The Simpsons: 10 Best Treehouse Of Horror Episodes, Ranked (According To IMDb)

Since its second season, The Simpsons has indulged its fans with an annual Halloween special: The Treehouse of Horror. Each episode involves three tales of satirical terror inspired by horror, science fiction, and the supernatural. Over the decades, the residents of Springfield have morphed into recognizable monsters, been tempted by the devil, and parodied pop culture’s favorite scary stories.

The Treehouse of Horror segments do away with all the normal continuity in The Simpsons, killing off characters left and right as their pernicious plots unfold. In many of these episodes, the characters also break the fourth wall with introductions and warnings, which pays homage to classic anthology series like The Twilight Zone. Thirty specials later, the earliest Halloween specials are still considered the best.

10 Treehouse Of Horror X (1999) – 7.8

The 11th season Halloween episode (and 10th installment) starts off with “I Know What You Diddily-Iddly-Did,” a spoof of the 90s teen slasher, I Know What You Did Last Summer. Like the film, the Simpsons accidentally run over Ned Flanders with their car on a foggy night, only to discover he may not be dead after all.

The second segment, “Desperately Xeeking Xena,” follows Bart and Lisa as they develop superpowers after being exposed to an x-ray machine. Finally, in “Life’s a Glitch, Then You Die,” Y2K comes to Springfield.

9 Treehouse Of Horror IX (1998) – 8.0

The highlight of season 10’s Treehouse of Horror is the segment “Starship Poopers,” where Homer and Marge discover their darling baby Maggie is actually an alien. The title is a spoof of the Paul Verhoeven monster movie, Starship Troopers.

“Starship Poopers” is preceded by “The Terror of Tiny Toon,” a parody of the film Stay Tuned, which sees Bart and Lisa sucked into their TV during an episode of The Itchy and Scratchy Show. The other segment in the episode, “Hell Toupée,” involves Homer donning a possessed wig – a nod to the Amazing Stories episode of the same name.

8 Treehouse Of Horror VIII (1997) – 8.2

For season nine, The Simpsons bring the scares with witches, humanoid flies, and apocalyptic mutants. In “The HΩmega Man,” inspired by Richard Matheson’s book The Omega Man, Homer ventures into a Springfield destroyed by a neutron bomb.

“Fly Vs. Fly” is a take on David Cronenberg’s The Fly, starring Bart as a half-boy/half-bug. The third part, “Easy-Bake Coven,” goes way to colonial Springfield, where Marge and her sisters live as a coven of broom-riding witches.

7 Treehouse Of Horror II (1991) – 8.3

After overindulging in Halloween candy, Lisa, Bart, and Homer are each haunted by disturbing nightmares. Lisa’s dream, based on the classic short story “The Monkey’s Paw,” explores what happens when the Simpsons obtain a magic monkey’s paw that grants them three wishes.

Bart’s dream, “The Bart Zone,” transpires in an alternate Springfield, where everyone must obey Bart or suffer severe consequences – just like the main character in The Twilight Zone episode, “It’s a Good Life.” Finally, Homer dreams Mr. Burns uses his brain to create the ultimate sentient robot a la Frankenstein in “If I Only Had a Brain.”

6 Treehouse Of Horror (1990) – 8.3

The very first Treehouse of Horror begins with a spoof on The Amityville Horror: “Bad Dream House.” It then ventures into The Twilight Zone territory with “Hungry are the Damned,” wherein a backyard barbeque for the Simpsons turns into a ride on an alien spaceship.

The episode ends on a gothic and literary note with an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.” Bart plays the titular bird, while Homer plays the neurotic narrator taunted by the raven that keeps chanting, “Eat my shorts!”

5 Treehouse Of Horror VII (1996) – 8.5

The Simpsons tackles the bizarre cult horror film Basket Case in season eight’s Halloween special with its first segment, “The Thing and I.” In the bit, Bart discovers he has a deformed Siamese twin living in the attic, and it gets much more gruesome from there.

“The Genesis Tub” pays tribute to The Twilight Zone as it follows Lisa’s journey from science fair winner to an egotistical god-like deity. For “Citizen Kang,” the show’s beloved alien odd couple Kang and Kodos plot to conquer planet Earth by infiltrating the US political system.

4 Treehouse Of Horror III (1992) – 8.5

A killer Krusty doll torments Homer like Chucky from Child’s Play in “Clown Without Pity,” which is actually based on an episode of The Twilight Zone. The segment is followed up by “King Homer,” a hilarious Homer-filled parody of King Kong.

Zombies take up the final third of the episode with “Dial ‘Z’ for Zombies.” Thanks to Bart, a horde of zombies terrorizes Springfield, turning its residents into the undead.

3 Treehouse Of Horror VI (1995) – 8.6

Groundskeeper Willie makes one convincing Freddy Krueger for season seven’s Treehouse of Horror. In “Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace,” Willie haunts all of Springfield’s school children in their dreams.

The Simpsons parody the old B-horror movie Attack of the 5o Foot Woman with “Attack of the 50-Foot Eyesores,” which involves a giant statue of Lard Lad Donuts mascot coming to life. Lastly, Bart follows Homer into a 3-dimensional world in “Homer³.”

2 Treehouse Of Horror IV (1993) – 8.8

Homer sells his soul for a donut in “The Devil and Homer Simpson,” but a legal dispute about his contract with Flanders the Devil saves him from eternal damnation. The fourth installment also includes another parody of The Twilight Zone with “Terror at 5½ Feet.”

In the segment, a terrified Bart tries to convince everyone else on his school bus there’s a gremlin clinging to the side of it. The episode ends with “Bart Simpson’s Dracula,” which harkens back to Bram Stoker’s novel about an ancient bloodsucking vampire.

1 Treehouse Of Horror V (1994) – 9.2

The best episode of Treehouse of Horror begins on a high note with a take on Stephen King’s The Shining. Homer loses his mind while spending the summer taking care of Mr. Burns’s summer estate.

The second segment, “Time and Punishment,” is based on the Ray Bradbury story “A Sound of Thunder.” It ends with “Nightmare Cafeteria,” where Bart discovers people are being served up in the Springfield Elementary kitchen – a tribute to the Charlton Heston sci-fi film Soylent Green.

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