made by the infamous Mike Scully. The Bart & Lisa segment is kinda weak but the other two are very strong and memorable. The Dolphin one, in particular, would probably make a few people's Top 10. In fact, it's one of Matt Groening's favorites.

TREEHOUSE OF HORROR XII
Directed by Jim Reardon
Written by Joel H. Cohen, John Frink, Don Payne, and Carolyn Omine
Original Airdate: November 6, 2001

This episode aired almost two months after the terrorist attack of September 11. To be more sensitive, it doesn't feature the "scary names" during the credits. That makes no sense... but whatever. The three segments here are Homer getting hexed by a gypsy, an "ultrahouse" voiced by Pierce Brosnan, and a spoof of Harry Potter which is amusing since the first movie hadn't been released yet. Only the Ultrahouse segment is good. The other two are among the worst the series has produced. Overall, a pretty lousy episode. Which shouldn't be a surprise since this season of The Simpsons, the 13th, marked the return of Al Jean as showrunner. The guy has never left and is the main reason the show sucks now. Many blame Mike Scully, and while there are pros and cons to his tenure, he didn't allow the series to jump the shark.

TREEHOUSE OF HORROR XIII
Directed by David Silverman
Written by Marc Wilmore, Brian Kelley, and Kevin Curran
Original Airdate: November 3, 2002

This episode features three important changes: it's the first to be digitally colored, it's the first Halloween special that's actually titled "Treehouse of Horror", and it's the first time they make fun of Family Guy. The three segments feature an army of Homer clones (one of the clones is Peter Griffin), Lisa successfully advocating that the ban of guns and later regretting it (amusing since that was an episode of Family Guy 3 years earlier), and Dr. Hibbert creating a human-animal hybrid. The Homer Clones is pretty funny but everything else sucks. Although, I do like the animation in the Dr. Hibbert segment.

TREEHOUSE OF HORROR XIV
Directed by Steven Dean Moore
Written by John Swartzwelder
Original Airdate: November 2, 2003

Remember that episode of Family Guy where Peter Griffin injures death (played by Norm MacDonald) and suddenly people realize they cannot die, so Peter is forced to take over and do the deeds himself? Well... only one year after The Simpsons ignited a feud by calling Family Guy a rip-off, they had the balls to rip-off an entire episode of the show. If this isn't the worst of their Halloween specials then I don't know what is.

TREEHOUSE OF HORROR XV
Written by Bill Odenkirk
Directed by David Silverman
Original Airdate: November 7, 2004

If you're in trouble, you better call Saul. But if Saul isn't available, then call his brother. After three terrible Halloween specials, they rebound thanks to Mr. Bill Odenkirk who wrote all three segments and ties them up nicely at the end. The first segment is a spoof of The Dead Zone titled The Ned Zone. Believe it or not, it's one of the funniest Halloween segments the show has made. Basically, Ned gets a vision that Homer, being the horrible Nuclear Plant employee that he is, will blow up the city. So, he must stop him at any cost. The end result is one of the most hilarious gags I've seen in these specials. The next two segments are a spoof of Sherlock Holmes and Fantastic Voyage. Both are very good as well. Overall, it's the show's best Halloween special since #7.

TREEHOUSE OF HORROR XVI
Directed by David Silverman
Written by Marc Killmore
Executive Produced by Al "Family Guy" Jean
Original Airdate: November 6, 2005

Here's another well-made Halloween special from the post-Shark Jumping era. The three segments are a spoof of A:I where Bart is replaced by a robot child, Mr. Burns hunting Springfield citizens in a televised FOX special, and an angry witch turning the town into their Halloween costume. All three are really good and very funny.

TREEHOUSE OF HORROR XVII
Written by Peter Gaffney
Directed by David Silverman and Matthew C. Faughnan
Original Airdate: November 5, 2006

Two of the segments here are great: Homer as The Blob and Springfield reacting to Orson Welles' radio broadcast of War of the Worlds. The segment ends with an actual invasion and some eyebrow raising Iraq war commentary. The middle segment about a Jewish golem is a weak link. The only thing preventing the overall episode from being great.

TREEHOUSE OF HORROR XVIII
Written by Marc Wilmore
Directed by Chuck Sheetz
Original Airdate: November 4, 2007

After three above-average Halloween specials, the show returns to a mediocre one. Although, thankfully, not as bad as 12, 13, and 14. Two spoofs are featured. One of E.T. (late to the game, guys) and Mr. & Mrs. Smith (which is pretty stupid). The standout segment is the third one. Bart and his friends decide to pull pranks on Halloween and then Ned turns into the devil and teaches them a lesson. I'm surprised it took them that long to come up with a story like that.

[Neverending]

http://www.deadline.com/2012/11/seth...ason-premiere/

Seth MacFarlane can add another credit to his resume. He’s set to guest star in the season premiere of The Simpsons that will air on Fox in fall 2013. MacFarlane will voice the character of a married man who pursues Marge Simpson after the two meet online. MacFarlane’s animated Fox series Family Guy featured Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer Simpson, in a recent episode. MacFarlane will host the Oscars on February 24th.

[Neverending]

Simpsons writers reunion on Team Coco webseries, Serious Jibber Jabber:

http://teamcoco.com/video/simpsons-s...-jibber-jabber

[JBond]

I'll have to watch that some time.

[Neverending]

I just finished watching it. It's 80-minutes of Conan and some of the original writers talking about the old days. It's done in a very conversational style as opposed to a traditional Q&A.

[JBond]

Is it...good?

[Neverending]

If you're a Simpsons fan you'll like it.

[Deexan]

This is the closest thing we have to a proper Simpsons thread, so...



Woohoo!

Screening May 19th 2013

[Neverending]

Seth MacFarlane is doing a guest appearance on Sunday's season finale.