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

This is is it, folks. The final entry in my review of every single The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode (so far). While every main Treehouse of Horror has been reviewed across the first six parts of this series (which you can find linked down below), there are still two very special episodes left to cover. And, once I'm done with those, I will be ranking each and every Treehouse of Horror in a list that will surely lead to nothing but healthy and considerate discourse.

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

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

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

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

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

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

With all that out of the way, let's check out Treehouse of Horror Presents: Not It...

Treehouse of Horror Presents: Not It (Season 34, Episode 5)

Treehouse of Horror Presents: Not It starts off incredibly strong, with an opening sequence that is so iconic thanks to Stephen King's It that it hurts to watch even when adapted for The Simpsons.

The Simpsons does such a good job of adapting It that the entire thing feels a bit like a fever dream. Every character involved in the main story has their own run-in with Krusty, here playing the role of Pennywise (or Krusto) in pitch-perfect fashion. This is the same sort of serious Krusty that made "Clown Night with the Devil" From Treehouse of Horror XXXVI so memorable, albeit with an infinitely more murderous bent.

There is also a lot of great interpersonal character work going on in Treehouse of Horror Presents: Not It that fans simply don't get anywhere else. Dropping characters like Comic Book Guy into key roles they ordinarily don't get to play opens up new avenues to be explored that would never even be hinted at in regular episode of The Simpsons.

The only real issue that I have with Treehouse of Horror Presents: Not It is the same issue that I have with the source material... It is just too short in the first half, and the second, well, let's find out together, huh?

Not It: Part Two

Not It: Part Two, surprisingly, gives audiences a better look at Kingfield than they got in the first half, which is something of a shame. There are so many minor elements and moving pieces in Kingfield that it feels deserving of something much bigger than it gets in this Treehouse of Horror special.

There is also some more character work happening in Not It: Part Two that the first half was sorely missing. Unfortunately, that is pretty much where Not It: Part Two peaks, as the segment stays painfully true to King's original work by offering fans a rushed, ultimately lackluster ending.

Treehouse of Horror Presents: Not It is great, and gets a full Kang because of it. Not It: Part Two is good, and gets about half of a Kodos. Whatever half Krusto didn't eat.

-

The second Treehouse of Horror special, Treehouse of Horror Presents: Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes, is the final episode I have to review for this list. It is also the episode I was most excited for, as well as the one I was most disappointed in after it was all said and done. That being said, I promise I still judged it fairly, no matter how much I wanted it to be something else.

Treehouse of Horror Presents: Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes (Season 36, Episode 7)

Going into Treehouse of Horror Presents: Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes, I really though that we would be getting a version of Something Wicked This Way Comes. Instead, we got another anthology episode adapting various Ray Bradbury stories, none of which are what I was expecting.

The three main stories are all tied together with wraparound segments featuring Lisa as she peers into the many murals adorning the body of the Illustrated Man. It's a cute narrative device that most viewers will appreciate, especially for the minor gags it provides between some seriously intense segments.

The first main story in Treehouse of Horror Presents: Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes is an adaptation of "The Screaming Woman," in which Bart does his best to be a hero in spite of his uncharacteristically wealthy parents' utter apathy towards the situation. The story is incredibly tight, and it squeezes as much out of audiences with every single second that it possible can.

Next up is The Simpsons' version of "Marionettes, Inc." in which poor Superintendent Chalmers hopes that a robotic version of himself will solve all of his problems. Unsurprisingly, this endeavor instead leads to a myriad of humorous horrors that upend every aspect of his life. It's nice to see Chalmers step into the spotlight, especially for a role that digs into his character a bit deeper than his working relationship with Principal Skinner.

Last up in Treehouse of Horror Presents: Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes is an adaptation of Farenheit 451 that is probably better than it has any right to be. Substituting brainless entertainment for books is the most quintessentially Simpsons way this story could have gone. Whether that is more of a commentary on the state of cinema as a whole the state of media literacy in general is probably debatable, but it has something to say about each that cannot be ignored. I don't want to like this story as much as I do, but here we are.

If I were judging Treehouse of Horror Presents: Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes based on my expectations of the episode before settling into the experience, it would receive an abysmally low score. In all fairness, however, it gets at least half of a Kang and the overwhelming majority of a Kodos.

-

So, here's the thing. While I have certainly leaned into the "Kang and Kodos" grading system for these episodes, I have also been scoring them on a 1-10 scale in my own notes, so rest assured that the following list is based on far more than mere vibes. As a final note, out of every Treehosue of Horror in the past four decades, only one of them is genuinely bad. Apart from Treehouse of Horror XII, no episode scored lower than a 5.

With that, I present to you, dear reader, a complete ranked list of every single The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode from worst to best.

38. Treehouse of Horror XII

37. Treehouse of Horror XXXIV

36. Treehouse of Horror XXXV

35. Treehouse of Horror XXIX

34. Treehouse of Horror XXVI

33. Treehouse of Horror XXII

32. Treehouse of Horror XXIII

31. Treehouse of Horror II

30. Treehouse of Horror XVII

29. Treehouse of Horror XXVI

28. Treehouse of Horror XI

27. Treehouse of Horror XXXI

26. Treehouse of Horror Presents: Not It

25. Treehouse of Horror XIX

24. Treehouse of Horror XXI

23. Treehouse of Horror XXVII

22. Treehouse of Horror XV

21. Treehouse of Horror Presents: Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes

20. Treehouse of Horror XIV

19. Treehouse of Horror X

18. Treehouse of Horror XXXIII

17. Treehouse of Horror III

16. Treehouse of Horror XXX

15. Treehouse of Horror XXV

14. Treehouse of Horror XIII

13. Treehouse of Horror XXIV

12. Treehouse of Horror VII

11. Treehouse of Horror VIII

10. Treehouse of Horror IX

9. Treehouse of Horror I

8. Treehouse of Horror XVIII

7. Treehouse of Horror XXXII

6. Treehouse of Horror XXXVI

5. Treehouse of Horror IV

4. Treehouse of Horror XXVIII

3. Treehouse of Horror VI

2. Treehouse of Horror V

1. Treehouse of Horror XX

-

Alright, y'all. That's it for me here. Now go get your kids ready for trick-or-treating. Or, if that isn't on your Halloween To-Do list, go rewatch some Simpsons, and feel free to let me know in the comments just how wrong I am.

Happy Halloween, and stay spooky.