31 years ago today, The Simpsons aired its best Treehouse of Horror episode that also happened to have the best segment in the series’ history that has still yet to be topped after all this time. Ever since the second season, The Simpsons has been celebrated the spooky Halloween holiday with a special episode taking place outside of the series’ usual adventures. Anthologies with three different stories based on various horror inspirations either taking cues from famous movies, TV shows, or other elements of pop culture. But there’s one segment that really just nailed the idea in the perfect way.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror V (which aired during Season 6 of the animated series) made its original debut with FOX on October 30, 1994, 31 years ago today. The episode featured three different segments with “The Shinning,” “Time and Punishment,” and “Nightmare Cafeteria.” It’s the strongest collection of stories within the series’ long history of Treehouse of Horror episodes as they take on different levels of horror, but “The Shinning” is undoubtedly the star that’s most fondly remembered by many fans to this day.
“The Shinning” Is Peak Treehouse of Horror
“The Shinning” kicks off Treehouse of Horror V with its take on Stephen King’s The Shining, and the Stanley Kubrick directed film that spawned from it. It’s just packed with joke after joke that it’s kind of wild in retrospect to see just how much is done in only ten minutes or so of the segment. Mr. Burns tasks Homer to take care of his winter lodge, but cuts off the cable and takes all of the beer from the house. It’s something that likely has led to a string of murders in the building in the past, but Mr. Burns doesn’t really care about that at all.
The episode not only packs in a ton of references to the original (“Usually the blood gets off on the second floor”), but finds a way to keep the tension of that film within this hilarious new context. It feels entirely within character for Homer to “go crazy” without beer or TV, and the decision to kill his family hilarious also makes sense when he makes a deal with a ghostly Moe for a drink. All the while Bart has a psychic ability called the “Shinning” to keep from being sued, and it’s just a fun segment from top to bottom.
Treehouse of Horror V Keeps Up the Hot Streak All the Way Through
“The Shinning” is one of the best opening segments in Treehouse of Horror history because it’s got basically everything you want. It’s a faithful adaptation of the original story and film, it’s got a ton of memorable jokes, and it’s actually scary as Homer indeed kills Groundskeeper Willie to raise the stakes. But even more importantly, it’s an opener that is also supported by the fact that it’s followed by two absolute legends in terms of Treehouse of Horror segments as well.
“Time and Punishment” is the most sci-fi influenced segment fans got to see to that point, and is once again packed with many memorable hits as it imagines a future where Ned Flanders rules the world. Then it’s all brought to a close with “Nightmare Cafeteria,” which is one of the truly scariest segments ever aired. Then the final sequence goes full gore with inside out versions of the family, and it’s a perfect blend of dark comedy as a final button on it all. What an episode.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
