The longest-running television show in history, The Simpsons, has a plethora of entertaining episodes for every occasion. To get viewers into the Halloween spirit, the annual Treehouse of Horror anthology special was created, with each episode containing numerous scary and hilarious tales. Here is a rundown of all these canon-divergent episodes that you can rewatch to celebrate this spooky season!
Treehouse of Horror I: Season 2 Episode 3
This first episode in the series draws inspiration from 1950s horror comics and parodies the horror films Poltergeist and The Amityville Horror, the Twilight Zone episode To Serve Man, and Edgar Allen Poe’s classic poem The Raven.
Treehouse of Horror II: Season 3, Episode 7
This episode parodies episodes A Small Talent for War and It’s a Good Life from The Twilight Zone, horror short story The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs, and the classic gothic novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Bart learns the consequences of wishes, Homer becomes a jack-in-the-box, and Mr. Burns has trouble with a creation of his.
Treehouse of Horror III: Season 4, Episode 5
This episode spoofs the haunted doll horror trope when Bart receives a disturbing gift, Homer is transformed into King Kong, and zombies invade Springfield in a parody of Night of the Living Dead and Pet Cemetery.
Treehouse of Horror IV: Season 5, Episode 5
The episode parodies The Twilight Zone episode Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, Night Gallery, and Pennsylvania feels a lot like Transylvania in a spoof of Dracula.
Treehouse of Horror V: Season 6, Episode 6
A perfect episode for more squeamish viewers, the Simpsons take care of Mr. Burns’ mountain lodge in a parody of The Shining, Homer time travels in a spoof Ray Bradbury’s short story A Sound of Thunder, and the cafeteria food gets a bit fishy.
Treehouse of Horror VI: Season 7, Episode 6
In this episode, Springfield’s billboards begin attacking the town, there is a parody of A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Homer is trapped in a weird dimension like in The Twilight Zone episode Little Girl Lost.
Treehouse of Horror VII: Season 8, Episode 1
This season eight premiere spoofs The Twilight Zone episode The Little People and, funnily enough, the 1996 presidential election, in which aliens Kang and Kodos pose as candidates Bill Clinton and Bob Dole.
Treehouse of Horror VIII: Season 9, Episode 4
This episode parodies the post-apocalyptic horror film The Omega Man, contains a body swap courtesy of the classic sci-fi movie The Fly, and features a witch hunt that comes to Springfield.
Treehouse of Horror IX: Season 10, Episode 4
This episode features inspiration from Hell Toupee, where a hair transplant leads to a possession. There is also a reality television nightmare spoofed from the movie Stay Tuned and Springfield’s favorite aliens make a return.
Treehouse of Horror X: Season 11, Episode 4
This episode parodies I Know What You Did Last Summer, the superhero group The Fantastic Four, and the Y2K glitch phenomena.
Treehouse of Horror XI: Season 12, Episode 1
In this Halloween episode, the first to air on the actual holiday, viewers will catch references to classic Grimms’ Fairy Tales and animal-centric thrillers such as The Birds, Jaws, and The Day of the Dolphin.
Treehouse of Horror XII: Season 13, Episode 1
This episode spoofs the Stephen King novel Thinner, the classic film 2001: A Space Odyssey, and the fan-favorite Harry Potter series.
Treehouse of Horror XIII: Season 14, Episode 1
Another episode for zombie lovers, this installment also parodies sci-fi comedy Multiplicity and the disturbing H.G. Wells tale The Island of Doctor Moreau.
Treehouse of Horror XIV: Season 15, Episode 1
This spooky episode features Homer as the Grim Reaper and references to Frankenstein and the Twilight Zone episode A Kind of Stopwatch.
Treehouse of Horror XV: Season 16, Episode 1
This episode will please Jack the Ripper conspiracists with its spoof of Alan Moore’s graphic novel From Hell. It also references Stephen King’s The Dead Zone and the sci-fi movie Fantastic Voyage.
Treehouse of Horror XVI: Season 17, Episode 4
In this episode, Springfield residents become hunted for human sport as a nod to The Most Dangerous Game and are transformed by their Halloween costumes in a parody of The Twilight Zone episode The Masks. It also contains a spoof of Spielberg’s sci-fi film A.I. Artificial Intelligence.
Treehouse of Horror XVII: Season 18, Episode 4
This episode spoofs some supernatural creations, such as that from The Blob and the Jewish folklore of Golem. Later in the episode, Springfield faces an alien invasion modeled after the broadcast of H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds.
Treehouse of Horror XVIII: Season 19, Episode 5
This episode features Kodos’s return, who visits Springfield in a manner befitting E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. It additionally contains a parody of Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
Treehouse of Horror XIX: Season 20, Episode 4
This episode contains references to The Transformers and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Further, Mad Men is given a dark twist when advertising agents hire Homer.
Treehouse of Horror XX: Season 21, Episode 4
In this episode, Springfield is faced with yet another zombie apocalypse, Lisa is thrust into a Hitchcockian nightmare in a parody of Strangers on a Train, and there is a spoof of the horror musical Sweeney Todd.
Treehouse of Horror XXI: Season 22, Episode 4
In this episode, Bart and Milhouse play a Jumanji-like board game, Marge and Homer have a Dead Calm-inspired honeymoon, and — my personal favorite — the much-adored teen series Twilight is spoofed.
Treehouse of Horror XXII: Season 23, Episode 3
This episode takes some global inspiration from the French film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, as well as Dexter and Avatar.
Treehouse of Horror XXIII: Season 24, Episode 2
This episode features a black hole, a haunting courtesy of Paranormal Activity, and some Back to the Future-style time travel.
Treehouse of Horror XXIV: Season 25, Episode 2
This scary episode takes some unlikely inspiration from Dr. Seuss. There is a two-headed Simpson like in The Thing with Two Heads, and the movie Freaks is spoofed to create a disturbing circus.
Treehouse of Horror XXV: Season 26, Episode 4
In this episode, Bart explores Hell, there is a parody of Clockwork Orange, and some supernatural happenings are pulled from a spoof of The Others.
Treehouse of Horror XXVI: Season 27, Episode 5
This episode is filled with murder, Godzilla-fueled mayhem, and telepathic powers borrowed from a parody of Chronicle.
Treehouse of Horror XXVII: Season 28, Episode 4
In this episode, the children fight each other in a set-up resembling The Hunger Games, Lisa has some disturbing friendship trouble, and Bart becomes part of a secret service group in a spoof of James Bond and the Kingsman movies.
Treehouse of Horror XXVIII: Season 29, Episode 4
This episode features demonic possession in a spoof of The Exorcist, Lisa discovers a Coraline-like alternate reality, and Homer tries a new cuisine in a parody of Stephen King’s Survivor Type.
Treehouse of Horror XXIX: Season 30, Episode 4
This episode contains some botanical horror as part of a spoof of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Lisa goes on a Split-inspired killing spree, and an unusual creature is created in a Jurassic Park parody.
Treehouse of Horror XXX: Season 31, Episode 4
Stranger Things fans will be pleased to watch this episode, in which Lisa tries to bring back Milhouse from another dimension. Additionally, the episode contains parodies of Heaven Can Wait and The Shape of Water.
Treehouse of Horror XXXI: Season 32, Episode 4
This episode puts a gory spin on the children’s classic Toy Story and contains parodies of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and the time loop trope seen in media like Russian Doll.
Treehouse of Horror XXXII: Season 33, Episode 3
In this episode, Bart and his mother become prey to a hunter, Parasite is parodied when the Simpsons begin working for an ultra-wealthy family, there is a supernatural tree, and the horror staple The Ring is spoofed.
Treehouse of Horror Presents: Not It: Season 34, Episode 5
For those frightened of scary clowns, this episode parodies Stephen King’s popular horror novel It, also taking inspiration from the novel’s adaptations.
Treehouse of Horror XXXIII: Season 34, Episode 6
This Emmy award-winning episode contains a parody of The Babadook, is given an anime-style makeover in a spoof of Death Note, and a Simpson-themed amusement park becomes Westworld-ified.
Treehouse of Horror XXXIV: Season 35, Episode 5
In this episode, Bart becomes an NFT, Lisa hunts for a serial killer in a parody of Seven and The Silence of the Lambs, and a contaminated donut causes a disturbing outbreak in Springfield.
Treehouse of Horror episodes are chock full of fun references you know and love, putting their own spin on spooky classics across the ages. Perfect for viewers who like their horror with a bit of comedy and a touch of absurdity, The Simpsons Halloween specials are a great way to enjoy everything the season has to offer.
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