Written by Laura Dengrove
The Treehouse is back and Guillermo Del Toro is making sure it stays that way.
In a surprising episode, the “Treehouse of Horror” proved that it is a Halloween tradition for all. In recent years, the “Treehouse of Horror “episodes for The Simpsons have been seriously lacking. A few giggles for some of the episodes, but all in all they were nowhere near the greatness of the installments from the past. By no means is this episode like the early “Treehouse of Horror” episodes were, but nonetheless it still was great.
Like all “Treehouse of Horror” episodes, the opening really makes or breaks the episode and boy was the opening for this one incredible. The opening was created by Del Toro and it was every bit as awesome as you would think it would be. Del Toro did everything right, playing homage to all the horror classics and the early “Treehouse” episodes of the great days of The Simpsons. (Side Note: the small bit in the ground where the old drawings of the Simpson family from the first season was just amazing.) His style and wit fueled the opening and making it possibly one of the best openings in Simpson history, so thank you Guillermo Del Toro for proving once again that you are a genius of your craft.
The high points in the episode include the very weird, yet strangely well done segment called “Oh The Places You’ll D’oh.” It features Homer as the Fat in the Hat and he shows Bart, Lisa, and Maggie a goodnight around the town, but all is not right with this fat. The segment has some very funny moments and was probably the best segment of the night. Other highlights in the episode include some great Mr. Burns scenes in which he plays a ring leader at a circus. And Moe…any scene with Moe in it is usually a good one.
A big low point for the episode was the segment “Dead and Shoulders.” Most of the jokes weren’t particularly funny and the ones that were only produced a few chuckles at best. Usually shorts that have Bart and Lisa featured heavily in it are funny, but this one seriously was lacking in the giggles department.
The segment “Freaks” was an average short, but Homer as the strong man and Moe as the hideous freak was fairly funny, and all the punch lines stuck. It ended the episode on a good note and proved that the episode was a good one.
This edition of “Treehouse” will hopefully bring some good jokes back to The Simpsons this season and remind everyone why this family and show is such a beloved one. The “Treehouse of Horror” episodes are a staple of what Halloween is. For years it has been such an important thing to watch on TV and to know that it is getting back some of its flare is a welcomed relief. It’s a nice start for something beautiful for the show and the future has endless possibilities.
As the episode proves, Halloween is here and so are The Simpsons.
