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Treehouse of Horror is a series of annual Halloween-themed anthology episodes of the animated sitcom and spin-off of The Simpsons. Also known as The Simpsons Halloween Specials, each episode typically consists of three separate, self-contained segments.^[a] Each segment involves the Simpson family in some comical horror, science fiction, or supernatural setting; plot elements operate beyond the show's normal continuity, with segments exaggeratedly more morbid and violent than a typical Simpsons episode. With 35 episodes as of 2024, each Treehouse of Horror episode is numbered in Roman numerals, one less than the respective season it is in.

The eponymous first installment "Treehouse of Horror" aired on October 25, 1990, during the second season, broadly inspired by EC Comics horror tales. In addition to parodies of horror, science fiction, and fantasy films, episodes include the recurring alien characters Kang and Kodos, unique opening sequences, and 'scary' pseudonyms in the credits. Treehouse of Horror episodes have earned high ratings and broad popularity, spawning a steady stream of merchandise, including a comic book series that ran from 1995 to 2017.

Segments

Treehouse of Horror episodes typically consist of four parts: an opening and Halloween-themed version of the credits, followed by three segments. These segments usually have a horror, science fiction or fantasy theme and quite often are parodies of films, novels, plays, television shows, 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 episode. Some have recurring elements, such as "Treehouse of Horror V", in which Groundskeeper Willie is killed by an axe in all three segments.^[2] The episodes are considered to be non-canon, which means they take place outside the normal continuity of the show.^[3]

The number of episodes of Treehouse of Horrors matches the number of series of the show: there are no such specials in season 1, two in season 34 and one in each other season.^[4] From "Treehouse of Horror" to "Treehouse of Horror XIII" and resuming with "Treehouse of Horror XXXIII", all three segments were written by different writers. In some cases there was a fourth writer who wrote the opening and wraparound segments.^[5] For the original "Treehouse of Horror", there were three different directors for the episode.^[6] From season 15's "Treehouse of Horror XIV" to season 33's "Treehouse of Horror XXXII", however, only one writer was credited with writing each Treehouse of Horror episode.^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11] "Treehouse of Horror XXXII" featured five segments.^[1] One of the season 34 Treehouse of Horror specials, "Not It", is distinguished by its uncharacteristic title and one full-length segment (divided in the two parts).^[12]

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. At the time (1995), it was unusual for a television show to use such animation. The segment was executive producer Bill Oakley's idea and included live-action directed by David Mirkin.^[13] "Treehouse of Horror XX" included the segment "There's No Business Like Moe Business", which was the first to be musically themed.^[14]

Traditions

Opening sequence

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.^[15] The entire segment was a parody of Edward Van Sloan's pre-credits warning from the 1931 film Frankenstein.^[16] Marge's warnings quickly became a burden to write, particularly because – as she herself noted – they were mostly ignored, so after "Treehouse of Horror V", they were dropped.^[17] The segment returned in the season 31 episode "Thanksgiving of Horror".^[13]

Other Treehouse of Horror episodes have opened with parodies; for example, "Treehouse of Horror III" had Homer introduce the episode in a manner similar to Alfred Hitchcock in Alfred Hitchcock Presents,^[18] "Treehouse of Horror IV" had Bart introduce the episode and segments in a manner similar to Night Gallery, and "Treehouse of Horror V" featured a parody of The Outer Limits.^[19] The sixth and seventh episodes featured short clips with no lines because the episodes had run long, and longer segments were cut.^[13] Following "Treehouse of Horror VII", the opening has been upwards of a minute long and sometimes featured an introduction by a character, such as Mr. Burns in "Treehouse of Horror XVII"^[10] or included over-the-top violence, such as "Treehouse of Horror VIII" (which showed a Fox Network censor being brutally murdered) and "Treehouse of Horror XIV" (which showed the Simpson family killing each other).^[7]

In the opening segment of the first five episodes, the camera zooms through a cemetery where tombstones with humorous epitaphs can be seen. These messages include the names of canceled shows from the previous season, deceased celebrities such as Walt Disney and Jim Morrison,^[20] and a tombstone with an inscription that read "TV violence" that was riddled with bullets as the camera panned on it.^[5] They were last used in "Treehouse of Horror V", which included a solitary tombstone with the words "Amusing Tombstones" to signal this.^[19] 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.^[16] 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.^[21] 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.

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 III" and "Treehouse of Horror X" featured a couch gag with a Halloween theme, including the Simpson family dressed as skeletons,^[18] zombies,^[5] and characters from previous Halloween episodes.^[22]

Wraparounds

The first four Treehouse of Horror episodes had brief wraparounds that 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.^[3] In that episode, Bart and Lisa sat in it telling stories to each other.^[3]^[6] "Treehouse of Horror II" presented all of the segments as being nightmares of Lisa, Bart and Homer;^[20] "Treehouse of Horror III" had Lisa, Bart and Grampa telling stories at a Halloween party;^[18] and "Treehouse of Horror IV" is presented by Bart in a parody of Rod Serling's Night Gallery.^[5] After a few years, the amount of broadcast time for an episode was shortened, allowing less time to tell a proper story.^[17] There were no wraparounds for "Treehouse of Horror V" because they had been cut to make more time for the segments. Following that, the writers permanently dropped them.^[23]

Kang and Kodos

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". Kang and Kodos have since appeared in every Treehouse of Horror episode, often in cameos. In some episodes, they only appear in the opening segment,^[7]^[22] but often they will make a cameo appearance in the middle of a different story. 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. The action then switches back to the actual story.^[18] According to Al Jean in 2022, an unofficial rule is that they must be in every episode,^[15] although quite often they will be forgotten and are added at the last moment, resulting in only a brief appearance.^[3] 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.^[24]

Kang and Kodos were prominent characters in the 2015 episode "The Man Who Came to Be Dinner", which was not Halloween themed.

Scary names

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. Although the names quickly became more silly than scary, there have been a wide variety of special credits, from simple names like "Bat Groening" or "Chains Hell Brooks" to complex ones like "Dan CastellanetarghaGAHEGGA (Smash) Gurgle Mr. Hyde".^[25] 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". However, following his death in March 2015, he has simply been credited as "Sam Simon" starting from "Treehouse of Horror XXVI".^{[citation needed]}

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.^[15] 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.^[26] 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.^[27]

Cultural references

References to films, novels, plays, television shows, and other media are commonly featured, and many segments have been parodies of a specific work in the horror, science fiction, or fantasy genre. Many segments are spoofs of episodes of The Twilight Zone, and entire segments will be based on a single episode.^[28] Some of the Twilight Zone episodes parodied include "A Kind of a Stopwatch", "To Serve Man",^[29] "A Small Talent for War",^[30] "Living Doll",^[31] "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet",^[32] "Little Girl Lost",^[33] and "The Little People".^[34] The "Bart's Nightmare" 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.^[30]

Horror and thriller films parodied include The Exorcist, The Amityville Horror,^[29] King Kong, Night of the Living Dead,^[31] The Shining,^[35] A Nightmare on Elm Street,^[33] The Fly,^[36] Paranormal Activity, and Dead Calm.^[37] Robert Englund had a cameo appearance in "Treehouse of Horror IX" as his character from A Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy Krueger.^[38] 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,^[39] the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four,^[35] E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,^[40] The Island of Doctor Moreau, and Orson Welles's The War of the Worlds radio broadcast.^[41] In "Treehouse of Horror", Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven" is read by James Earl Jones, while the parts are acted by various characters.^[29]

Recent parodies have included films and television specials in more varied genres, including Mr. & Mrs. Smith,^[40] It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Transformers,^[42] Sweeney Todd,^[43] the Twilight film series,^[44] and Jumanji.^[37]

Closing logos

A modified version of the production logo for Gracie Films is displayed after the closing credits. The shushing sound is replaced by either a scream or another sound effect from the episode, and the jingle is played in a minor key on a pipe organ. The first three episodes did not feature the scream. "Treehouse of Horror VI" and "Treehouse of Horror XIX" did not feature the organ or scream; the former incorporated a Myst homage and the latter used a piano rendition following its parody of Peanuts. The music in "Treehouse of Horror VI" was reused in "The Scorpion's Tale" without the Gracie Films jingle.^{[citation needed]}

Production

The first Treehouse of Horror installment aired on 1990 as part of the second season, and its on-screen title was "The Simpsons Halloween Special." ("Treehouse of Horror XIII" was the first to feature "Treehouse of Horror" in the on-screen title.) It was inspired by EC Comics Horror tales.^[15] Although every episode is entitled Treehouse of Horror, the first was the only episode that actually used the treehouse motif.^[3] During production of the first episode, Matt Groening was nervous about "The Raven" segment, and felt it would be "the worst, most pretentious thing [they had] ever done."^[3]

The Treehouse of Horror episodes are difficult for both the writers and the animators.^[16] 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, giving the animators more time to work.^[15] Part of the difficulty for the animators is that the episodes always involve many complex backgrounds, new characters and new designs.^[15] 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.^[45] The episodes often go through many last minute changes, with rewrites requiring new lines to be recorded.^[46] "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.^[26] 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.^[26]

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.^[3] 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.^[15] Several of the writers, former executive producer David Mirkin among them, believe that the episodes should be scary and not just funny.^[45] "Treehouse of Horror V" was 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.^[2] Early episodes seem mild compared to the carnage that followed in later episodes, according to Jean, who calls it "a societal thing". 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."^[47]

Although gruesome for the most part, some segments, such as "Citizen Kang" in "Treehouse of Horror VII", satirize political issues. 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.^[48] Rather than taking sides in the election, Jean says it is "mostly a comment on what many people believe to be the irregularities in our voting system".^[49] 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 the broadcast. While cut from the aired version, the line does appear in the "review" version sent to newspapers and magazines.^[41]

The first Treehouse of Horror episode marked the first time that an alternate version of the theme that airs over the end credits was used. Originally, it was intended to use a theremin, but one could not be found that could hit all the necessary notes.^[3] The closing of "Treehouse of Horror IV" features a version of the theme that is a combination of the instruments used in The Munsters theme song and the harpiscord and clicking from the Addams Family theme song.^[45] 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,^[15] and to date, seven episodes have been nominated.^[50]

Üter Zörker is so far the only human character introduced in a Treehouse of Horror to make it into canon. His debut episode was "Treehouse of Horror IV" in the segment "Terror at 5+1⁄2 Feet". He is an obese German exchange student obsessed with candy and was voiced by Russi Taylor until her death.

2019's Treehouse of Horror was the 666th episode of the series.^[51] For the 34th season of The Simpsons, two Treehouse of Horror episodes were produced; the first episode was "Not It", a parody of the 2017 supernatural horror film It and its 2019 sequel It Chapter Two.^[12]

Scheduling

Although Treehouse of Horror episodes are Halloween-themed, for several years, new episodes premiered in November following the holiday due to Fox's coverage of Major League Baseball's World Series.^[52] Season 12's "Treehouse of Horror XI" was the first episode to air in November. There have been several references to this in the show, such as in Season 15's "Treehouse of Horror XIV" where Kang looks at a TV Guide and says, "Pathetic humans. They're showing a Halloween episode... in November!" and Kodos replies "Who's still thinking about Halloween? We've already got our Christmas decorations up!" The camera then cuts to a shot of the fireplace with Christmas decorations, and festive Christmas music plays over the opening credits.^[7] Season 21's "Treehouse of Horror XX" aired October 18, before the World Series, but the following year's episode, Season 22's "Treehouse of Horror XXI", aired on November 7.^[53] Season 23's "Treehouse of Horror XXII" aired on October 30 as the 2011 World Series (which went the maximum of seven games) had concluded on October 28.^[54]

Subsequent Treehouse of Horror episodes have premiered in October, although they have moved back to November on occasion. The 31st season included a Thanksgiving-themed spinoff, "Thanksgiving of Horror". 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.^[55] Citytv in Canada however aired the episode as originally scheduled. "Treehouse of Horror XXXII" aired on October 10, 2021, to avoid airing in November due to the World Series overrun, and, with no 2022 World Series game scheduled on a Sunday, "Treehouse of Horror XXXIII" aired on October 30, 2022. "Treehouse of Horror XXXIV," however, aired on November 5, 2023, and Treehouse of Horror XXXV aired on November 3, 2024.^[56]

Merchandise

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.^[57] 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. It includes Treehouse of Horrors V, VI, VII and XII.^[58] A Treehouse of Horror comic book was published annually from 1995 to 2017, and collected into several books, including The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Fun-Filled Frightfest, Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror Spine-Tingling Spooktacular, Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror Heebie-Jeebie Hullabaloo and The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Hoodoo Voodoo Brouhaha.^[59]

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 The Simpsons: 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.^[60]

Many of the special character designs featured in the episodes have become action figures.^[26] Four different playsets have been made by Playmates Toys and released as Toys "R" Us exclusives:

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.^[61]
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".^[62]
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".^[63]
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 the designs were based on "Treehouse of Horror X".^[64]
On 2019, Funko revealed a 2-pack Kang and Kodos vinyl figure set presented as an exclusive for the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, along with a Treehouse of Horror Pop! wave, including King Homer (Treehouse of Horror III), Fly Bart (Treehouse of Horror VIII), Cat Marge (Treehouse of Horror XIII), Demon Lisa (Treehouse of Horror XXV), and Alien Maggie (Treehouse of Horror IX).

After the Playmates Toys sets were finished, McFarlane Toys produced four Treehouse of Horror themed playsets including the "Ironic Punishment Box Set" released in 2004,^[65] the "In the Belly of the Boss — Homer & Marge Action Figures" released in 2005,^[66] "The Island of Dr. Hibbert Box Set" released in 2006,^[67] and a "Lard Lad Box Set" released in 2007.^[68]

Reception

The Treehouse of Horror episodes are often among the top-rated episodes of their seasons,^[26] and many of the Treehouse of Horrors have generally been well-received by fans. However, like The Simpsons itself, critics have noted a decline in the quality of the later episodes.^[69] In its first airing, "Treehouse of Horror" finished with a 15.7 Nielsen rating and a 25% audience share, less than The Cosby Show.^[70] It was said that it "set a level of excellence that viewers never expected creator Matt Groening to repeat",^[71] although it was also described as "kind of stupid and unsatisfying".^[72]

"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,^[73] fifth on AskMen.com's "Top 10: Simpsons Episodes" list,^[74] and was named best episode of the sixth season by IGN.com.^[75] 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.^[76]

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".^[77] 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 on the list was "Treehouse of Horror IX", from 1998.^[77]

In 2000, "Treehouse of Horror VII" was ranked 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."^[78] "King Homer" of "Treehouse of Horror III" is one of Groening's favorite segments.^[79] "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?"^[77] It is also one of Groening's favorite lines.^[79]

Awards

In 1996, the "Homer³" segment of "Treehouse of Horror VI" was awarded the Ottawa International Animation Festival grand prize.^[80] 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".^[81]

The second, third, fifth, eighth, ninth, fourteenth, fifteenth, and eighteenth^[82] Treehouse of Horror episodes were nominated for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)" at the Primetime Emmy Awards. 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".^[50] 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.^[50] The episode failed to win, and Bill Oakley later expressed regret about submitting the episode.^[83] The twenty-third and twenty-fifth Treehouse of Horror episodes were nominated for the same award in 2013 and 2015 respectively.^[50]^[84] The thirty-third episode finally won the Emmy.

Notes

^ The 2021 installment "Treehouse of Horror XXXII" expanded to five segments.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b Andrews, Jessica (July 25, 2021). "The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror is Bigger than Ever in Season 33". CBR. Archived from the original on July 31, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Mirkin, David (2005). The Simpsons season 6 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VI" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Groening, Matt (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^ "The Simpsons Season 34 Will Have 2 Treehouse of Horror Episodes". ScreenRant. July 24, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d O'Brien, Conan; Weinstein, Josh; Oakley, Bill; Daniels, Greg; McGrath, Dan; Canterbury, Bill; Silverman, David (October 28, 1993). "Treehouse of Horror IV". The Simpsons. Season 04. Episode 05. Fox.
^ ^a ^b Swartzwelder, John; Kogen, Jay; Wolodarsky, Wallace; Simon, Sam; Archer, Wes; Moore, Rich; Silverman, David (October 25, 1990). "Treehouse of Horror". The Simpsons. Season 2. Episode 03. Fox.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Swartzwelder, John; Moore, Steven Dean (November 2, 2003). "Treehouse of Horror XIV". The Simpsons. Season 15. Episode 01. Fox.
^ Odenkirk, Bill; Silverman, David (November 4, 2004). "Treehouse of Horror XV". The Simpsons. Season 16. Episode 01. Fox.
^ Wilmore, Marc; Silverman, David (November 6, 2005). "Treehouse of Horror XVI". The Simpsons. Season 17. Episode 04. Fox.
^ ^a ^b Gaffney, Peter; Silverman, David; Faughnan, Matthew (November 5, 2006). "Treehouse of Horror XVII". The Simpsons. Season 18. Episode 04. Fox.
^ Wilmore, Marc; Sheetz, Chuck (November 4, 2007). "Treehouse of Horror XVIII". The Simpsons. Season 19. Episode 05. Fox.
^ ^a ^b Snierson, Dan (July 23, 2022). "The Simpsons to do TWO Treehouse of Horror episodes this Halloween". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c Oakley, Bill (2005). The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VI" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^ Pirrello, Phil (July 25, 2009). "SDCC 09: The Simpsons' Treehouse of Comic-Con". IGN. Archived from the original on July 29, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Jean, Al (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^ ^a ^b ^c Reiss, Mike (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^ ^a ^b Jean, Al (2003). The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror II" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Jean, Al; Reiss, Mike; Kogen, Jay; Wolodarsky, Wallace; Simon, Sam and Vitti, Jon (October 29, 1992). "Treehouse of Horror III". The Simpsons. Season 04. Episode 05. Fox.
^ ^a ^b Daniels, Greg; McGrath, Dan; Cohen, David S.; Kushell, Bob; Reardon, Jim (October 30, 1994). "Treehouse of Horror V". The Simpsons. Season 6. Episode 06. Fox.
^ ^a ^b Swartzwelder, John; Meyer, George; Reiss, Mike; Jean, Al; Martin, Jeff; Simon, Sam; Reardon, Jim (October 31, 1991). "Treehouse of Horror II". The Simpsons. Season 3. Episode 07. Fox.
^ Groening, Matt (2005). The Simpsons season 6 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror V" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^ ^a ^b Cary, Donick; Long, Tim; Hauge, Ron; Michels, Pete (October 31, 1999). "Treehouse of Horror X". The Simpsons. Season 11. Episode 04. Fox.
^ Weinstein, Josh (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VII" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^ Cohen, David X (2006). The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VIII" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^ Swartzwelder, John; Cohen, David S.; Tompkins, Steve; Anderson, Bob (October 29, 1995). "Treehouse of Horror VI". The Simpsons. Season 07. Episode 06. Fox.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Jean, Al (2004). The Simpsons season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^ Groening, Matt (2005). The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VI" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^ Kogen, Jay (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^ ^a ^b ^c Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "The Simpsons Halloween Special". BBC. Archived from the original on May 5, 2004. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ ^a ^b Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "The Simpsons Hallowe'en Special II". BBC. Archived from the original on December 23, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ ^a ^b Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Treehouse of Horror III". BBC. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Treehouse of Horror IV". BBC. Archived from the original on January 4, 2009. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ ^a ^b Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Treehouse of Horror VI". BBC. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ Anderson, Mike B (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VII" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^ ^a ^b Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Treehouse of Horror V". BBC. Archived from the original on October 5, 2003. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Treehouse of Horror VIII". BBC. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ ^a ^b Bianco, Robert (November 6, 2010). "'The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror' is missing a few planks". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 7, 2010. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Treehouse of Horror IX". BBC. Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2008.
^ Scully, Mike (2006). The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VIII" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^ ^a ^b Canning, Robert (November 5, 2007). "The Simpsons: "Treehouse of Horror XVIII" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on November 7, 2007. Retrieved November 6, 2007.
^ ^a ^b Redeker, Bill (October 23, 2006). "'Simpsons' Halloween 'Horror' Could Hit GOP". ABC News. Archived from the original on August 4, 2008. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ Topel, Fred (September 10, 2008). "Simpsons Parodies Transformers". Sci Fi Wire. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved September 10, 2008.
^ Goldman, Eric (September 25, 2009). "The Simpsons Say Hello to Season 21". IGN. Archived from the original on September 28, 2009. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
^ Angus, Kat (November 18, 2009). "Daniel Radcliffe to sparkle as a vampire on The Simpsons". Canada.com. Canwest News Service. Archived from the original on November 21, 2009. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c Mirkin, David (2004). The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VI" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^ Reiss, Mike (2003). The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror II" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^ Blair, Elizabeth (October 30, 2015). "FXX Celebrates Halloween With 'The Simpsons' Treehouse Of Horror Marathon". NPR.org. NPR. Archived from the original on November 2, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
^ Stelter, Brian (October 2, 2008). "D'oh-Bama". New York Times. Archived from the original on October 8, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
^ MacIntyre, April (September 25, 2008). "'The Simpsons' Al Jean interview, new season begins September 28". Monsters and Critics. Archived from the original on September 28, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Primetime Emmy Awards Advanced Search". Emmys.org. Archived from the original on April 3, 2009. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ Maglio, Tony (October 16, 2018). "'The Simpsons': Next Year's 'Treehouse of Horror' Will Be Episode 666". The Wrap. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
^ Ryan, Andrew (November 4, 2006). "Pick of the Day: The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XVII". The Globe and Mail. p. 12.
^ Clodfelter, Tim (October 31, 2010). "'Simpsons' continues tradition of late Halloween episode". Winston-Salem Journal. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
^ "FOX ORDERS DOUBLE D'OHS OF "THE SIMPSONS" – Longest Running Scripted Series on Television is Renewed Through Season 25". FOXFlash. October 7, 2011. Archived from the original on October 10, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
^ "Listings - SIMPSONS, THE on FOX | TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
^ Valdez, Nick (October 24, 2023). "The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XXXIV Release Date Confirmed". ComicBook.com. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
^ "Monopoly: The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Edition". The Simpsons Shop. Retrieved November 9, 2007.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ "The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror DVD". The Simpsons Shop. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ "THE SIMPSONS — Season 19 (2007–2008) — Book list". FoxFlash. Archived from the original on August 31, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
^ "Simpsons: Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror". IGN.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2008. Retrieved December 17, 2007.
^ "Treehouse of Horror I". Simpsons Collectors. Archived from the original on May 24, 2006. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ "THOH 2". Simpsons Collectors. Archived from the original on May 24, 2006. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ "THOH 3". Simpsons Collectors. Archived from the original on May 24, 2006. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ "THOH 4". Simpsons Collectors. Archived from the original on May 24, 2006. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ "The Simpsons Ironic Punishment Box Set". The Simpsons Shop. Archived from the original on June 30, 2007. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ "In the Belly of the Boss — Homer & Marge Action Figures". The Simpsons Shop. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ "The Island of Dr. Hibbert Box Set". The Simpsons Shop. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ "Lard Lad Box Set". The Simpsons Shop. Archived from the original on April 9, 2008. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ Iverson, Dan (November 6, 2006). "The Simpsons: "Treehouse of Horror XVII" Review". IGN.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2007.
^ "Bart vs. Bill, Round 3". Lexington Herald-Leader. October 30, 1990. p. D3.
^ Holloway, Diane (October 31, 1993). "Be like Bart: Just say 'boo!'". Austin American-Statesman. p. 7.
^ Belcher, Walt (November 1, 1991). "'Simpsons' regain their cynicism in latest episode". The Tampa Tribune. pp. 4F.
^ "The Family Dynamic". Entertainment Weekly. January 29, 2003. Archived from the original on May 10, 2007. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ Weir, Rich. "Top 10: Simpsons Episodes". Askmen.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ Goldman, Eric; Dan Iverson, Brian Zoromski (September 8, 2006). "The Simpsons: 17 Seasons, 17 Episodes". IGN.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ Goldman, Eric; Dan Iverson, Brian Zoromski. "Top 25 Simpsons Guest Appearances". IGN.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ ^a ^b ^c Goldman, Eric; Iverson, Dan; Zoromski, Brian (October 28, 2008). "Top 10 Segments from The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror". IGN. Archived from the original on June 25, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2008.
^ Snierson, Dan (January 14, 2000). "Springfield of Dreams". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ ^a ^b Groening, Matt (2004). The Simpsons season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror III" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^ Walz, Gene (1996). "Ottawa International Animation Festival". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
^ "Past Golden Reel Awards". Motion Picture Sound Editors. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
^ "The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards and Creative Arts Emmy Awards Nominees are..." Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on September 8, 2009. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
^ Oakley, Bill (2005). The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Mother Simpson" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^ Bright, Charles (August 26, 2015). "Emmy predictions: Will 'The Simpsons' finally win Best Animated Program for Halloween episode?". Gold Derby. Archived from the original on August 30, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.

[2] The 2021 installment "Treehouse of Horror XXXII" expanded to five segments.^[1]

[ToH33-1] Andrews, Jessica (July 25, 2021). "The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror is Bigger than Ever in Season 33". CBR. Archived from the original on July 31, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2021.

[Mirkin5-3] Mirkin, David (2005). The Simpsons season 6 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VI" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

[Groening1-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Groening, Matt (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

[:1-5] "The Simpsons Season 34 Will Have 2 Treehouse of Horror Episodes". ScreenRant. July 24, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2023.

[IV-6] O'Brien, Conan; Weinstein, Josh; Oakley, Bill; Daniels, Greg; McGrath, Dan; Canterbury, Bill; Silverman, David (October 28, 1993). "Treehouse of Horror IV". The Simpsons. Season 04. Episode 05. Fox.

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[XV-9] Odenkirk, Bill; Silverman, David (November 4, 2004). "Treehouse of Horror XV". The Simpsons. Season 16. Episode 01. Fox.

[XVI-10] Wilmore, Marc; Silverman, David (November 6, 2005). "Treehouse of Horror XVI". The Simpsons. Season 17. Episode 04. Fox.

[XVII-11] Gaffney, Peter; Silverman, David; Faughnan, Matthew (November 5, 2006). "Treehouse of Horror XVII". The Simpsons. Season 18. Episode 04. Fox.

[XVIII-12] Wilmore, Marc; Sheetz, Chuck (November 4, 2007). "Treehouse of Horror XVIII". The Simpsons. Season 19. Episode 05. Fox.

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[Oakley6-14] Oakley, Bill (2005). The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VI" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

[SDCC_09-15] Pirrello, Phil (July 25, 2009). "SDCC 09: The Simpsons' Treehouse of Comic-Con". IGN. Archived from the original on July 29, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2009.

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[III-19] Jean, Al; Reiss, Mike; Kogen, Jay; Wolodarsky, Wallace; Simon, Sam and Vitti, Jon (October 29, 1992). "Treehouse of Horror III". The Simpsons. Season 04. Episode 05. Fox.

[V-20] Daniels, Greg; McGrath, Dan; Cohen, David S.; Kushell, Bob; Reardon, Jim (October 30, 1994). "Treehouse of Horror V". The Simpsons. Season 6. Episode 06. Fox.

[II-21] Swartzwelder, John; Meyer, George; Reiss, Mike; Jean, Al; Martin, Jeff; Simon, Sam; Reardon, Jim (October 31, 1991). "Treehouse of Horror II". The Simpsons. Season 3. Episode 07. Fox.

[Groening5-22] Groening, Matt (2005). The Simpsons season 6 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror V" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

[X-23] Cary, Donick; Long, Tim; Hauge, Ron; Michels, Pete (October 31, 1999). "Treehouse of Horror X". The Simpsons. Season 11. Episode 04. Fox.

[Weinstein7-24] Weinstein, Josh (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VII" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

[Cohen8-25] Cohen, David X (2006). The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VIII" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

[VI-26] Swartzwelder, John; Cohen, David S.; Tompkins, Steve; Anderson, Bob (October 29, 1995). "Treehouse of Horror VI". The Simpsons. Season 07. Episode 06. Fox.

[Jean3-27] Jean, Al (2004). The Simpsons season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

[Groening6-28] Groening, Matt (2005). The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VI" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

[Kogen1-29] Kogen, Jay (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

[BBCI-30] Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "The Simpsons Halloween Special". BBC. Archived from the original on May 5, 2004. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[BBCII-31] Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "The Simpsons Hallowe'en Special II". BBC. Archived from the original on December 23, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[BBCIII-32] Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Treehouse of Horror III". BBC. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[BBCIV-33] Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Treehouse of Horror IV". BBC. Archived from the original on January 4, 2009. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[BBCVI-34] Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Treehouse of Horror VI". BBC. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[Anderson-35] Anderson, Mike B (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VII" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

[BBCV-36] Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Treehouse of Horror V". BBC. Archived from the original on October 5, 2003. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[BBCVIII-37] Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Treehouse of Horror VIII". BBC. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[USA_Today-38] Bianco, Robert (November 6, 2010). "'The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror' is missing a few planks". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 7, 2010. Retrieved November 6, 2010.

[BBCIX-39] Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Treehouse of Horror IX". BBC. Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2008.

[Scully9-40] Scully, Mike (2006). The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VIII" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

[IGNXVIII-41] Canning, Robert (November 5, 2007). "The Simpsons: "Treehouse of Horror XVIII" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on November 7, 2007. Retrieved November 6, 2007.

[ABCNews_20061023-42] Redeker, Bill (October 23, 2006). "'Simpsons' Halloween 'Horror' Could Hit GOP". ABC News. Archived from the original on August 4, 2008. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[Topel-43] Topel, Fred (September 10, 2008). "Simpsons Parodies Transformers". Sci Fi Wire. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved September 10, 2008.

[44] Goldman, Eric (September 25, 2009). "The Simpsons Say Hello to Season 21". IGN. Archived from the original on September 28, 2009. Retrieved September 26, 2009.

[45] Angus, Kat (November 18, 2009). "Daniel Radcliffe to sparkle as a vampire on The Simpsons". Canada.com. Canwest News Service. Archived from the original on November 21, 2009. Retrieved November 19, 2009.

[Mirkin4-46] Mirkin, David (2004). The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VI" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

[Reiss2-47] Reiss, Mike (2003). The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror II" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

[NPR-48] Blair, Elizabeth (October 30, 2015). "FXX Celebrates Halloween With 'The Simpsons' Treehouse Of Horror Marathon". NPR.org. NPR. Archived from the original on November 2, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.

[49] Stelter, Brian (October 2, 2008). "D'oh-Bama". New York Times. Archived from the original on October 8, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2008.

[50] MacIntyre, April (September 25, 2008). "'The Simpsons' Al Jean interview, new season begins September 28". Monsters and Critics. Archived from the original on September 28, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2008.

[Emmys-51] "Primetime Emmy Awards Advanced Search". Emmys.org. Archived from the original on April 3, 2009. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[52] Maglio, Tony (October 16, 2018). "'The Simpsons': Next Year's 'Treehouse of Horror' Will Be Episode 666". The Wrap. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.

[53] Ryan, Andrew (November 4, 2006). "Pick of the Day: The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XVII". The Globe and Mail. p. 12.

[54] Clodfelter, Tim (October 31, 2010). "'Simpsons' continues tradition of late Halloween episode". Winston-Salem Journal. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2010.

[doubledohs-55] "FOX ORDERS DOUBLE D'OHS OF "THE SIMPSONS" – Longest Running Scripted Series on Television is Renewed Through Season 25". FOXFlash. October 7, 2011. Archived from the original on October 10, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2011.

[56] "Listings - SIMPSONS, THE on FOX | TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved October 19, 2020.

[57] Valdez, Nick (October 24, 2023). "The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XXXIV Release Date Confirmed". ComicBook.com. Retrieved November 1, 2023.

[58] "Monopoly: The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Edition". The Simpsons Shop. Retrieved November 9, 2007.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[59] "The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror DVD". The Simpsons Shop. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[60] "THE SIMPSONS — Season 19 (2007–2008) — Book list". FoxFlash. Archived from the original on August 31, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2008.

[61] "Simpsons: Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror". IGN.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2008. Retrieved December 17, 2007.

[62] "Treehouse of Horror I". Simpsons Collectors. Archived from the original on May 24, 2006. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[63] "THOH 2". Simpsons Collectors. Archived from the original on May 24, 2006. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[64] "THOH 3". Simpsons Collectors. Archived from the original on May 24, 2006. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[65] "THOH 4". Simpsons Collectors. Archived from the original on May 24, 2006. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[66] "The Simpsons Ironic Punishment Box Set". The Simpsons Shop. Archived from the original on June 30, 2007. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[67] "In the Belly of the Boss — Homer & Marge Action Figures". The Simpsons Shop. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[68] "The Island of Dr. Hibbert Box Set". The Simpsons Shop. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[69] "Lard Lad Box Set". The Simpsons Shop. Archived from the original on April 9, 2008. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[70] Iverson, Dan (November 6, 2006). "The Simpsons: "Treehouse of Horror XVII" Review". IGN.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2007.

[71] "Bart vs. Bill, Round 3". Lexington Herald-Leader. October 30, 1990. p. D3.

[72] Holloway, Diane (October 31, 1993). "Be like Bart: Just say 'boo!'". Austin American-Statesman. p. 7.

[73] Belcher, Walt (November 1, 1991). "'Simpsons' regain their cynicism in latest episode". The Tampa Tribune. pp. 4F.

[74] "The Family Dynamic". Entertainment Weekly. January 29, 2003. Archived from the original on May 10, 2007. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[75] Weir, Rich. "Top 10: Simpsons Episodes". Askmen.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[76] Goldman, Eric; Dan Iverson, Brian Zoromski (September 8, 2006). "The Simpsons: 17 Seasons, 17 Episodes". IGN.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[77] Goldman, Eric; Dan Iverson, Brian Zoromski. "Top 25 Simpsons Guest Appearances". IGN.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[IGN-78] Goldman, Eric; Iverson, Dan; Zoromski, Brian (October 28, 2008). "Top 10 Segments from The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror". IGN. Archived from the original on June 25, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2008.

[EW-79] Snierson, Dan (January 14, 2000). "Springfield of Dreams". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2007.

[Groening3-80] Groening, Matt (2004). The Simpsons season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror III" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

[81] Walz, Gene (1996). "Ottawa International Animation Festival". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2015.

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+{{Short description|Series of Halloween-themed episodes of The Simpsons}}
-[[Image:Bart Night Gallery.jpg|thumb|Bart introducing a segment of "[[Treehouse of Horror IV]]" in the manner of [[Rod Serling]]'s ''[[Night Gallery]]''.]]
+{{about|the series|the first episode in the series|Treehouse of Horror (The Simpsons episode){{!}}Treehouse of Horror (''The Simpsons'' episode)|the comic series|List of The Simpsons comics#The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror}}
-'''[[The Simpsons]] Halloween episodes''' are an annual tradition in which there is a special [[Halloween]] episode consisting of three separate, self-contained pieces. These pieces usually involve the family in some [[Horror film|horror]], [[science fiction]], or supernatural setting; they always take place outside the normal continuity of the show (and are therefore considered to be non-[[canon (fiction)|canon]]), and completely abandon any pretense of being realistic.
+{{Italic title}}
+{{Featured article}}
+{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2021}}
+[[File:Treehouse of Horror series DVD.jpg|thumb|Cover of a DVD collection of "Treehouse of Horror" episodes]]
+'''''Treehouse of Horror''''' is a series of annual [[Halloween]]-themed [[anthology]] episodes of the [[animated sitcom]] and spin-off of ''[[The Simpsons]]''. Also known as '''''The Simpsons Halloween Specials''''', each episode typically consists of three separate, self-contained segments.{{efn|The 2021 installment "[[Treehouse of Horror XXXII]]" expanded to five segments.<ref name="ToH33">{{Cite web |last=Andrews |first=Jessica |date=July 25, 2021 |title=The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror is Bigger than Ever in Season 33 |url=https://www.cbr.com/the-simpsons-treehouse-horror-first-time-five-segments/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731123416/https://www.cbr.com/the-simpsons-treehouse-horror-first-time-five-segments/ |archive-date=July 31, 2021 |access-date=July 31, 2021 |website=CBR |language=en-US}}</ref>}} Each segment involves the [[Simpson family]] in some comical [[horror fiction|horror]], [[science fiction]], or [[supernatural]] setting; plot elements operate beyond the show's normal [[Continuity (fiction)|continuity]], with segments exaggeratedly more morbid and violent than a typical ''Simpsons'' episode. With 35 episodes as of 2024, each ''Treehouse of Horror'' episode is numbered in [[Roman numerals]], one less than the respective season it is in.
+The eponymous first installment "[[Treehouse of Horror (The Simpsons episode)|Treehouse of Horror]]" aired on October 25, 1990, during [[The Simpsons season 2|the second season]], broadly inspired by [[EC Comics]] horror tales. In addition to [[Parody|parodies]] of horror, science fiction, and [[fantasy]] films, episodes include the recurring alien characters [[Kang and Kodos]], unique opening sequences, and 'scary' pseudonyms in the credits. ''Treehouse of Horror'' episodes have earned high ratings and broad popularity, spawning a steady stream of merchandise, including a [[List of The Simpsons comics#The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror|comic book series]] that ran from 1995 to 2017.
-Regular ''Simpsons'' characters play humorous special roles, occasionally being killed in gruesome ways by zombies, monsters, or even each other. Groundskeeper Willie has died many times in the Treehouse of Horror episodes, mostly by being stuck in the back with an axe, impaled by a sharp object, burned by a furnace and even once by a dolphin. Homer and Maggie have killed Willie a number of times. In "[[Treehouse of Horror V]]", for example, he was axed in the back in all three segments: by Homer in the first act, by Maggie in the second, and by Principal Skinner in the third. In all three situations, he was coming to the rescue of a character who was facing imminent doom, saying, "I'm comin' to rescue the lot of you." After being axed the third time, he says, "Oh...I'm bad at this..."
+==Segments==
-The Halloween episodes also regularly parody many classic horror and science fiction films such as ''[[The Shining (film)|The Shining]]'', these Halloween segments frequently spoof episodes of ''[[The Twilight Zone]]'' such as "[[Nightmare at 20,000 Feet]]", "[[To Serve Man (The Twilight Zone)|To Serve Man]]", "[[Living Doll (The Twilight Zone)|Living Doll]]", "[[It's a Good Life (The Twilight Zone)|It's a Good Life]]", "[[A Kind of a Stopwatch]]" and "[[Little Girl Lost]]".
+''Treehouse of Horror'' episodes typically consist of four parts: an opening and Halloween-themed version of the credits, followed by three segments. [[List of The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes|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 (1959 TV series)|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 episode. Some have recurring elements, such as "[[Treehouse of Horror V]]", in which [[Groundskeeper Willie]] is killed by an axe in all three segments.<ref name="Mirkin5"/> The episodes are considered to be non-[[Canon (fiction)|canon]], which means they take place outside the normal continuity of the show.<ref name="Groening1"/>
+The number of episodes of ''Treehouse of Horrors'' matches the number of series of the show: there are no such specials in [[The Simpsons season 1|season 1]], two in [[The Simpsons season 34|season 34]] and one in each other season.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2022-07-24 |title=The Simpsons Season 34 Will Have 2 Treehouse of Horror Episodes |url=https://screenrant.com/the-simpsons-season-34-treehouse-of-horror-episodes/ |access-date=2023-06-29 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref> From "[[Treehouse of Horror (The Simpsons episode)|Treehouse of Horror]]" to "[[Treehouse of Horror XIII]]" and resuming with "[[Treehouse of Horror XXXIII]]", all three segments were written by different writers. In some cases there was a fourth writer who wrote the opening and wraparound segments.<ref name="IV"/> For the original "Treehouse of Horror", there were three different directors for the episode.<ref name="I"/> From [[The Simpsons season 15|season 15's]] "[[Treehouse of Horror XIV]]" to [[The Simpsons season 33|season 33]]'s "[[Treehouse of Horror XXXII]]", however, only one writer was credited with writing each ''Treehouse of Horror'' episode.<ref name="XIV"/><ref name="XV">{{cite episode |title=Treehouse of Horror XV|episode-link=Treehouse of Horror XV|series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Odenkirk, Bill; Silverman, David|network=Fox |airdate=November 4, 2004 |season=16|number=01}}</ref><ref name="XVI">{{cite episode |title=Treehouse of Horror XVI|episode-link=Treehouse of Horror XVI|series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Wilmore, Marc; Silverman, David|network=Fox |airdate=November 6, 2005 |season=17 |number=04}}</ref><ref name="XVII">{{cite episode |title=Treehouse of Horror XVII|episode-link=Treehouse of Horror XVII|series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Gaffney, Peter; Silverman, David; Faughnan, Matthew|network=Fox |airdate=November 5, 2006 |season=18 |number=04}}</ref><ref name="XVIII">{{cite episode |title=Treehouse of Horror XVIII|episode-link=Treehouse of Horror XVIII|series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Wilmore, Marc; Sheetz, Chuck|network=Fox |airdate=November 4, 2007 |season=19 |number=05}}</ref> "[[Treehouse of Horror XXXII]]" featured five segments.<ref name="ToH33"/> One of the season 34 ''Treehouse of Horror'' specials, "[[Not It]]", is distinguished by its uncharacteristic title and one full-length segment (divided in the two parts).<ref name=":0" />
-==Title==
-Originally, the name of the Halloween episodes was '''''The Simpsons Halloween Special''''', (and followed by the roman numerals for the sequels) but was later changed to '''''Treehouse of Horror''''' after the twelfth Halloween episode.
+On occasion, the episodes will be used to showcase special animation, such as the "[[Treehouse of Horror VI]]" segment "Homer<sup>3</sup>", in which a computer-animated Homer is shown in a non-animated setting. At the time (1995), it was unusual for a television show to use such animation. The segment was executive producer [[Bill Oakley]]'s idea and included live-action directed by [[David Mirkin]].<ref name="Oakley6"/> "[[Treehouse of Horror XX]]" included the segment "There's No Business Like Moe Business", which was the first to be musically themed.<ref name="SDCC 09">{{Cite web|url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/100/1007517p1.html|title=SDCC 09: The Simpsons' Treehouse of Comic-Con|author=Pirrello, Phil|date=July 25, 2009|access-date=July 26, 2009|publisher=IGN|archive-date=July 29, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090729162837/http://tv.ign.com/articles/100/1007517p1.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
-==Origins==
-According to DVD commentary, the reason why the episodes are non-canon is a trade-off for the writers.  Writing three 7-minute segments was just too taxing for the writers, so it was proposed that they could do anything without worrying about continuity to appease them.
+==Traditions==
-The yearly Halloween special was named "Treehouse of Horror" because the [[Treehouse of Horror|original special]] depicted the Simpson children in their treehouse telling scary stories to one another. In later years the series dropped the framing device of characters telling stories, but kept the ''Treehouse'' title.
+===Opening sequence===
-In a section of "[[Treehouse of Horror VI]]" called "Homer³," Homer and Bart go into a [[3D computer graphics|three-dimensional]] world, which Homer likens to ''[[Tron (film)|Tron]]'', created by [[DreamWorks Animation|Pacific Data Images]], a [[computer animation]] company. This segment from the Halloween episode was also used as a segment of a film shown in the [[IMAX]] 3D film ''[[Cyberworld]]''. 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 [[computer generated image|CGI]] television and film parodies. Other ''Treehouse'' segment name parodies include "Citizen Kang", "The Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace",  "The Thing and I", "Hex and the city" "House of Whacks", "I've Grown a Costume On Your Face", "The Shinning" and "Reaper Madness".
+[[File:Treehouse of Horror Tombstone.png|right|thumb|Three of the tombstones from the opening segment of "[[Treehouse of Horror (The Simpsons episode)|Treehouse of Horror]]"]]
+The first, second, and fifth ''Treehouse of Horror'' episodes open with [[Marge Simpson|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.<ref name="Jean1"/> The entire segment was a parody of [[Edward Van Sloan]]'s pre-credits warning from the 1931 film ''[[Frankenstein (1931 film)|Frankenstein]]''.<ref name="Reiss1">{{cite video | people=Reiss, Mike|date=2002|title=The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Marge's warnings quickly became a burden to write, particularly because – as she herself noted – they were mostly ignored, so after "[[Treehouse of Horror V]]", they were dropped.<ref name="Jean2"/>  The segment returned in the season 31 episode "[[Thanksgiving of Horror]]".<ref name="Oakley6">{{cite video | people=Oakley, Bill|date=2005|title=The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VI"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>
+Other ''Treehouse of Horror'' episodes have opened with parodies; for example, "[[Treehouse of Horror III]]" had Homer introduce the episode in a manner similar to [[Alfred Hitchcock]] in ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'',<ref name="III"/> "[[Treehouse of Horror IV]]" had Bart introduce the episode and segments in a manner similar to ''[[Night Gallery]]'', and "[[Treehouse of Horror V]]" featured a parody of ''[[The Outer Limits (1995 TV series)|The Outer Limits]]''.<ref name="V"/> The [[Treehouse of Horror VI|sixth]] and [[Treehouse of Horror VII|seventh]] episodes featured short clips with no lines because the episodes had run long, and longer segments were cut.<ref name="Oakley6"/> Following "Treehouse of Horror VII", the opening has been upwards of a minute long and sometimes featured an introduction by a character, such as [[Montgomery Burns|Mr. Burns]] in "[[Treehouse of Horror XVII]]"<ref name="XVII"/> or included over-the-top violence, such as "[[Treehouse of Horror VIII]]" (which showed a [[Fox Network]] censor being brutally murdered) and "[[Treehouse of Horror XIV]]" (which showed the Simpson family killing each other).<ref name="XIV"/>
-==Traditions==
-For several years the characters broke the [[fourth wall]] and introduced their pieces directly to the audience. 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 "Mad Matt Groening" and "James Hell Brooks"). This also became a tradition, and has been done in every Halloween episode since except ''XII'', and ''XIII''. The names have changed in subsequent seasons.
+In the opening segment of the first five episodes, the camera zooms through a cemetery where tombstones with humorous [[epitaph]]s can be seen. These messages include the names of canceled shows from the previous season, deceased celebrities such as [[Walt Disney]] and [[Jim Morrison]],<ref name="II"/> and a tombstone with an inscription that read "TV violence" that was riddled with bullets as the camera panned on it.<ref name="IV"/> They were last used in "[[Treehouse of Horror V]]", which included a solitary tombstone with the words "Amusing Tombstones" to signal this.<ref name="V">{{cite episode |title=Treehouse of Horror V|episode-link=Treehouse of Horror V |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Daniels, Greg; McGrath, Dan; Cohen, David S.; Kushell, Bob; Reardon, Jim|network=Fox |airdate=October 30, 1994 |season=6 |number=06}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Reiss1"/> 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.<ref name="Groening5">{{cite video | people=Groening, Matt|date=2005|title=The Simpsons season 6 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror V"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> 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.
-Another mainstay of the Halloween shows is the appearance of the two [[Aliens in fiction|space aliens]] [[Kang_&_Kodos|Kang and Kodos]], introduced in the second segment of the first "Treehouse of Horror." 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 the tradition. While they have had significant parts in other "Treehouse of Horror" episodes, they often only appear in the middle of a totally different story-for example, a story about zombies attacking the town will suddenly turn to them in space, watching the events and laughing maniacally at the Earthlings' suffering, before switching back to the actual story. In later years they would sometimes appear at either the beginning or end of the episode, outside of any of the stories; for example, one year they appeared between the last segment and the credits wondering why ''The Simpsons'' producers hadn't called them to be in the episode. Soon they get a call offering them to be on a commercial for something called, "Old Navy".
+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 III]]" and "[[Treehouse of Horror X]]" featured a [[The Simpsons opening sequence#Couch gag|couch gag]] with a Halloween theme, including the Simpson family dressed as skeletons,<ref name="III"/> zombies,<ref name="IV"/> and characters from previous Halloween episodes.<ref name="X"/>
-From the second halloween episode, the [[Gracie Films]] music at the end is replaced with a [[pipe organ]] version. From the fourth halloween episode a [[scream]] was added as well. From the sixth halloween episode the pipe organ version was replaced with an [[oboe]] version. But in the fifteenth halloween episode at the end the pipe organ version was still played, but the scream was replaced. The woman's scream changed to Homer's scream.
+===Wraparounds===
-Also, at the start of Treehouse of Horror I, II, IV and V Marge comes out with a message urging parents not to let their children watch the program as they will suffer from nightmares; however, she gives up, saying how no one ever listens to her. This was abandoned in later seasons.
+The first four ''Treehouse of Horror'' episodes had brief [[interstitial program|wraparounds]] that 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.<ref name="Groening1"/> In that episode, Bart and Lisa sat in it telling stories to each other.<ref name="Groening1"/><ref name="I">{{cite episode |title=Treehouse of Horror|episode-link=Treehouse of Horror (The Simpsons episode) |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Swartzwelder, John; Kogen, Jay; Wolodarsky, Wallace; Simon, Sam; Archer, Wes; Moore, Rich; Silverman, David|network=Fox |airdate=October 25, 1990 |season=2 |number=03}}</ref> "[[Treehouse of Horror II]]" presented all of the segments as being nightmares of Lisa, Bart and Homer;<ref name="II">{{cite episode |title=Treehouse of Horror II|episode-link=Treehouse of Horror II|series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Swartzwelder, John; Meyer, George; Reiss, Mike; Jean, Al; Martin, Jeff; Simon, Sam; Reardon, Jim|network=Fox |airdate=October 31, 1991 |season=3 |number=07}}</ref> "[[Treehouse of Horror III]]" had Lisa, Bart and [[Abraham Simpson|Grampa]] telling stories at a Halloween party;<ref name="III"/> and "[[Treehouse of Horror IV]]" is presented by Bart in a parody of [[Rod Serling|Rod Serling's]] ''[[Night Gallery]]''.<ref name="IV">{{cite episode |title=Treehouse of Horror IV|episode-link=Treehouse of Horror IV|series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=O'Brien, Conan; Weinstein, Josh; Oakley, Bill; Daniels, Greg; McGrath, Dan; Canterbury, Bill; Silverman, David|network=Fox |airdate=October 28, 1993 |season=04 |number=05}}</ref> After a few years, the amount of broadcast time for an episode was shortened, allowing less time to tell a proper story.<ref name="Jean2">{{cite video | people=Jean, Al |date=2003|title=The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror II"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> There were no wraparounds for "Treehouse of Horror V" because they had been cut to make more time for the segments. Following that, the writers permanently dropped them.<ref name="Weinstein7">{{cite video | people=Weinstein, Josh |date=2006|title=The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VII"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>
-==Recent years==
+===Kang and Kodos===
+{{main|Kang and Kodos}}
-Although the ''Treehouse'' series is meant to be seen on Halloween, in recent years new installments have premiered '''after''' Halloween. This is due to Fox's current contract with [[Major League Baseball]]'s [[World Series]]. If the Series does not go the full seven games, Fox usually airs the previous season's ''Treehouse'' episode on the Sunday before Halloween (or if Sunday happens to fall on Halloween). 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. It gets the full national premiere, of course, as scheduled in November, after Halloween. Another reason for the late airing is that during November, [[Nielsen Media Research]] conducts one of its four annual sweeps months.
+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 (The Simpsons episode)|Treehouse of Horror]]". Kang and Kodos have since appeared in every ''Treehouse of Horror'' episode, often in [[Cameo appearance|cameos]]. In some episodes, they only appear in the opening segment,<ref name="XIV"/><ref name="X">{{cite episode |title=Treehouse of Horror X|episode-link=Treehouse of Horror X |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Cary, Donick; Long, Tim; Hauge, Ron; Michels, Pete|network=Fox |airdate=October 31, 1999 |season=11 |number=04}}</ref> but often they will make a cameo appearance in the middle of a different story. 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. The action then switches back to the actual story.<ref name="III">{{cite episode |title=Treehouse of Horror III|episode-link=Treehouse of Horror III |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Jean, Al; Reiss, Mike; Kogen, Jay; Wolodarsky, Wallace; Simon, Sam and Vitti, Jon|network=Fox |airdate=October 29, 1992|season=04|number=05}}</ref> According to [[Al Jean]] in 2022, an unofficial rule is that they must be in every episode,<ref name="Jean1"/> although quite often they will be forgotten and are added at the last moment, resulting in only a brief appearance.<ref name="Groening1"/> 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.<ref name="Cohen8">{{cite video | people=Cohen, David X |date=2006|title=The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VIII"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>
-FOX's arrangement with Major League Baseball was made fun of in the opening sequence for "[[Treehouse of Horror XVI]]". Kang, frustrated that the episode is being delayed by a World Series baseball game, decides to "fast forward" the game, but overdoes it, sucking the Earth, the universe, and everything else (including God) into nothingness. He then leaves a [[sticky note]], which shows the title. Another joke about the programming of Halloween episodes in November appears in "''[[Treehouse of Horror XIV]]"'', where Kang looks at a ''[[TV Guide]]'' and says, "A Halloween special? In November? We've already got our Christmas decorations up!" The camera then cuts to a shot of the fireplace with Christmas decorations scattered about.
+Kang and Kodos were prominent characters in the 2015 episode "[[The Man Who Came to Be Dinner]]", which was not Halloween themed.
-==Comics Series==
-In 1995, Matt Groening's [[Bongo Comics|Bongo Comics Group]], a company specializing in ''Simpsons''-based publications, began a series of comic book adaptations of the Treehouse of Horror series. These annual editions are released in September each year, and as of September 2007 there will be thirteen issues available. 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. Beginning with #5 (1999), the "guests" were allowed to submit both stories and art, wherein at the most Bongo would only supply the lettering and colorings of the stories [however, there are few cases of this rule being broken; ie, "The Catastrophe on Substitute Springfields" (#7, 2001) and "The Legend of Batterface" (#10, 2004).
-==External links==
+===Scary names===
+[[File:Treehouse of Horror Spooky names.png|thumb|The "scary names" for the writers in "[[Treehouse of Horror IV]]".]]
-*[http://tv.ign.com/articles/742/742680p1.html Top 10 Treehouse of Horror Segments] on IGN.com
+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. Although the names quickly became more silly than scary, there have been a wide variety of special credits, from simple names like "[[Matt Groening|Bat Groening]]" or "[[James L. Brooks|Chains Hell Brooks]]" to complex ones like "[[Dan Castellaneta|Dan CastellanetarghaGAHEGGA (Smash) Gurgle Mr. Hyde]]".<ref name="VI">{{cite episode |title=Treehouse of Horror VI|episode-link=Treehouse of Horror VI |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Swartzwelder, John; Cohen, David S.; Tompkins, Steve; Anderson, Bob|network=Fox |airdate=October 29, 1995 |season=07 |number=06}}</ref> [[Sam Simon]], who left the show during the [[The Simpsons season 4|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@[[twitter|TWITterror]]". However, following his death in March 2015, he has simply been credited as "Sam Simon" starting from "[[Treehouse of Horror XXVI]]".{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}
+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.<ref name="Jean1"/> 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.<ref name="Jean3"/> 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.<ref name="Groening6">{{cite video|people=Groening, Matt|date=2005|title=The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VI"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>
-{{Treehouse of Horror}}
+===Cultural references===
-{{The Simpsons}}
+References to films, novels, plays, television shows, and other media are commonly featured, and many segments have been parodies of a specific work in the horror, science fiction, or fantasy genre. Many segments are spoofs of episodes of ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'', and entire segments will be based on a single episode.<ref name="Kogen1">{{cite video | people=Kogen, Jay|date=2002|title=The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Some of the ''Twilight Zone'' episodes parodied include "[[A Kind of a Stopwatch]]", "[[To Serve Man (The Twilight Zone)|To Serve Man]]",<ref name="BBCI">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season2/page3.shtml|title=The Simpsons Halloween Special|access-date=November 9, 2007|author1=Martyn, Warren|author2=Wood, Adrian|year=2000|publisher=BBC|archive-date=May 5, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040505121254/https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season2/page3.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> "[[A Small Talent for War]]",<ref name="BBCII">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season3/page7.shtml|title=The Simpsons Hallowe'en Special II|access-date=November 9, 2007|author1=Martyn, Warren|author2=Wood, Adrian|year=2000|publisher=BBC|archive-date=December 23, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121223073227/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season3/page7.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> "[[Living Doll (The Twilight Zone)|Living Doll]]",<ref name="BBCIII">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season4/page6.shtml|title=Treehouse of Horror III|access-date=November 9, 2007|author1=Martyn, Warren|author2=Wood, Adrian|year=2000|publisher=BBC|archive-date=June 29, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629180420/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season4/page6.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> "[[Nightmare at 20,000 Feet]]",<ref name="BBCIV">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season5/page6.shtml|title=Treehouse of Horror IV|access-date=November 9, 2007|author1=Martyn, Warren|author2=Wood, Adrian|year=2000|publisher=BBC|archive-date=January 4, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104203205/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season5/page6.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> "[[Little Girl Lost (The Twilight Zone)|Little Girl Lost]]",<ref name="BBCVI">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season7/page6.shtml|title=Treehouse of Horror VI|access-date=November 9, 2007|author1=Martyn, Warren|author2=Wood, Adrian|year=2000|publisher=BBC|archive-date=June 29, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629180428/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season7/page6.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> and "[[The Little People (The Twilight Zone)|The Little People]]".<ref name="Anderson">{{cite video | people=Anderson, Mike B|date=2006|title=The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VII"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> The "Bart's Nightmare" segment of "[[Treehouse of Horror II]]" parodies the episode "[[It's a Good Life (The Twilight Zone)|It's a Good Life]]" and is even presented in a format similar to an episode of ''The Twilight Zone''.<ref name="BBCII"/>
+Horror and thriller films parodied include ''[[The Exorcist (film)|The Exorcist]]'', ''[[The Amityville Horror (1979 film)|The Amityville Horror]]'',<ref name="BBCI"/> ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'', ''[[Night of the Living Dead]]'',<ref name="BBCIII"/> ''[[The Shining (film)|The Shining]]'',<ref name="BBCV">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season6/page6.shtml|title=Treehouse of Horror V|access-date=November 9, 2007|author1=Martyn, Warren|author2=Wood, Adrian|year=2000|publisher=BBC|archive-date=October 5, 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031005010028/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season6/page6.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street]]'',<ref name="BBCVI"/> ''[[The Fly (1958 film)|The Fly]]'',<ref name="BBCVIII">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season9/page4.shtml|title=Treehouse of Horror VIII|access-date=November 9, 2007|author1=Martyn, Warren|author2=Wood, Adrian|year=2000|publisher=BBC|archive-date=June 29, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629180435/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season9/page4.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Paranormal Activity]]'', and ''[[Dead Calm (film)|Dead Calm]]''.<ref name="USA Today"/> [[Robert Englund]] had a cameo appearance in "[[Treehouse of Horror IX]]" as his character from ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise)|A Nightmare on Elm Street]]'', [[Freddy Krueger]].<ref name="BBCIX">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season10/page3.shtml|title=Treehouse of Horror IX|access-date=October 31, 2008|author1=Martyn, Warren|author2=Wood, Adrian|year=2000|publisher=BBC|archive-date=September 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904192310/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season10/page3.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> 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]]'',<ref name="Scully9">{{cite video | people=Scully, Mike |date=2006|title=The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VIII"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> the novel ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'',<ref name="BBCV"/> ''[[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial]]'',<ref name="IGNXVIII">{{cite news| author = Canning, Robert| title = The Simpsons: "Treehouse of Horror XVIII" Review| publisher = [[IGN]]| url = http://tv.ign.com/articles/832/832607p1.html| date = November 5, 2007| access-date = November 6, 2007| archive-date = November 7, 2007| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071107025522/http://tv.ign.com/articles/832/832607p1.html| url-status = live}}</ref> ''[[The Island of Doctor Moreau]]'', and [[Orson Welles]]'s ''[[The War of the Worlds (1938 radio drama)|The War of the Worlds]]'' radio broadcast.<ref name="ABCNews_20061023"/> In "Treehouse of Horror", [[Edgar Allan Poe]]'s poem "[[The Raven]]" is read by [[James Earl Jones]], while the parts are acted by various characters.<ref name="BBCI"/>
-[[Category:Halloween fiction]]
-[[Category:The Simpsons]]
-[[Category:Halloween television specials]]
+Recent parodies have included films and television specials in more varied genres, including ''[[Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005 film)|Mr. & Mrs. Smith]]'',<ref name="IGNXVIII"/> ''[[It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown]]'', ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]'',<ref name="Topel">{{cite news|first=Fred|last=Topel|title=Simpsons Parodies Transformers|work=[[Sci Fi Wire]]|date=September 10, 2008|url=http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=1&id=59752|access-date=September 10, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913071414/http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category%3D1%26id%3D59752 <!--Added by H3llBot-->|archive-date=September 13, 2008}}</ref> ''[[Sweeney Todd]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Simpsons Say Hello to Season 21|publisher=[[IGN]]|author=Goldman, Eric|date=September 25, 2009|access-date=September 26, 2009|url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/102/1028530p1.html|archive-date=September 28, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090928110711/http://tv.ign.com/articles/102/1028530p1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> the [[The Twilight Saga (film series)|''Twilight'' film series]],<ref>{{Cite web|author=Angus, Kat |title=Daniel Radcliffe to sparkle as a vampire on The Simpsons |url=http://www.canada.com/Daniel+Radcliffe+sparkle+vampire+Simpsons/2237636/story.html |date=November 18, 2009 |publisher=Canwest News Service |work=Canada.com |access-date=November 19, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091121174411/http://www.canada.com/Daniel%2BRadcliffe%2Bsparkle%2Bvampire%2BSimpsons/2237636/story.html |archive-date=November 21, 2009 }}</ref> and ''[[Jumanji]]''.<ref name="USA Today">{{Cite web|title='The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror' is missing a few planks|url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/television/reviews/2010-11-05-treehouse05_ST_N.htm|author=Bianco, Robert|work=[[USA Today]]|date=November 6, 2010|access-date=November 6, 2010|archive-date=November 7, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101107001103/http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/reviews/2010-11-05-treehouse05_ST_N.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
-[[fr:Épisodes Horror Show des Simpson]]
-[[nl:Treehouse Of Horror]]
+===Closing logos===
-[[no:Treehouse_of_Horror-episodene]]
+A modified version of the [[production logo]] for [[Gracie Films]] is displayed after the closing credits. The shushing sound is replaced by either a scream or another sound effect from the episode, and the [[jingle]] is played in a minor key on a pipe organ. The first three episodes did not feature the scream. "Treehouse of Horror VI" and "Treehouse of Horror XIX" did not feature the organ or scream; the former incorporated a ''[[Myst]]'' homage and the latter used a piano rendition following its parody of ''[[Peanuts]]''. The music in "Treehouse of Horror VI" was reused in "[[The Scorpion's Tale]]" without the Gracie Films jingle.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}
+==Production==
+[[File:David Mirkin by Gage Skidmore.jpg|right|thumb|upright|[[David Mirkin]] believes the episodes should be both scary and funny and has been responsible for some of the more gruesome moments.|alt=A seated man wearing a cap smiles as he looks into the distance. His hands are crossed.]]
+The [[Treehouse of Horror (The Simpsons episode)|first ''Treehouse of Horror'' installment]] aired on  1990 as part of [[The Simpsons season 2|the second season]], and its on-screen title was "The Simpsons Halloween Special." ("Treehouse of Horror XIII" was the first to feature "Treehouse of Horror" in the on-screen title.) It was inspired by [[EC Comics]] Horror tales.<ref name="Jean1">{{cite video | people=Jean, Al |date=2002|title=The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Although every episode is entitled ''Treehouse of Horror'', the first was the only episode that actually used the treehouse motif.<ref name="Groening1"/> During production of the first episode, [[Matt Groening]] was nervous about "The Raven" segment, and felt it would be "the worst, most pretentious thing [they had] ever done."<ref name="Groening1"/>
+The ''Treehouse of Horror'' episodes are difficult for both the writers and the animators.<ref name="Reiss1"/> 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, giving the animators more time to work.<ref name="Jean1"/> Part of the difficulty for the animators is that the episodes always involve many complex backgrounds, new characters and new designs.<ref name="Jean1"/> 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&nbsp;minute episode.<ref name="Mirkin4">{{cite video | people=Mirkin, David|date=2004|title=The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VI"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> The episodes often go through many last minute changes, with rewrites requiring new lines to be recorded.<ref name="Reiss2">{{cite video | people=Reiss, Mike|date=2003|title=The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror II"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> "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.<ref name="Jean3">{{cite video | people=Jean, Al |date=2004|title=The Simpsons season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Jean3"/>
+[[File:Bill Oakley2.jpg|left|thumb|upright|[[Bill Oakley]] (along with [[Josh Weinstein]]) executive produced two episodes and wrote one segment.|alt=A portrait of a man with black hair looking at the viewer]]
+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.<ref name="Groening1">{{cite video | people=Groening, Matt|date=2002|title=The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Jean1"/> Several of the writers, former executive producer [[David Mirkin]] among them, believe that the episodes should be scary and not just funny.<ref name="Mirkin4"/> "Treehouse of Horror V" was 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.<ref name="Mirkin5">{{cite video | people=Mirkin, David|date=2005|title=The Simpsons season 6 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VI"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Early episodes seem mild compared to the carnage that followed in later episodes, according to Jean, who calls it "a societal thing". He points out that his 10-year-old daughter loves films like ''[[Coraline (film)|Coraline]]'', and that, "[in] the age of scary stories [...] appropriateness has gotten lower."<ref name="NPR">{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2015/10/30/453217087/fxx-celebrates-halloween-with-the-simpsons-treehouse-of-horror-marathon|title=FXX Celebrates Halloween With 'The Simpsons' Treehouse Of Horror Marathon|publisher=[[NPR]]|access-date=November 2, 2015|date=October 30, 2015|author=Blair, Elizabeth|newspaper=NPR.org|archive-date=November 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151102011607/http://www.npr.org/2015/10/30/453217087/fxx-celebrates-halloween-with-the-simpsons-treehouse-of-horror-marathon|url-status=live}}</ref>
+Although gruesome for the most part, some segments, such as "Citizen Kang" in "[[Treehouse of Horror VII]]", satirize political issues. 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]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/doh-bama/|title=D'oh-Bama|work=[[New York Times]]|access-date=October 22, 2008|date=October 2, 2008|author=Stelter, Brian|archive-date=October 8, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081008103523/http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/doh-bama/|url-status=live}}</ref> Rather than taking sides in the election, Jean says it is "mostly a comment on what many people believe to be the irregularities in our voting system".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/smallscreen/features/article_1432969.php/The_Simpsons_Al_Jean_interview_new_season_begins_September_28 |title='The Simpsons' Al Jean interview, new season begins September 28 |publisher=Monsters and Critics |access-date=October 22, 2008 |date=September 25, 2008 |author=MacIntyre, April |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928104434/http://www.monstersandcritics.com/smallscreen/features/article_1432969.php/The_Simpsons_Al_Jean_interview_new_season_begins_September_28 |archive-date=September 28, 2008 }}</ref> In "[[Treehouse of Horror XVII]]", a segment called "The Day the Earth Looked Stupid" ends with Kang and Kodos taking over [[Springfield (The Simpsons)|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 the broadcast. While cut from the aired version, the line does appear in the "review" version sent to newspapers and magazines.<ref name="ABCNews_20061023">{{cite news | url=http://www.abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=2600380&page=1 | date=October 23, 2006 | title='Simpsons' Halloween 'Horror' Could Hit GOP | last=Redeker | first=Bill | publisher=ABC News | access-date=November 9, 2007 | archive-date=August 4, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080804074907/http://www.abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=2600380&page=1 | url-status=live }}</ref>
+[[File:Al Jean by Gage Skidmore.jpg|right|thumb|upright|[[Al Jean]] has been executive producer for more ''Treehouse of Horror'' episodes than any other EP.|alt=A man with glasses and a red shirt is sitting in front of a microphone.]]
+The first ''Treehouse of Horror'' episode marked the first time that an alternate version of the theme that airs over the end credits was used. Originally, it was intended to use a [[theremin]], but one could not be found that could hit all the necessary notes.<ref name="Groening1"/> The closing of "[[Treehouse of Horror IV]]" features a version of the theme that is a combination of the instruments used in ''[[The Munsters]]'' theme song and the harpiscord and clicking from the ''[[The Addams Family (1964 TV series)|Addams Family]]'' theme song.<ref name="Mirkin4" /> Usually when the producers submit an episode for the [[Primetime Emmy Award]] for "[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series|Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)]]", they submit a ''Treehouse of Horror'' episode,<ref name="Jean1"/> and to date, seven episodes have been nominated.<ref name="Emmys"/>
+[[Üter Zörker]] is so far the only human character introduced in a ''Treehouse of Horror'' to make it into canon. His debut episode was "Treehouse of Horror IV" in the segment "Terror at {{frac|5|1|2}} Feet". He is an obese German exchange student obsessed with candy and was voiced by [[Russi Taylor]] until her death.
+'s ''Treehouse of Horror'' was the [[Treehouse of Horror XXX|666th episode]] of the series.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/simpsons-treehouse-of-horror-xxx-episode-666/|title='The Simpsons': Next Year's 'Treehouse of Horror' Will Be Episode 666|last=Maglio|first=Tony|date=October 16, 2018|publisher=The Wrap|access-date=October 18, 2018|archive-date=October 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017110727/https://www.thewrap.com/simpsons-treehouse-of-horror-xxx-episode-666/|url-status=live}}</ref> For the [[The Simpsons season 34|34th season]] of ''[[The Simpsons]]'', two ''Treehouse of Horror'' episodes were produced; the first episode was "[[Not It]]", a parody of the 2017 supernatural horror film ''[[It (2017 film)|It]]'' and its 2019 sequel ''[[It Chapter Two]]''.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=https://ew.com/events/comic-con/the-simpsons-two-treehouse-of-horror-episodes-season-34-comic-con-2022/ |title=The Simpsons to do TWO Treehouse of Horror episodes this Halloween |last=Snierson |first=Dan |date=July 23, 2022 |publisher=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date=2022-10-01}}</ref>
+==Scheduling==
+Although ''Treehouse of Horror'' episodes are Halloween-themed, for several years, new episodes premiered in November following the holiday due to [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]'s coverage of [[Major League Baseball]]'s [[World Series]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Pick of the Day: The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XVII|last=Ryan|first=Andrew|newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]]|date=November 4, 2006|pages=12}}</ref> [[The Simpsons season 12|Season 12]]'s "[[Treehouse of Horror XI]]" was the first episode to air in November. There have been several references to this in the show, such as in [[The Simpsons season 15|Season 15]]'s "[[Treehouse of Horror XIV]]" where Kang looks at a ''[[TV Guide]]'' and says, "Pathetic humans. They're showing a Halloween episode... in November!" and Kodos replies "Who's still thinking about Halloween? We've already got our Christmas decorations up!" The camera then cuts to a shot of the fireplace with Christmas decorations, and festive Christmas music plays over the opening credits.<ref name="XIV">{{cite episode |title=Treehouse of Horror XIV|episode-link=Treehouse of Horror XIV |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Swartzwelder, John; Moore, Steven Dean|network=Fox |airdate=November 2, 2003 |season=15 |number=01}}</ref> [[The Simpsons season 21|Season 21]]'s "[[Treehouse of Horror XX]]" aired October 18, before the World Series, but the following year's episode, [[The Simpsons season 22|Season 22]]'s "[[Treehouse of Horror XXI]]", aired on November 7.<ref>{{Cite web|title='Simpsons' continues tradition of late Halloween episode |url=http://www2.journalnow.com/entertainment/2010/oct/31/simpsons-continues-tradition-of-late-halloween-epi-ar-494091/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120525153318/http://www2.journalnow.com/entertainment/2010/oct/31/simpsons-continues-tradition-of-late-halloween-epi-ar-494091/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 25, 2012 |work=[[Winston-Salem Journal]] |author=Clodfelter, Tim |date=October 31, 2010 |access-date=November 6, 2010 }}</ref> [[The Simpsons season 23|Season 23]]'s "[[Treehouse of Horror XXII]]" aired on October 30 as the [[2011 World Series]] (which went the maximum of seven games) had concluded on October 28.<ref name="doubledohs">{{cite web|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z176z5z8&ID=8092 |title=FOX ORDERS DOUBLE D'OHS OF "THE SIMPSONS" – Longest Running Scripted Series on Television is Renewed Through Season 25 |date=October 7, 2011 |publisher=FOXFlash |access-date=November 12, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111010030451/http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z176z5z8&ID=8092 |archive-date=October 10, 2011 }}</ref>
+Subsequent ''Treehouse of Horror'' episodes have premiered in October, although they have moved back to November on occasion. The [[The Simpsons season 31|31st season]] included a [[Thanksgiving]]-themed spinoff, "[[Thanksgiving of Horror]]". The [[The Simpsons season 32|32nd season]] however pushed "[[Treehouse of Horror XXXI]]" to November 1, 2020, because the [[National League Championship Series]] went into Game 7, with the [[2020 World Series|World Series]] that followed stretching to Game 6, resulting in Fox airing ''Treehouse'' after Halloween for the first time since 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20200924fox12/|title=Listings - SIMPSONS, THE on FOX &#124; TheFutonCritic.com|website=www.thefutoncritic.com|access-date=2020-10-19}}</ref> [[Citytv]] in Canada however aired the episode as originally scheduled. "[[Treehouse of Horror XXXII]]" aired on October 10, 2021, to avoid airing in November due to the World Series overrun, and, with no [[2022 World Series]] game scheduled on a Sunday, "[[Treehouse of Horror XXXIII]]" aired on October 30, 2022. "[[Treehouse of Horror XXXIV]]," however, aired on November 5, 2023, and [[Treehouse of Horror XXXV]] aired on November 3, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Valdez |first=Nick |date=October 24, 2023 |title=The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XXXIV Release Date Confirmed |url=https://comicbook.com/anime/news/the-simpsons-treehouse-of-horror-xxxiv-release-date/ |access-date=2023-11-01 |website=ComicBook.com |language=en}}</ref>
+==Merchandise==
+There has been a variety of merchandise based on the ''Treehouse of Horror'' episodes, including books, action figures, [[Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror|comic books]], [[video games]], [[DVD|DVDs]] and a "Treehouse of Horror" version of [[Hasbro]]'s board game [[Monopoly (game)|Monopoly]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesimpsonsshop.com/detail.php?p=10185&pa=xsell |title=Monopoly: The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Edition |access-date=November 9, 2007 |publisher=The Simpsons Shop }}{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Although every ''Treehouse of Horror'' episode until "[[Treehouse of Horror XIX]]" has been released along with its season in a [[The Simpsons DVD boxsets|boxset]], in 2003, ''The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror DVD'' was released. It includes ''Treehouse of Horror''s V, VI, VII and XII.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesimpsonsshop.com/detail.php?p=12541&v=simfandvd |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011164007/http://www.thesimpsonsshop.com/detail.php?p=12541&v=simfandvd |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 11, 2007 |title=The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror DVD |access-date=November 9, 2007 |publisher=The Simpsons Shop }}</ref> A ''Treehouse of Horror'' comic book was published annually from 1995 to 2017, and collected into [[List of The Simpsons books|several books]], including ''The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Fun-Filled Frightfest'', ''Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror Spine-Tingling Spooktacular'', ''Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror Heebie-Jeebie Hullabaloo'' and ''The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Hoodoo Voodoo Brouhaha''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z175z13z2 |title=THE SIMPSONS&nbsp;— Season 19 (2007–2008)&nbsp;— Book list |access-date=October 22, 2008 |publisher=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|FoxFlash]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080831062640/http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z175z13z2 |archive-date=August 31, 2008 }}</ref>
+Several [[The Simpsons video games|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 ''[[The Simpsons: 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gameboy.ign.com/objects/014/014644.html|title=Simpsons: Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror|access-date=December 17, 2007|publisher=IGN.com|archive-date=March 19, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080319222614/http://gameboy.ign.com/objects/014/014644.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
+Many of the special character designs featured in the episodes have become action figures.<ref name="Jean3"/> Four different playsets have been made by [[Playmates Toys]] and released as [[Toys "R" Us]] exclusives:
+#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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simpsonscollectors.com/wospdb/environment.asp?env=E0005|title=Treehouse of Horror I|access-date=November 9, 2007|publisher=Simpsons Collectors|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524134724/http://www.simpsonscollectors.com/wospdb/environment.asp?env=E0005|archive-date=May 24, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref>
+#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 (The Simpsons episode)|Treehouse of Horror]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simpsonscollectors.com/wospdb/environment.asp?env=E0010 |title=THOH 2 |access-date=November 9, 2007 |publisher=Simpsons Collectors |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524134644/http://www.simpsonscollectors.com/wospdb/environment.asp?env=E0010 |archive-date=May 24, 2006 }}</ref>
+#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", [[Simpson family#Extended Simpson family|Hugo Simpson]] and "Dream Invader Willie".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simpsonscollectors.com/wospdb/environment.asp?env=E0023|title=THOH 3|access-date=November 9, 2007|publisher=Simpsons Collectors|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524134718/http://www.simpsonscollectors.com/wospdb/environment.asp?env=E0023|archive-date=May 24, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref>
+#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 the designs were based on "[[Treehouse of Horror X]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simpsonscollectors.com/wospdb/environment.asp?env=E0034|title=THOH 4|access-date=November 9, 2007|publisher=Simpsons Collectors|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524134714/http://www.simpsonscollectors.com/wospdb/environment.asp?env=E0034|archive-date=May 24, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref>
+#On 2019, Funko revealed a 2-pack Kang and Kodos vinyl figure set presented as an exclusive for the 2019 [[San Diego Comic-Con]], along with a Treehouse of Horror Pop! wave, including King Homer (''Treehouse of Horror III''), Fly Bart (''Treehouse of Horror VIII''), Cat Marge (''Treehouse of Horror XIII''), Demon Lisa (''Treehouse of Horror XXV''), and Alien Maggie (''Treehouse of Horror IX'').
+After the [[Playmates Toys]] sets were finished, [[McFarlane Toys]] produced four ''Treehouse of Horror'' themed playsets including the "Ironic Punishment Box Set" released in 2004,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesimpsonsshop.com/detail.php?p=10242&v=simfantoy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630221134/http://www.thesimpsonsshop.com/detail.php?p=10242&v=simfantoy |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 30, 2007 |title=The Simpsons Ironic Punishment Box Set |access-date=November 9, 2007 |publisher=The Simpsons Shop }}</ref> the "In the Belly of the Boss&nbsp;— Homer & Marge Action Figures" released in 2005,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesimpsonsshop.com/detail.php?p=17316&v=simfantoy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011162520/http://www.thesimpsonsshop.com/detail.php?p=17316&v=simfantoy |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 11, 2007 |title=In the Belly of the Boss&nbsp;— Homer & Marge Action Figures |access-date=November 9, 2007 |publisher=The Simpsons Shop }}</ref> "The Island of Dr. Hibbert Box Set" released in 2006,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesimpsonsshop.com/detail.php?p=35820&v=simfantoy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011163531/http://www.thesimpsonsshop.com/detail.php?p=35820&v=simfantoy |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 11, 2007 |title=The Island of Dr. Hibbert Box Set |access-date=November 9, 2007 |publisher=The Simpsons Shop }}</ref> and a "Lard Lad Box Set" released in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesimpsonsshop.com/detail.php?p=35821&v=simfantoy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409212257/http://www.thesimpsonsshop.com/detail.php?p=35821&v=simfantoy |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 9, 2008 |title=Lard Lad Box Set |access-date=November 9, 2007 |publisher=The Simpsons Shop }}</ref>
+==Reception==
+The ''Treehouse of Horror'' episodes are often among the top-rated episodes of their seasons,<ref name="Jean3"/> and many of the ''Treehouse of Horror''s have generally been well-received by fans. However, like ''The Simpsons'' itself, critics have noted a decline in the quality of the later episodes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/744/744221p1.html|title=The Simpsons: "Treehouse of Horror XVII" Review|author=Iverson, Dan|date=November 6, 2006|access-date=November 29, 2007|publisher=IGN.com|archive-date=December 30, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081230200206/http://tv.ign.com/articles/744/744221p1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In its first airing, "Treehouse of Horror" finished with a 15.7 Nielsen rating and a 25% audience share, less than ''[[The Cosby Show]]''.<ref>{{cite news  | title =Bart vs. Bill, Round 3 | page =D3  | publisher =  [[Lexington Herald-Leader]] | date = October 30, 1990 }}</ref> It was said that it "set a level of excellence that viewers never expected creator Matt Groening to repeat",<ref>{{cite news | last = Holloway | first =Diane | title =Be like Bart: Just say 'boo!' | page =7  | publisher =  [[Austin American-Statesman]] | date = October 31, 1993 }}</ref> although it was also described as "kind of stupid and unsatisfying".<ref>{{cite news | last = Belcher | first =Walt | title ='Simpsons' regain their cynicism in latest episode | pages =4F  | publisher = [[The Tampa Tribune]] | date = November 1, 1991 }}</ref>
+"[[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,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,417748_2,00.html|title=The Family Dynamic|access-date=November 9, 2007|date=January 29, 2003|publisher=Entertainment Weekly|archive-date=May 10, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070510032159/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C417748_2%2C00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> fifth on AskMen.com's "Top 10: Simpsons Episodes" list,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.askmen.com/top_10/entertainment_60/64b_top_10_list.html|title=Top 10: Simpsons Episodes|access-date=November 9, 2007|author=Weir, Rich|publisher=Askmen.com|archive-date=January 16, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116052941/http://uk.askmen.com/top_10/entertainment_60/64b_top_10_list.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and was named best episode of the sixth season by [[IGN.com]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/731/731095p2.html|title=The Simpsons: 17 Seasons, 17 Episodes|author1=Goldman, Eric|author2=Dan Iverson, Brian Zoromski|publisher=IGN.com|date=September 8, 2006|access-date=November 9, 2007|archive-date=March 4, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304215501/http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/731/731095p2.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/730/730566p4.html|title=Top 25 Simpsons Guest Appearances|author1=Goldman, Eric|author2=Dan Iverson, Brian Zoromski|access-date=November 9, 2007|publisher=IGN.com|archive-date=February 6, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206061719/http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/730/730566p4.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
+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".<ref name="IGN"/> Rounding out the list were "[[Treehouse of Horror III|Dial "Z" for Zombies]]", "[[Treehouse of Horror IV|The Devil and Homer Simpson]]", "[[Treehouse of Horror V|Time and Punishment]]", "Hungry Are the Damned", "[[Treehouse of Horror III|Clown Without Pity]]", "[[Treehouse of Horror VII|Citizen Kang]]", "[[Treehouse of Horror II|If I Only Had a Brain]]", "[[Treehouse of Horror IV|Bart Simpson's Dracula]]", and "[[Treehouse of Horror IX|Starship Poopers]]". The third, fourth, and fifth episodes were each represented by two segments. The most recent episode on the list was "[[Treehouse of Horror IX]]", from 1998.<ref name="IGN">{{cite web| url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/742/742680p1.html| title=Top 10 Segments from The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror| date=October 28, 2008| access-date=October 29, 2008| author1=Goldman, Eric| author2=Iverson, Dan| author3=Zoromski, Brian| publisher=IGN| archive-date=June 25, 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625171252/http://tv.ign.com/articles/742/742680p1.html| url-status=live}}</ref>
+In 2000, "[[Treehouse of Horror VII]]" was ranked ''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."<ref name="EW">{{cite web|url=https://ew.com/article/2000/01/14/springfield-dreams/|title=Springfield of Dreams|access-date=November 9, 2007|date=January 14, 2000|publisher=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|author=Snierson, Dan|archive-date=October 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012014638/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,275114,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> "King Homer" of "[[Treehouse of Horror III]]" is one of Groening's favorite segments.<ref name="Groening3">{{cite video | people=Groening, Matt|date=2004|title=The Simpsons season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror III"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> "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?"<ref name="IGN"/> It is also one of Groening's favorite lines.<ref name="Groening3"/>
+===Awards===
+{{further|List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons|l1=List of awards and nominations received by ''The Simpsons''}}
+In 1996, the "Homer<sup>3</sup>" segment of "[[Treehouse of Horror VI]]" was awarded the [[Ottawa International Animation Festival]] grand prize.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.awn.com/mag/issue1.8/articles/walz1.8.html|title=Ottawa International Animation Festival|author=Walz, Gene|year=1996|access-date=March 6, 2015|publisher=Animation World Network|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402103050/http://www.awn.com/mag/issue1.8/articles/walz1.8.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1998, "[[Treehouse of Horror VIII]]" won a [[Golden Reel Award (Motion Picture Sound Editors)|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]]".<ref name="GRA">{{cite news|url=http://www.mpse.org/goldenreels/pastawards.html |title=Past Golden Reel Awards |access-date=November 9, 2007 |publisher=Motion Picture Sound Editors |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928171824/http://www.mpse.org/goldenreels/pastawards.html |archive-date=September 28, 2007 }}</ref>
+The [[Treehouse of Horror II|second]], [[Treehouse of Horror III|third]], [[Treehouse of Horror V|fifth]], [[Treehouse of Horror VIII|eighth]], [[Treehouse of Horror IX|ninth]], [[Treehouse of Horror XIV|fourteenth]], [[Treehouse of Horror XV|fifteenth]], and [[Treehouse of Horror XVIII|eighteenth]]<ref name=60th>{{cite web|url=http://cdn.emmys.tv/awards/2008pte/60thpte_noms.php |title=The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards and Creative Arts Emmy Awards Nominees are... |access-date=October 22, 2008 |publisher=[[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090908033316/http://cdn.emmys.tv/awards/2008pte/60thpte_noms.php |archive-date=September 8, 2009 }}</ref> ''Treehouse of Horror'' episodes were nominated for "[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series|Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)]]" at the [[Primetime Emmy Awards]]. 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".<ref name="Emmys">{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.org/awards/awardsearch.php |title=Primetime Emmy Awards Advanced Search |publisher=Emmys.org |access-date=November 9, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090403022947/http://www.emmys.org/awards/awardsearch.php |archive-date=April 3, 2009 }}</ref> In 1996, "[[Treehouse of Horror VI]]" was submitted for the Primetime Emmy Award in the "[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour)|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.<ref name="Emmys"/> The episode failed to win, and [[Bill Oakley]] later expressed regret about submitting the episode.<ref name="OakleyMS">{{cite video | people=Oakley, Bill|date=2005|title=The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Mother Simpson"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> The [[Treehouse of Horror XXIII|twenty-third]] and [[Treehouse of Horror XXV|twenty-fifth]] ''Treehouse of Horror'' episodes were nominated for the same award in 2013 and 2015 respectively.<ref name="Emmys"/><ref>{{cite news|last1=Bright|first1=Charles|title=Emmy predictions: Will 'The Simpsons' finally win Best Animated Program for Halloween episode?|url=http://www.goldderby.com/news/10105/the-simpsons-halloween-south-park-archer-emmy-predictions-13579086.html|access-date=September 3, 2015|work=Gold Derby|date=August 26, 2015|archive-date=August 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150830000608/http://www.goldderby.com/news/10105/the-simpsons-halloween-south-park-archer-emmy-predictions-13579086.html|url-status=live}}</ref>  The [[Treehouse of Horror XXXIII|thirty-third]] episode finally won the Emmy.
+==See also==
+{{Portal|The Simpsons|Speculative fiction/Horror|1990s|2000s}}
+* [[List of The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes|List of ''The Simpsons'' "Treehouse of Horror" episodes]]
+* "[[Halloween of Horror]]", the first Halloween episode not part of the "Treehouse of Horror" series
+* "[[Thanksgiving of Horror]]", a non-Halloween episode and also not part of the "Treehouse of Horror" series
+==Notes==
+{{notelist}}
+==References==
+{{Reflist}}
+{{Treehouse of Horror}}
+{{The Simpsons episodes}}
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Treehouse Of Horror (Series)}}
+[[Category:Treehouse of Horror| ]]
+[[Category:1990 introductions]]
+[[Category:American annual television specials]]
+[[Category:Comedy television episodes]]
+[[Category:Fiction about curses]]
+[[Category:American children's animated horror television series]]
+[[Category:American children's animated comedy television series]]
+[[Category:American children's animated fantasy television series]]
+[[Category:Halloween television specials]]
+[[Category:Horror comedy]]
+[[Category:The Simpsons]]

v t e The Simpsons episodes
Seasons 1–20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Season 21–present 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
Themed episodes	Treehouse of Horror list
See also	The Simpsons episode guides "The Simpsons Guy"
Category