Treehouse of Horror, also known as The Simpsons Halloween Specials, is a series of Halloween-themed episodes of the animated sitcom The Simpsons, each consisting of three separate, self-contained segments. These segments usually involve the family in some horror, science fiction, or supernatural setting and always take place outside the normal continuity of the show. Therefore, they are considered non-canon.

The original "Treehouse of Horror" episode aired on October 25, 1990, and was inspired by EC Comics Horror tales.[1] From "Treehouse of Horror" (1990) to "X" (1999), every episode has aired in the week preceding or on October 31; "II" and "X" are the only two episodes that had aired on Halloween. Between "XI" (2000) to "XIX" (2008) and "XXI" (2010), due to Fox's contract with Major League Baseball's World Series, episodes had originally aired in November.[2] "XX" (2009) and each Treehouse of Horror episode since "XXII" (2011) has aired in October, with the exception of season 32's "XXXI" (2020), which it was originally scheduled for October 18, 2020, but was pushed back two weeks later to November 1 due to the 2020 NLCS reaching game 7. This was the first time since "XXI" that a Treehouse of Horror episode aired in November. The same thing happened with season 35's "XXXIV" (2023) and season 36's "XXXV" (2024), which aired on November 5, 2023, and November 3, 2024, respectively.

The first 13 Treehouse of Horror episodes had all three segments written by different writers and in some cases there was a fourth writer that wrote the opening and wraparound segments.[3] The original episode even had three different directors.[4] Starting with season 15's "XIV" (2003), only one writer was credited as having written a Treehouse of Horror episode, and the trend has continued through season 33's "XXXII" (2021).[5][6][7][8] Season 34's "XXXIII" (2022) went back to the earlier notion of having different writers for each segment.

As of 2025, there are 37 Treehouse of Horror episodes, with one airing every year. The 34th season marked the first time two Treehouse of Horror specials were aired, with one episode being a single story ("Not It") and another featuring three segments ("Treehouse of Horror XXXIII").[9] The 31st season included a Thanksgiving-themed spinoff, "Thanksgiving of Horror". They are known for being more violent than an average Simpsons episode and contain several different trademarks, including the alien characters Kang and Kodos who have appeared in every episode. Quite often the segments will parody well-known movies, books, radio shows, and television shows. The Twilight Zone has been parodied quite often, and has served as the inspiration for numerous segments.[10]

Episodes

See also: List of The Simpsons episodes

References

  1. ^ Jean, Al (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  2. ^ Ryan, Andrew (2006-11-04). "Pick of the Day: The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XVII". The Globe and Mail. p. 12.
  3. ^ O'Brien, Conan; Weinstein, Josh; Oakley, Bill; Daniels, Greg; McGrath, Dan; Canterbury, Bill; Silverman, David (1993-10-28). "Treehouse of Horror IV". No. 05. The Simpsons. Episode 05. Fox.
  4. ^ Swartzwelder, John; Kogen, Jay; Wolodarsky, Wallace; Simon, Sam; Archer, Wes; Moore, Rich; Silverman, David (1990-10-25). "Treehouse of Horror". No. 03. The Simpsons. Episode 03. Fox.
  5. ^ Odenkirk, Bill; Silverman, David (2004-11-04). "Treehouse of Horror XV". No. 01. The Simpsons. Episode 01. Fox.
  6. ^ Wilmore, Marc; Silverman, David (2005-11-06). "Treehouse of Horror XVI". No. 04. The Simpsons. Episode 04. Fox.
  7. ^ Gaffney, Peter; Silverman, David; Faughnan, Matthew (2006-11-05). "Treehouse of Horror XVII". No. 04. The Simpsons. Episode 04. Fox.
  8. ^ Wilmore, Marc; Sheetz, Chuck (2007-11-04). "Treehouse of Horror XVIII". No. 05. The Simpsons. Episode 05. Fox.
  9. ^ Schneider, Michael (2022-07-23). "'The Simpsons' Season 34 to Parody 'It,' 'Ellen,' 'Death Note' and Feature Guest Melissa McCarthy". Variety. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  10. ^ Kogen, Jay (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

Bibliography