Every The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror - Rated and Ranked (Part Four)

Did you know that there are 36 Treehouse of Horror episodes of The Simpsons? Plus two specials? I did, and I still decided to rank and review all of them. Ugh. I am not kind to me.

You can find Part One, Part Two, and Part Three of this review series right here on Vocal. With that out of the way, let's see what Treehouse of Horror XIX has in store...

Treehouse of Horror XIX (Season 20, Episode 4)

Listen... Watching the opening for Treehouse of Horror XIX is bound to hurt. The entire bit is comprised of what I can only describe as the kind of political discourse that basically doesn't exist anymore. Is it over-the-top? Yes. Does it devolve into graphic cartoon violence? Yes. Is it funny and healthy and ultimately harmless? Yes. I mean, shit, y'all, how did we get here?

Now that I have that out of my system for now, let's dig into the Transformers spoof that is "Untitled Robot Parody." I was hoping that this would lean more into the Evil Malibu Stacy doll setup, but it quickly spirals into an overt Transformers parody that, while expected, is still fairly disappointing in what is ostensibly a Halloween special. This is something of a recurring issue at various points during The Simpsons' nearly forty year run on television.

Viewers are swiftly whisked from "Untitled Robot Parody" into "How to Get Ahead in Dead-vertising," which goes from a Mad Men homage to commentary on celebrity advertising that ultimately falls flat. "How to Get Ahead in Dead-vertising" isn't bad, it just isn't very memorable, and feels largely out of place in a Treehouse of Horror episode apart from a few short moments.

"It's the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse" carries the rest of Treehouse of Horror XIX where it shouldn't have to, yet it does so effortlessly and with an almost unmatched charm. Apart from the pitch-perfect references to and send-ups of classic Charlie Brown specials, "It's the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse" is everything fans of Milhouse could possibly ask to see. He's helpless, hapless, and hopeless, but Milhouse has heart, and that's really all that matters.

Treehouse of Horror XIX isn't getting a particularly high grade, but it isn't falling flat on its face, either. I'm awarding it half a Kang and one full Kodos.

Treehouse of Horror XX (Season 21, Episode 4)

Treehouse of Horror XX opens with one of the best intro sequences that doesn't star any of the Simpsons themselves. Instead, a quartet of Universal Monsters get together for a night of trick-or-treating ahead of what might be the best Treehouse of Horror of all time.

"Dial 'M' for Murder or Press '#' to Return to Main Menu" fully embraces the Strangers on a Train model, albeit without ever shedding The Simpsons' unique brand of charm. You can't help but feel bad for Lisa as the story unfolds, getting darker and more disturbing with every turn. There is still plenty of humor here, but the opening short from Treehouse of Horror XX ramps up the tension beyond what most viewers will be expecting, and it is glorious.

"Don't Have a Cow, Mankind" offers viewers another immensely fun riff on a popular genre title, or several, with The Simpsons cast stepping into roles pulled straight out of 28 Days Later, Children of Men, and I Am Legend. This one gets dark. Like, REAL dark. At a certain point I was hoping for a big swing for the fences moment that would turn everything around, and while that seemed like it was indeed coming, it just ended in more murders by zombie. The ending isn't bleak, but much of the segment is, and I can absolutely appreciate that.

"There's No Business Like Moe Business" brings things to a close with a loose retelling of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, in which Moe Szyslak takes on the role of a lovelorn murderer willing to cross any and every line if it means ending up with Marge. This plays into so many classic Simpsons dynamics, and ends up being another segment that is more scary than silly. The musical numbers don't all fit quite perfectly with the rest of the short, but even that muddled juxtaposition is entertaining.

So far, Treehouse of Horror XX is the best The Simpsons Halloween special by a wide margin. A full Kang and Kodos all around. If it gets better than this I will be genuinely shocked.

Treehouse of Horror XXI (Season 22, Episode 4)

Kicking off Treehouse of Horror XXI is a title sequence that feeds into an introductory warning from none other than Springfield's very own Professor Frink. I can't get enough of this guy. He's no Marge, but he's a perfectly suitable stand-in.

The first entry from Treehouse of Horror XXI, "War and Pieces," seems like it could go in any number of directions before ultimately settling on a massively referential Jumanji spoof. "War and Pieces" isn't necessarily exciting, but it is plenty entertaining with its myriad of life-threatening recreations of classic board games.

"Master and Cadaver" is the real star of Treehouse of Horror XXI, no matter how much it seems like it will be a wet blanket in its first few minutes. This Dead Calm inspired romantic thriller spirals fast and only gets better the worse the situation gets. If it were paced differently, "Master and Cadaver" could be a full episode of The Simpsons unto itself, or even a completely different limited series. What I'm saying is that "Master and Cadaver" is so good it has me seriously considering whether or not I should rewrite Dead Calm as six episodes and try to sell it to AMC.

Last up for Treehouse of Horror XXI is "Tweenlight," which is exactly the Twilight parody that it sounds like. "Tweenlight" was an obvious and safe choice, and like so many other obvious and safe choices, it is only as good as its best gag. Unfortunately, the best gag in "Tweenlight" is Milhouse wolfing out into a lycanthropic poodle.

Treehouse of Horror XXI takes a steep dive in quality compared to Treehouse of Horror XX, although it's hardly unwatchable. Let's go two-thirds of a Kang and most of a Kodos for this one.

Treehouse of Horror XXII (Season 23, Episode 3)

The fact that Treehouse of Horror XXII opens with another Bart and Lisa post-trick-or-treating candy haul is like a breath of fresh air after so many tedious or lackluster intros. That being said, this one is long. Very long. So long that I had to stop and make sure I hadn't missed a transition into the episode's first segment.

I had not missed a transition into the first segment. I also was not prepared for an adaptation of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly in which a paralyzed Homer communicates via farts. I was definitely not prepared for Homer to then become a paralyzed, farting Spider-Man, but here we are. Maybe if this were initially playing on different source material, or stopped short of where it ended up, "The Diving Bell and the Butterball" would have been an overwhelming success, but as is the short just barely manages to squeak by with a passing grade.

"Dial D for Diddly" turns Ned Flanders into the titular serial killer with a heart of tarnished gold of Dexter, which is another obvious and safe choice. This time around, however, it actually works, as Ned stepping into dark roles is a tried-and-true Treehouse of Horror staple. He is also the perfect character to be tricked into carrying out acts of wanton murder at the behest of an unseen "God," one who has their own interests in mind.

The final entry from Treehouse of Horror XII, "In the Na'Vi," is a fairly forgettable riff on James Cameron's Avatar. There are certainly funny moments, but as a whole there isn't much going on here besides another Treehouse of Horror short that feels both horribly misplaced and tragically underexplored. Segments like this make me wonder why The Simpsons doesn't just go the Family Guy route and make two-hour specials where they get to play around in someone else's sandbox for a while.

Treehouse of Horror XII is far from perfect. Far enough that it's getting almost no Kang and only most of a Kodos for its effort.

Treehouse of Horror XXIII (Season 24, Episode 2)

Treehouse of Horror XIII opens with a trip back to an ancient Mayan version of Springfield which is just barely not funny enough to justify how long it is. I appreciate the effort, but it drags.

Fortunately, "The Greatest Story Ever Holed" doesn't take long to make up for the episode's plodding intro. When a black hole shows up in the Simpson house, no one takes Lisa's warnings seriously, setting up a devastating sci-fi disaster that is incredibly fun to watch. Once "The Greatest Story Ever Holed" takes its second act turn, the tension is replaced with some overtly absurdist humor that feels right at home.

"Un-Normal Activity" is a Paranormal Activity parody that is frequently more depressing than it is anything else. The segment isn't off-putting, it's just a bit of a rough watch at times, mostly for how Homer's usual ignorance is replaced with something more closely resembling emotional abuse. "Un-Normal Activity" is still funny, even with every character's worst tendencies ramped up to eleven.

"Bart & Homer's Excellent Adventure" could have been a Bill & Ted spoof, or it could have been something completely new. Instead it is a half-spirited Back to the Future homage that spends too much time referencing other popular properties and not enough telling a story that matters. There is nothing scary about this, but there are a lot of good ideas that would have been great if they were given an opportunity to expand upon their most basic components.

If you take half of a Kang and half of a Kodos and put them together, you almost get a full alien. That's about what Treehouse of Horror XXIII is scoring, and I'm being generous with that.

Treehouse of Horror XXIV (Season 25, Episode 2)

Treehouse of Horror XXIV features another long opening sequence, this time a rendition of the classic The Simpsons title sequence with a decidedly horrific bent. Many of the references here are homages to the works of Guillermo del Toro, and I can only hope that The Simpsons treats the master of monstrous menageries to his own Treehouse of Horror special at some point down the line.

"Oh the Places You'll D'oh" starts things off with an especially violent and exceptionally dark satirization of numerous works from the legendary Dr. Seuss, including Oh, the Places You'll Go! and, more importantly, The Cat in the Hat. Homer takes on the role of the murderous Fat in the Hat, who is intent on cutting down anyone and everyone who crosses his path. Thankfully, the Simpson children are saved at the last second courtesy of some quick thinking on Maggie's part, but holy Hell does "Oh the Places You'll D'oh" get dark before then.

Next up in Treehouse of Horror XXIV's lineup is "Dead and Shoulders," The Simpsons' take on The Thing with Two Heads which might be more disturbing than the original in all honesty. Fortunately, "Dead and Shoulders" eschews any attempts to recapture the more nuanced elements of The Thing with Two Heads, instead giving the short an opportunity to hone in on the most extreme version of Bart and Lisa's sibling rivalry that it can muster.

Rounding out Treehouse of Horror XXIV is "Freaks no Geeks," which again puts Moe's unrequited love for (or obsession over) Marge front and center. As intriguing as The Simpsons' retelling of Freaks was, all I could think of was whether the show had ever tried to do Nightmare Alley. "Freaks no Geeks" does a great job at making audiences hate Homer. It also makes Marge an unreasonably irritating figure for how utterly oblivious she is at key moments.

Treehouse of Horror XXIV is certainly one of the stronger Halloween specials that The Simpsons has produced, and for that I award it a full Kang and almost an entire Kodos.

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This is it. We've broken past the halfway mark, everyone. Just three more review lists to go before the entire ranked list of every Treehouse of Horror episode of The Simpsons is ready. Can't wait to see you all there.