The Best Simpsons: Treehouse Of Horror Episodes To Watch For Halloween
Here are our top five favorite segments from the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Halloween specials.
Halloween is fast approaching, and with that, there is something special that happens every season of The Simpsons, which is the Treehouse of Horror episodes. Every year, the longest-running show on television creates a unique spin on its Halloween special, offering a segmented format that brings three spooky and hilarious mini-episodes to fans around the world. In fact, The Simpsons are gearing up to release their version of It for this year’s Treehouse of Horror, which is aptly titled, Not It.
While we all patiently wait to see that new Halloween episode, we thought we would reveal some of the best The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes for everyone. These top five episodes, or segments, have been our favorites, and have made us laugh for years on end. The best thing is that the entire run of The Simpsons is on Disney+, so you can watch any of these segments to prepare for the spookiest of days.
#5 Dial Z For Zombies
“Dial Z For Zombies” is on The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror III special that appears on Season 4 of the show. This is the third segment of that episode and showcases an event that has grounds for being kind of sweet at first.
Bart is forced to redo a book report when he finds the randomly placed Occult section at the library. After stumbling across a book that can raise the dead, Bart then uses the book to attempt to resurrect Lisa’s dead cat, Snowball I. However, things quickly go awry, as Bart ends up raising the dead, which is quite obvious in this Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode.
Once the dead have risen, The Simpsons family must not evade the brain-thirsty zombies. What makes this Simpsons Treehouse of Horror segment so great are the one-liners, of which there are many. There is always tension between Homer and Ned Flanders, which comes to a point when Ned is turned into a zombie, after being the nice neighbor and allowing zombies into his home.
This Simpsons Treehouse of Horror segment is great because of the running gag that Homer is always out to get Flanders. Homer kills the Zombie Flanders, only to be questioned about it by Bart, which you can see below:
#4 Time And Punishment
“Time and Punishment” is the second segment that appears on the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror V special in Season 6. Homer hilariously has his hand stuck in the toaster during breakfast, leaving him to use his “expertise” in fixing household items. However, he creates a super toaster that sends him to many timelines, forever altering the future.
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror usually uses pop culture, as does the rest of the show, and this segment is no different. “Time and Punishment” borrows from the novel, A Sound of Thunder, where a man travels back in time to fix the future but ends up making things far worse. Homer essentially does the same thing, especially when he is responsible for killing the dinosaurs from sneezing.
One of the best moments from this Simpsons Treehouse of Horror segment comes when Homer alters his life by killing off the dinosaurs and is transported to a reality where his family is well-behaved, and he is rich. However, they don’t know what donuts are, leaving Homer running away while belting out his signature scream. Marge comments on rain coming down, which happens to be donuts, making the reality the perfect one for Homer, and you can see this hilarious interaction below:
#3 The Devil And Homer Simpson
“The Devil and Homer Simpson” is segment one of the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror IV special in Season 5. Homer exclaims that he would sell his soul for a donut, prompting the Devil to show up, who is conveniently made to look like Ned Flanders. For Homer’s soul to be damned, he must finish the donut, which he does without thinking.
This Simpsons Treehouse of Horror segment is based on the classic movie, The Devil and Daniel Webster, which sees Daniel Webster sell his soul to the devil for two cents. However, the Devil offers Webster seven years of prosperity, if he gets his soul after that, which is hilarious because Homer does this all for a single donut.
Homer is given the option to stand trial when the Devil comes to claim him, but if he can outsmart the Devil, then he won’t be sent to hell after all. However, the Devil still ensures that Homer will spend one day in Hell, and he must endure punishment for his actions. This Simpsons Treehouse of Horror segment kicks into high gear when Homer is meant to be tortured.
The demon attempting to torture Homer attempts to exploit his gluttony by feeding Homer all the donuts in the world, but Homer’s insatiable appetite allows him to finish every donut. All this happens before the trial takes place, making it one of our favorite Simpsons Treehouse of Horror segments. You can see Homer being tortured below:
#2 Bart Simpson’s Dracula
For “Bart Simpson’s Dracula”, we travel back to the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror IV special on Season 5. This third segment takes its inspiration directly from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which sees many moments mimicking what happens in that exact movie.
In this Simpsons Treehouse of Horror segment, Mr. Burns takes on the role of Dracula, which was portrayed by Gary Oldman in the previously mentioned movie. Mr. Burns has lured The Simpsons to his castle in Transylvania. There, he begins to exhibit odd behavior, eventually biting Bart and turning him into a vampire.
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes can often mimic pop culture in great ways, and “Bart Simpson’s Dracula” does exactly that. One such moment is when Mr. Burns’ shadow moves in the way that Dracula’s does in the movie, only his shadow hilariously plays with a yo-yo which you can see below:
#1 The Shinning
The absolute best Simpsons Treehouse of Horror segment is another horror movie parody that is part of the Treehouse of Horror V special in Season 6. The first segment of this special sees The Simpsons take on the events of the famous Stanley Kubrick movie, The Shining. Homer and his family are whisked off to a hotel owned by Mr. Burns, where Homer begins to go crazy, much like Jack Nicholson did.
This Simpsons Treehouse of Horror segment is one of the better parodies, as Mr. Burns takes away the TV and beer, leaving Homer to start to lose his wits. Instead of the hotel being an entity that creates evil, Homer just can’t stomach being without his two favorite things in the world. One of the better moments is when the blood leaves the elevator and covers everyone in the room, prompting Mr. Burns to say, “That’s odd, the blood usually gets off at the fourth floor.”
Bart discovers he can use his “shin” to contact Groundskeeper Willie, who can’t help but get killed every chance he helps, which is a running gag that happens throughout this Simpsons Treehouse of Horror V special. The segment is hilarious for all the random moments that happen, including Homer recreating the “Here’s Johnny” scene, but failing multiple times, which you can see below:
There you have it, some of our favorite segments that have been part of the long-running Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Halloween specials. We honestly can’t wait to see how The Simpsons approach It, but for now, everyone can go back to Disney+ and stream these hilarious segments in preparation for Halloween.
