Over the course of its 15-year run, "The Simpsons" has left its viewers rolling in the aisles. Ever since the first "Treehouse of Horror" (TH) episode aired all the way back in 1990, the cartoon family's take on scary stories around the dying flashlight has been a highlight of every season.
To gear up for "Treehouse of Horror XV," which airs next Sunday, Nov. 7, The Tufts Daily revisits the best entries from Simpsons' Halloween specials past.
10. "The Genesis Tub" - TH VII
<$>In every science fair student's worst nightmare, Lisa's tooth-dissolved-in-soda science experiment develops into a higher form of life after Bart gives it an electric shock. When Lisa accidentally gets shrunken down to the size of a microbe, she comes face-to-face with an evolving society that sees her as their God and her brother as the accursed Dark One. "Shouldn't you people be groveling? ... And bring me some shoes. Nice ones."
9. "King Homer" - TH III
<$>King Kong's got nothing on the Simpsons. When maniacal millionaire Montgomery Burns travels to Ape Island to catch "King Homer," a mythical gorilla that lives on the island, he gets more than he's bargained for in this exxxxcellent takeoff of the classic horror film.
8. "Hungry Are the Damned" - TH I
<$>This episode introduces classic "Treehouse" characters Kang and Kodos, two tentacled aliens whose plans for world domination succeed (or just barely fail) every Halloween. When the family is abducted by seemingly benevolent aliens, their adventure goes awry when Bart and Lisa stumble upon a human cookbook in the spaceship's kitchen. Based on the Twilight Zone classic "To Serve Man."
7. "Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace" - TH VI
<$>Little does America's favorite yellow family know, but Elm Street isn't far from Evergreen Terrace. After a freakish boiler room accident quite literally shocks his tenure as Springfield Elementary's janitor to a sudden end, Groundskeeper Willy vows revenge against the children of Springfield with his dying breath and comes back to plague them in their dreams. As Bart says, whatever you do, don't fall asleep.
6. "Nightmare Cafeteria" - TH V
<$>With the school's budget shot, Prin-cipal Skinner finds a solution to his overcrowding problem and the quality of meat in the cafeteria. Lisa and Bart get suspicious when students start disappearing and teachers act a little too enthusiastic about the new secret ingredient in the meatloaf. "In fact," Skinnercackles, "you might even say we just ate Uter and he's in our stomachs right now! Wait ... scratch that one."
5. "The Devil and Homer Simpson" - TH IV
<$>Faust may have gotten complete and total knowledge, ultimate cosmic powers, and Helen of Troy, but Homer Simpson clearly gets the better deal when he sells his soul to the Devil for a donut. When Satan comes to claim his prize, Marge steps up to defend her husband in a trial for the ages. "Mmm ... forbidden donut."
4. "Homer3" - TH VI
<$>When this short first aired in 1995, it created a stir for its groundbreaking animation that brought Homer Simpson into the 3-D world. Trying to hide from his sisters-in-law Patty and Selma, he stumbles onto a portal to the third dimension behind the bookcase, eventually ending up scared and lonely on a Los Angeles street. Two words: erotic cakes.
3. "Citizen Kang" - TH VII
<$>With the 2004 election looming on the horizon, this classic Treehouse sketch may scare even the most diehard Democrat or Republican into voting for a third-party candidate. Aliens Kang and Kodos take Washington by storm when they replace Clinton and Dole in the 1996 election. Their platform? Enslaving the human race. As Homer says to Marge at the end, "Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos."
2. "The Shinning" - TH V
<$>When Homer gets a job working as the winter caretaker of Mr. Burns' estate in the mountains, he brings his family along. Bart discovers that he shares Groundskeeper Willie's gift of "the shinning" ("Don't you mean 'shining?'" "Shh! You wanna get sued?!"), which comes in handy after no beer and no TV make Homer go crazy.
1. "Time & Punishment" - TH V
<$>During a failed attempt to fix his toaster, Homer inadvertently creates a time machine and alters the course of history by stepping on a butterfly. This episode wins top honors not for its chills, but for the laughs it gets as Homer zooms back and forth between the ancient past and alternate versions of his present. "Stupid bug, you go squish now!"
