Top 10 Favorite Moments from ‘Treehouse of Horror’

After twenty-eight seasons, The Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror” episodes have become a long-standing tradition for many of us. The wacky, yet morbid, humor, pop culture references and, of course, cameos from Kang and Kodos are always something to look forward to. There have been so many great “Treehouse of Horror” moments that have stuck with me, even years after airing, so I can assure you that narrowing my favorites down to ten was no easy task. So, after much internal debate, I present to you my top ten favorite moments from “Treehouse of Horror!”

“King Homer” (Treehouse of Horror III – October 29, 1992)

In this straight-up parody of King Kong, Homer becomes “King Homer,” reigning over his home on Ape Island. Always one to exploit others, Mr. Burns sets out to find the giant, with Smithers in tow, of course, and Marge, who will be used as bait. King Homer soon finds himself in shackles on a Broadway stage but goes berserk with all of the flashing cameras, rampaging around New York City. He takes Marge hostage and the two find themselves in love.

Favorite Moment: King Homer attempts to climb the Empire State Building, but fails miserably when he’s out of breath by the second story.

“Nightmare Cafeteria” (Treehouse of Horror V – October 30, 1994)

When the detention hall is overcrowded and budget cuts affect school lunches, what’s a school faculty to do? Easy- murder the misbehaving students and serve them up for lunch! As Principal Skinner and Lunchlady Doris make the most of the situation, quickly getting addicted to the tender meat, and send students to “detention” for anything and everything. Soon, Milhouse, Bart and Lisa become the targets. I remember thinking that “Nightmare Cafeteria,” which is a parody of Soylent Green, was a pretty dark segment when I first saw it, especially since the Simpson kids don’t make it out alive this time.

Favorite Moment: After killing German student Üter, “Üterbraten” is served for school lunch. When Lisa gets suspicious about the lunch name and Üter’s disappearance, Skinner goes on that he has a “gut feeling” that Üter is still around, and asks her, “Isn’t there a little Üter in all of us?” So perfectly morbid.

“Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace” (Treehouse of Horror VI – October 29, 1995)

Taking on Nightmare on Elm Street, Groundskeeper Willie channels his inner Freddy Krueger and begins to haunt the dreams of our favorite Springfield kids. Replacing Freddy’s iconic glove is Willie’s handy dandy rake. As he terrorizes the students, they don’t all make it out of their dreams alive (poor Martin…) before the Simpsons kids have their final battle. As a NOES fan, I thought “Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace” was such a fun take on Freddy and I love that they chose Groundskeeper Willie as the main baddie.

Favorite Moment: Willie appearing as a killer lawnmower in Bart’s dream, only to sink in a sandbox full of quicksand.

“Homer3” (Treehouse of Horror VI – October 29, 1995)

Trying to avoid Patty and Selma, Homer hides behind a bookshelf and accidentally enters another dimension, which is all in 3D. “Homer3” probably has the weakest story line of all the “Treehouse of Horror” segments, but the 3D technology used was very impressive for 1995 and even won awards. Not only does it flip to 3D, but the end of the episode finds Homer walking down a street in West Hollywood, in our world. I was absolutely floored when it first aired.

Favorite Moment: Homer taking that first step into 3D. Enough said.

“Dial “Z” For Zombies” (Treehouse of Horror III – October 29, 1992)

When Lisa is missing her deceased cat, Bart gets a book of black magic from the school library and tries a spell to bring dear Snowball back. It completely backfires when it reanimates dead bodies from the nearby cemetery and brings them back as zombies searching for brains. The Simpsons try to barricade themselves in their house, but a mistake from Homer lets them right in. Armed with a shotgun, Homer leads his family back to the school library so they can stop the zombie apocalypse.

Favorite Moment: Homer tries to sacrifice himself for his family, but after examining his brain (or lack thereof) the zombies aren’t interested and pass him by, demanding “braaaaiiiins.”

“The Devil and Homer Simpson” (Treehouse of Horror IV – October 28, 1993)

In this parody of The Devil and Daniel Webster, Homer offers to sell his soul for a donut. The devil, who is actually Ned Flanders, appears and offers Homer a donut for his soul. He attempts to hold the devil off by not finishing the “forbidden donut,” but of course it isn’t long before he has it for a midnight snack. When Ned comes to claim Homer’s soul, Marge and Lisa convince him to allow a trial the next day, led by Lionel Hutz. In the meantime, Homer is taken to hell for “torture.” In the end, Homer wins his case when Marge shows that he gave her his soul on their wedding day, so it already belongs to her. Out of spite, Ned turns Homer’s head into a “sweet and tasty” donut…which Homer begins to eat.

Favorite Moment: Before the trial, Homer is taken to the “Ironic Punishment Division” in hell for his torture. The demon begins force feeding him “all of the donuts in the world,” only to have it fail as Homer keeps eating.

“Clown Without Pity” (Treehouse of Horror III – October 29, 1992)

Hurriedly seeking a birthday gift for Bart, Homer goes to a store called “House of Evil” and buys a Krusty the Clown doll, despite warnings that the doll is evil. Parodying The Twilight Zone’s “Living Doll,” Krusty first tells Homer that he’s going to kill him and then makes attempts on his life. Homer finally captures the doll in a suitcase, throws him into a bottomless pit, only to have him return. After calling the doll’s customer service line, a repairman shows up and switches Krusty’s mode from “evil” to “good.”

Favorite Moment: Homer as he’s getting a beat down from the doll: “Marge! The doll’s trying to kill me and the toaster’s been laughing at me!”

“The Shinning” (Treehouse of Horror V – October 30, 1994)

Homer takes the role of Jack Torrance in this segment of “The Shining” (Shh! You wanna to get sued?) as he and the family become caretakers at Mr. Burns’ mansion. To keep Homer working hard, Burns removes the temptation of beer and cable television. Of course, “no TV and no beer make Homer something, something…” Ah, yes… GO CRAZY! Marge knocks him out, locks him in the pantry, but makes a deal with a ghost version of Moe to kill his family for beer. As he tries to hunt them down, Bart uses his “Shinning” to alert Groundskeeper Willie, who immediately gets axed by Homer. As the family runs out of the mansion into the snow, Lisa finds Willie’s portable TV and it stops Homer’s murderous rage. The family freezes in the snow together around the TV.

Favorite Moment: Homer crashing through the door exclaiming, “I’m Mike Wallace, I’m Morley Safer, and I’m Ed Bradley. All this and Andy Rooney tonight on 60 Minutes!”

“Time and Punishment” (Treehouse of Horror V – October 30, 1994)

While attempting to fix a toaster, Homer somehow turns it into a time machine, sending him to prehistoric times. He suddenly remembers what his dad told him on his wedding day- “If you ever travel back in time, don’t step on anything. Because even the tiniest change can alter the future in ways you can’t imagine.” and tries to follow that advice. This quickly ends when Homer swats a mosquito. When he returns to present time, he finds himself in a world where Ned Flanders the “unquestionable lord and master of the world.” Homer uses the toaster to travel back in time to set things right, but fails miserably every time. He finally settles on a world where humans seem normal, but eat with frog-like tongues.

Favorite Moment: Homer escaping from his “Re-Neducation,” which involves “a glass of warm milk, a lie down and a total frontal lobotomy.”

“Night of the Dolphin” (Treehouse of Horror XI – November 1, 2000)

In this parody of The Day of the Dolphin, Lisa rescues a mistreated dolphin named Snorky from Springfield’s Marine World. Little does she know, Snorky is the King of the Dolphins and organizes an uprising against humans. Dolphins once ruled the land, but were forced out to sea by humans and learned to adapt, so they are able to talk and walk. Greatly outnumbered, the humans retreat to the sea, where they will have to adapt to marine life. The episode ends with a drowned Krusty the Clown floating in the water, joining other corpses, spelling out “The End?”

Favorite Moment: Lenny swimming in the sea, only to be surrounded and brutally killed by dolphins. Chief Wiggum blames this first dolphin-related death on rowdy teens.