[7.4/10] You can certainly see the cracks showing a bit here, particularly in the endings, but Treehouse of Horror episodes are the perfect showcase for the Mike Scully regime, since it’s all pretty much gagfests where character and plot are secondary to macabre fun.
The remixed intro, with everyone getting killed in the Simpsons’ driveway, is an amusing Halloween twist on the usual opening credits.
The first segment, about a hair transplant that gives Snake control of Homer’s body, is the best of the three segments. The premise is the most out there and fun, and the story of Snake trying to get revenge on the people who put him away from beyond the grave is actually a pretty strong one for a horror tale. Plus the gags are great. There’s amusing setups like Moe asking if Apu has a cereal for people with syphilis, only to be seen eating it later in the episode. There’s fun meta gags with Marge’s comment about how everyone’s already figured out the scenario. And even just the visual humor of the living, moving toupee getting shot up by Chief Wiggum is a laugh. It’s the cream of the crop and would fit in well in any Treehouse trio.
The second segment is a neat idea that falls apart once things actually get going. The early gags about Marge not wanting to let the kids watch a Halloween special, or Homer acting like a hobo are solid laughs. But once Bart and Lisa start being chased by Itchy and Scratchy inside the team, things fall apart. There’s not really enough time to make hay out of the premise, and doing the usual Itchy & Scratchy shtick with Bart and Lisa involved doesn't give us much more comedy than a regular Itchy & Scratchy short. Plus why we needed a Regis and Kathy Lee cameo is beyond me.
And the third segment is a lot of fun until about two-thirds of the way through, before it becomes incredibly dated and lame. The “alien insemination” angle is a fun idea to put in a comic mode, and everything from the family dealing with Maggie’s transformation to the secret backstory of how Marge was abducted by the aliens is pretty funny. But then the whole thing turns into a cheap Jerry Springer riff, that was already past its prime and tame in 1998, and feels especially dated and useless now. It’s a good story with solid gags that bottoms out when it turned to the flavor of the month for an ending.
Overall, it’s not the finest Treehouse ever, but there’s a good number of laughs here if you can overlook downturns and bad endings in two of the three segments.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2019-10-09T04:43:48Z
[7.4/10] You can certainly see the cracks showing a bit here, particularly in the endings, but Treehouse of Horror episodes are the perfect showcase for the Mike Scully regime, since it’s all pretty much gagfests where character and plot are secondary to macabre fun.
The remixed intro, with everyone getting killed in the Simpsons’ driveway, is an amusing Halloween twist on the usual opening credits.
The first segment, about a hair transplant that gives Snake control of Homer’s body, is the best of the three segments. The premise is the most out there and fun, and the story of Snake trying to get revenge on the people who put him away from beyond the grave is actually a pretty strong one for a horror tale. Plus the gags are great. There’s amusing setups like Moe asking if Apu has a cereal for people with syphilis, only to be seen eating it later in the episode. There’s fun meta gags with Marge’s comment about how everyone’s already figured out the scenario. And even just the visual humor of the living, moving toupee getting shot up by Chief Wiggum is a laugh. It’s the cream of the crop and would fit in well in any Treehouse trio.
The second segment is a neat idea that falls apart once things actually get going. The early gags about Marge not wanting to let the kids watch a Halloween special, or Homer acting like a hobo are solid laughs. But once Bart and Lisa start being chased by Itchy and Scratchy inside the team, things fall apart. There’s not really enough time to make hay out of the premise, and doing the usual Itchy & Scratchy shtick with Bart and Lisa involved doesn't give us much more comedy than a regular Itchy & Scratchy short. Plus why we needed a Regis and Kathy Lee cameo is beyond me.
And the third segment is a lot of fun until about two-thirds of the way through, before it becomes incredibly dated and lame. The “alien insemination” angle is a fun idea to put in a comic mode, and everything from the family dealing with Maggie’s transformation to the secret backstory of how Marge was abducted by the aliens is pretty funny. But then the whole thing turns into a cheap Jerry Springer riff, that was already past its prime and tame in 1998, and feels especially dated and useless now. It’s a good story with solid gags that bottoms out when it turned to the flavor of the month for an ending.
Overall, it’s not the finest Treehouse ever, but there’s a good number of laughs here if you can overlook downturns and bad endings in two of the three segments.