[12] Several of the writers, former executive producer Mirkin among them, believe that the episodes should be scary and not just funny. Originally, guest writers from other comic book companies were invited to submit scripts to Bongo, where the comics themselves would then be drawn by Bongo staff. FOX's arrangement with Major League Baseball was made fun of in the opening sequence for "Treehouse of Horror XVI". Original Run [20], Two characters that are virtually exclusive to the Treehouse of Horror series are Kang and Kodos, a pair of large green space aliens who were introduced in the "Hungry are the Damned" segment of "Treehouse of Horror". [1] The episodes are considered to be non-canon and always take place outside the normal continuity of the show, since each character appears to be fine afterwards. "[74] "King Homer" of "Treehouse of Horror III" is one of Matt Groening's favorite segments. Danny Elfman The 32nd season however pushed Treehouse of Horror XXXI to November 1, 2020 because the National League Championship Series went into Game 7, with the World Series that followed stretching to Game 6, resulting in Fox airing Treehouse after Halloween for the first time since 2010. The two exceptions are "Treehouse of Horror V", in which Groundskeeper Willie is killed by an axe in a similar fashion in all three segments, as well as in Treehouse of Horror XXVIII, in which Maggie is possessed by the demon Pazuzu in the first segment and is still recovering in the next segment. [12] The entire segment was a parody of the opening of the 1931 film Frankenstein. Stream full episodes online & watch live Sundays at 8/7c! In "Treehouse of Horror II" the writers decided to give the cast and crew of the show 'scary names' in the opening and closing credits (like "Bat Groening" and "James Hell Brooks"). On IX, the organ played, but the scream was replaced with Regis Philbin screaming, "My eyes, my beautiful eyes!". English "Treehouse of Horror XVIII" "Treehouse of Horror XVIII" is a love letter to the show's past. [12] They are difficult for the writers because they must produce three stories, an opening and, in the early episodes, a wraparound. [42] Treehouse of Horror V has been described by Mirkin as being one of "the most intense, disturbing Halloween show ever" as it was filled with violence and gore in response to new censorship rules. Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. The name "Treehouse of Horror" was not given until the airing of Treehouse of Horror XIII. So far, only four Treehouse of Horror episodes were aired before the World Series: Treehouse of Horror XX, Treehouse of Horror XXIII, Treehouse of Horror XXIV and Treehouse of Horror XXVII. Like many things, the Treehouse of Horror series took a little bit to get going. The Treehouse of Horror series, formerly known as The Simpsons Halloween Specials, are an annual tradition in which there is a special Halloween episode consisting of three separate, self-contained pieces. and Kodos replies "Who's still thinking about Halloween? Many of the episodes are popular among fans and critics of the show and have inspired a whole offshoot of Simpsons merchandise, including action figures, playsets, video games, books, DVDs, comic books, and a special version of Monopoly. As you'll see below, this upcoming Halloween special features skeletons riding into battle, face masks and a Toy Story-esque nightmare. Forget FiveThirtyEight. For example, a story about zombies attacking the town briefly cuts to them in their space ship, watching the events and laughing maniacally at the Earthlings' suffering. Picture Format A Treehouse of Horror comic book has bee… [19], The first four Treehouse of Horror episodes had brief wraparounds that occurred before each segment and loosely tied together all three stories. Beginning 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. Varies In a section of "Treehouse of Horror VI" called "Homer³," Homer and Bart go into a three-dimensional world, which Homer likens to Tron, created by Pacific Data Images, a computer animation company that would later produce Shrek. only for Homer to reply, "He was a zombie? [11], Every Treehouse of Horror episode opens with a special introductory segment. [14] There were no wraparounds for "Treehouse of Horror V" because they had been cut to make more time for the segments. [13] Another reason they were dropped was that the tombstones would list television shows that had been canceled the previous season; after a few years, several of the shows that were canceled were produced by former Simpsons writers. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items! In 2001, Fox Interactive and THQ released The Simpsons: Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror on Game Boy Color. "[73] 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 3-D Homer from Treehouse of Horror VI. He then leaves a sticky note, which shows the title. [2] In some cases, the writers will have an idea that is too violent and far-fetched or too short for a normal episode, but can be used as a segment in the seasonal special. Alf Clausen In 1995, Matt Groening's Bongo Comics Group, a company specializing in Simpsons-based publications, began a series of comic book adaptations of the Treehouse of Horror series. He points out that his 10-year-old daughter loves films like Coraline, and that, "[in] the age of scary stories [...] appropriateness has gotten lower. The opening segment of Treehouse of Horror XIX featured Homer attempting to vote for Barack Obama but a rigged electronic voting machine instead registers a vote for John McCain. They would have to try to fit all of this into a 20–22 minute episode. Costumes and candy come and go, but every year The Simpsons drops a referenced-filled anthology episode titled Treehouse of Horror. [2] 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.[21]. It includes Treehouse of Horrors V, VI, VII and XII. is the single best “Treehouse of Horror” episode in a decade, with all three segments earning a coveted 4 ranking. They would feature a short story with Kang and Kodos (Treehouse of Horror XV, Treehouse of Horror XVI) feature the Simpson family feuding, (Treehouse of Horror XIV) or might include a character talking to the audience about the show. In the opening segment of the first five episodes, the camera zooms through a cemetery where tombstones with humorous epitaphs can be seen. Also, at the start of Treehouse of Horror I, II, and V, Marge (or Homer in III) comes out with a message urging the parents not to let their children watch the Halloween episodes as they will all suffer from nightmares; however she soon gives up, saying that none ever listens to her. [5][6][7][8][9], On occasion, the episodes will be used to showcase special animation, such as the "Treehouse of Horror VI" segment "Homer3", in which a computer-animated Homer is shown in a non-animated setting. Originally, it was intended to use a theremin, but one could not be found that could hit all the necessary notes. [18] However, after two decades, this gag made a brief comeback in Treehouse of Horror XXIX at the very beginning, this time appearing before the main opening sequence and title. “The Simpsons” was predicting a … different October surprise. Simpsons Treehouse of Horror. They're showing a Halloween episode... in November!" Homer, Bart and Krusty work their way through the Aliens as they unleash all sorts of enemies and even teleport characters from other times and dimensions to assist them. It was inspired by EC Comics Horror tales. This story revolves around an Alien Invasion trying to take over earth. For several years, the characters broke the fourth wall and introduced their three stories directly to the audience. It gets the full national premiere, of course, as scheduled in November, after Halloween. There have been several references to this in the show, such as in "Treehouse of Horror XIV" where Kang looks at a TV Guide and says, "Pathetic humans. In some cases there was a fourth writer who wrote the opening and wraparound segments. The entire set was based on ", The "Treehouse of Horror 3" set was released in 2002 and included a playset based on the "Ironic Punishment Division" of Hell in ", The final "Treehouse of Horror 4" set was released in 2003 and included a playset based on, On 2019, Funko revealed a 2-pack Kang and Kodos vinyl figure set presented as an exclusive for San Diego Comic Con 2019, along with a Treehouse of Horror Pop! [50] Season 23's "Treehouse of Horror XXII aired on October 30, however, as the World Series (which went the maximum of seven games) had concluded on October 28. He is an obese German exchange student obsessed with candy and is voiced by Russi Taylor. [51] Subsequent Treehouse of Horror episodes have premiered in the month of October. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items! [23] Matt Groening's rule for the "scary names" is that they cannot be longer than a person's real name, but this is rarely followed by anyone else. At the time (1995), it was groundbreaking, as it was unusual for a television show to use such animation. Treehouse of Horror IIII (1992) Replay Video. The first Treehouse of Horror installment aired in 1990 as part of the second season, and its on-screen title was "The Simpsons Halloween Special." Many of the special character designs featured in the episodes have become action figures. The shushing sound is replaced by a scream (for the most part), and the jingle is played in a minor key on a pipe organ, followed by (in most shows) a minor-key version of the 20th Century Fox Fanfare. [14] The segment returned in the season 31 episode Thanksgiving of Horror. Kodos replies, "Who cares about Halloween? Soon they get a call offering them to be on a commercial for something called "Old Navy". This was abandoned in later seasons, because the length of each episode has been reduced significantly since the first few seasons, and also because the current writers were sure that everyone was aware that the Halloween episodes were scary by then, and its also probably because it was too boring. They take place outside the show's normal continuity and completely abandon any pretense of being realistic, being known for their far more violent and much darker nature than an average Simpsons episode. 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. "[2], The Treehouse of Horror episodes are difficult for both the writers and the animators. [23] By the fourth season, executive producers Al Jean and Mike Reiss were less enamored of Treehouse of Horror episodes and considered dropping them, but the other writers insisted that they be kept. The most recent episode on the list was "Treehouse of Horror IX", which first aired in 1998. October 25, 1990–Present, Bart killing Skinner in Treehouse of Horror XX, The Simpson family in Treehouse of Horror XII. Theme music composer TheSimpsons @TheSimpsons Treehouse of Horror … It's not Halloween time without the annual Treehouse of Horror episodes from The Simpsons!Containing some of the best moments throughout the animated television series' long run, you can now bring the fun of Treehouse of Horror home with The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XXVI Canvas Giclee Print! The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror is an annual special episode of The Simpsons consisting of several parodies of horror movies, TV shows, novels, and other horror elements. No. [49] Season 12's "Treehouse of Horror XI" was the first episode to air in November. Al Jean (1991-1992, 2001-present)Ian Maxtone-Graham (2005-2012)John Frink (2009-present)James L. BrooksMatt GroeningMatt Selman (2005-present)Sam SimonDavid Mirkin (1993-1994)Mike Reiss (1991-1992)Bill Oakley (1995-1996)Mike Scully (1997-2000)Josh Weinstein (1995-1996) ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Treehouse_of_Horror&oldid=997581377, Articles with dead external links from June 2017, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Another mainstay of the Halloween shows is the yearly appearance of the two space aliens Kang and Kodos, introduced in the second segment of the first "Treehouse of Horror" episode. [22] Sam Simon, who left the show during the fourth season, still receives "developed by" and "executive producer" credits, and until Treehouse of Horror XXII, he had been listed in Treehouse of Horror episodes as "Sam 'Sayonara' Simon" and between Treehouse of Horror XXII and Treehouse of Horror XXV as "simonsam@TWITterror". All of the Halloween Specials are officially named Treehouse of Horror, but the Halloween specials from Treehouse of Horror to Treehouse of Horror XII were dubbed The Simpsons Halloween Special. [26] Recent parodies have included films and television specials in more varied genres, including Mr. & Mrs. Smith,[37] It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Transformers,[39] Sweeney Todd,[40] the Twilight film series,[41] and Jumanji.[34]. Please download and install the companion PuP-Pack for this table! The idea for "scary names" came from executive producer Al Jean, who was inspired by EC Comics because some of the issues also used "scary" alternate names. Original Channel Kang and Kodos were prominent characters in the 2015 episode "The Man Who Came to Be Dinner," which was not Halloween themed. Directed by Wesley Archer, Rich Moore, David Silverman. However, it has been known on many occasions for new shows to premiere on the West Coast only in time for Halloween regardless of how long the World Series lasts. "Treehouse of Horror XXI" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons' twenty-second season.It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 7, 2010. [43] "Treehouse of Horror III" in particular underwent somewhere between 80 and 100 line changes in the six-week period between the arrival of the animation from Korea and the airing of the episode. been watching these since 1990 not Halloween without it Simpsons seasons 1-10 are the best will fix this one closer to Halloween - On it Now wave, including King Homer (, This page was last edited on 1 January 2021, at 06:36. They're showing a Halloween episode. The action then switches back to the actual story. Matt Groening Treehouse of Horror, also known as The Simpsons Halloween Specials, is a series of Halloween-themed episodes of the animated sitcom The Simpsons, each consisting of three separate, self-contained segments. "[44] However, these episodes seem mild compared to the carnage that followed in later episodes, according to Jean, who calls it "a societal thing". October 14, 2020 - November 18, 2020 Treehouse of Horror XXXI Event is the 5th multi-event of 2020 and the 11th multi-event overall. Welcome to the Treehouse of HORROR! [71] 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. Although the Treehouse of Horror series is meant to be seen on Halloween, in recent years new installments have premiered after or before Halloween. However they are not always important to any story in the special; starting with "Treehouse of Horror III" they began appearing just to keep up with the tradition. Over the years, we’ve seen Ned Flanders as the devil, Groundskeeper Willie as Freddy Krueger, and Lisa as Sherlock Holmes. These messages include the names of canceled shows from the previous season, deceased celebrities such as Walt Disney and Jim Morrison,[17] and a tombstone with an inscription that read "TV violence" that was riddled with bullets as the camera panned on it. The ending credits of Treehouse of Horror I, II, and III featured a cell from the episode (ideally a graveyard scene) during the end credits to which was changed in Treehouse of Horror IV but used again in Treehouse of Horror XV. Treehouse of Horror, also known as The Simpsons Halloween Specials, is a series of … [42] The episodes often go through many last minute changes, with rewrites requiring new lines to be recorded. 31 [12] Although every episode is entitled Treehouse of Horror, the first was the only episode that actually used the treehouse motif. The comics were also more surreal than the episodes, with more gore, and more scary scenarios than the show would do. The show's staff regard the Treehouse of Horror as being particularly difficult to produce, as the scripts often go through many rewrites, and the animators typically have to design new characters and backgrounds. [53] Although every Treehouse of Horror episode until "Treehouse of Horror XIX" has been released along with its season in a boxset, in 2003, The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror DVD was released. [2] In that episode, Bart and Lisa sat in it telling stories to each other. Treehouse of Horror (Season Two – Episode Three) Image: ©20th Century/Disney. The Halloween ending credits theme then evolved to become a brief medley of the episodes musical scores. In past years prior to 2011, however, new shows have been known to have aired on the West Coast only at the appropriate time prior to the rest of the nation’s airing after Halloween. [2], From "Treehouse of Horror" to "Treehouse of Horror XIII", all three segments were written by different writers. Their names have changed in subsequent seasons, with the exception of Sam Simon's, who left during the fourth season. This was the first and one of the few times the Simpsons have strayed from their traditional 2D animation, and the longest, as other moments consisted of live action couch gags or short claymation or CGI television and film parodies. Another reason for the late airing is that during November, Nielsen Media Research conducts one of its four annual sweeps months - in recent years, the annual Treehouse of Horror episodes tend to draw some of the highest ratings of the season to which it belongs. The first, entitled "Treehouse of Horror", aired on October 25, 1990, as part of the second season and was inspired by EC Comics horror tales. A killer Krusty doll torments Homer like Chucky from Child's … In November!" The entire game has a Halloween theme as the player tries to save the Simpson family from the Treehouse of Horror.[56]. [12] 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 complaints from the fans, Jean decided to bring them back. The fourth episode of season 32 of the opening credits for several years, the reason why the episodes with. Epitaphs can be seen and Kodos replies `` who 's still thinking about?! 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