“Look I don’t want to be rude, but you sad losers should go suck somewhere else.”
Like every other hardcore Simpsons fan, I was a bit surprised that the series decided to not go with “Treehouse of Horror” this year. But FOX publicists assured fans that the following week would bring a new “Treehouse of Horror.” Even the characters address it in the first few minutes, as Homer has to appease Flanders, who asks why Halloween isn’t being celebrated in a treehouse this year. Thankfully “Halloween of Horror” is an experiment, and a damn good one. In all of the twenty seven seasons of “The Simpsons,” there were Christmas and Thanksgiving episodes, but Halloween was a special event with standalone non-canon horror stories meant to pay tribute to everything from Stephen King to Edgar Allen Poe. This year, the series treats us to two Halloween based episodes! Thankfully, “Halloween of Horror” is quite great and reminded me of a time where “The Simpsons were hilarious.
“Halloween of Horror” basically explores the general sentiment displayed by other hardcore Halloween fans: Halloween just isn’t the same anymore. The Simpsons are decking their house with a masterful Halloween display called “Evergreen Terrors,” but the family is disheartened to see most of the neighborhood aren’t even propping up decorations, and will likely not even open the door for trick or treaters. As an added jab, Bart goes to school for a Halloween party dressed as a pirate, and is stripped down to the bone by Principal Skinner for his costume not being PC enough. His sword is thrown away for being a prop weapon, his bandanna is thrown away for being threatening gang paraphernalia, his eye patch is tossed out for potentially offending the handicapped and he’s given a sash that reads “Pretend.” It’s a wonderful commentary on our PC crazed sensitive culture quick to react to everything with horror and anger.
There’s also a wonderful sight gag where Homer chooses the “Official Halloween Headquarters” store, over the “Halloween Headquarters.” The big central theme though is Homer taking Bart and Lisa to the Krusty Halloween exhibit and events go awry when the attraction is too horrifying and realistic for Lisa, prompting her to completely avoid Halloween and become isolated in the house. To ease her fears, Homer is forced to take down the Halloween display, affecting Bart who goes in search of the perfect Halloween, and finds no one is really celebrating it save for one magical cul de sac that won’t allow Marge and the kids inside. Homer’s (admittedly sweet) efforts to help Lisa also explode in his face when a vengeful trio of minimum wage department store workers that Homer accidentally got fired from the Kwik E Mart, appear at the house in masks, prepared to wreak vengeance on Homer, and terrifying Lisa.
“Halloween of Horror” manages to squeeze in a lot of fun gems for the Halloween season and packs in a ton of character driven heart and laughs. For some reason Homer and Lisa just make a great comedy duo, as we’ve seen in the past, and this time their pairing is reliant on Homer doing everything to ease her fears and keep her safe. Even in the face of a home invasion by the trio of thugs. There’s a great musical number about the adult oriented Halloween that takes place at night, and in one instance Homer walks around the house locking doors and securing the windows while whistling the “Halloween” movie theme song. What makes the episode great beyond the funny one-liners and sight gags, is that the show genuinely loves Halloween and uses it to tell a sweet but funny misadventure for the family. Homer sincerely sacrifices his love of Halloween to keep Lisa happy, while Marge goes to great lengths to keep the holiday alive for Bart and Maggie. I’m glad “Treehouse of Horror” isn’t going anywhere, but “Halloween of Horror” is a welcome departure this year, and one that is successful from minute one.