There are few Halloween traditions in the realm of television as reliable or long-running as the annual Treehouse of Horror episodes of The Simpsons. For almost as long as the animated series has been on the air, so too have the anthology-style Halloween episodes that see the beloved cartoon family explore all facets of pop culture, with a holiday and genre slant. The inaugural “Treehouse of Horror” aired on October 25, 1990, marking the start of a thirty-year Halloween institution on television that’s still going strong.
The third episode of the second season, “Treehouse of Horror” begins with Marge Simpson standing in a spotlight on stage relaying a warning that the next half hour may not be too scary for children. Cut to the title card for “The Simpsons Halloween Special,” and opening credits rolling through a stormy graveyard scene. It’s the spark of the Treehouse of Horror’s best recurring motif; the opening credits animated sequence decked out for Halloween.
In the decades since, the opening credits have become far more elaborate, most notably in Guillermo del Toro’s Easter egg-stuffed intro to “Treehouse of Horror XXIV.”
Once warnings are out of the way, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie gather in the treehouse to tell each other scary stories on Halloween. It’s the wraparound that connects the three separate tales, “Bad Dream House,” “Hungry Are the Damned,” and “The Raven.” The first segment parodies haunted house horror, spoofing The Amityville Horror, The House of Usher, The Haunting, and more as the family discovers a portal to an alternate dimension in their bargain-priced new home.
Segment two introduces Kang and Kodos, the man-eating aliens that became “Treehouse of Horror” stalwarts. The pair have appeared in every single Treehouse of Horror episode to date, even if not playing a significant role in one of the segments. It’s this segment that most wears the special’s EC Comics influences on its sleeves. The alien design is inspired by an EC Comics cover, though the story borrows heavily from the famous Twilight Zone episode “To Serve Man.”
Lastly, “The Raven” adapts Edgar Allan Poe’s classic poem, albeit with a hefty “Simpsons” twist. In true EC Comics fashion, the episode concludes with a morality lesson; only Homer, the trespassing eavesdropper on the tales, comes away terrified.
It’s easy to see why Treehouse of Terror is an enduring Halloween favorite from the first episode. The endless references, loving spoofs, and Easter eggs are packed into every single frame. Marge’s opening warning mirrors the opening scene from Universal’s Frankenstein; both narrators stand in front of stage curtains and directly address the audience. Then, of course, the nods mentioned above to a slew of haunted house horror movies and literary classics. As is often the case, what started small eventually snowballed as popularity grew, which means that the horror and pop culture references packed into Treehouse of Horror episodes became even more detailed and intricate throughout the years. A treasure trove for horror fans, in particular.
It’s not just a primetime sitcom reveling in Halloween and horror that contributed to the enduring success of Treehouse of Horror, but that the annual concept allows for creative freedom. There are no rules when it comes to the Halloween special; anything goes. That even includes animation style. For a casual viewer uninterested in following this cartoon clan’s everyday adventures, Treehouse of Horror exists outside of canon. You don’t need to be familiar with the current season or Springfield’s residents at all to enjoy their Halloween exploits. And the fact that the show is animated makes it an easy entry point for those not usually interested in the macabre. It’s never scary, but it’s also not afraid to indulge in some bloodletting here and there.
Treehouse of Horror started small and allowed for new avant-garde storytelling the series’ usual format might not have allowed. The passage of time embedded it into the pop culture collective as its audience grew. Much like the show itself, it’s hard to imagine a spooky season without this annual Halloween special.
This year’s “Treehouse of Horror XXXI” airs on November 1st.
source https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3637816/simpsons-annual-halloween-special-treehouse-horror-turns-30/
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