Top Ten Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Segments

It's Halloween again, and time for one of my favorite Simpsons episodes: The Treehouse of Horror!  To prepare for the 21st show, I've watched the last 20 ToH episodes, and would like to share my top 10 favorite segments.

#10:  Nightmare Cafeteria (ToH V)

This segment always sticks in my brain when I think about ToH.  One of my favorite highlights is when Uter gets turned into a German festival meal.

Quotes: 

Doris: OK, I got your German grub right here.
          [serves Bart, who eats, and walks away]
   Lisa: Bart, does it strike you as odd that Uter disappeared and
         suddenly they're serving us this mysterious food called
         "Uterbraten"?
Skinner: [walking up in leiderhosen] Oh, relax, kids, I've got a _gut_
         feeling Uter is around here somewhere.  [chuckles] After all,
         isn't there a little _Uter_ in all of us?  [chuckles] In fact,
         you might even say we just _ate_ Uter and he's in our
         _stomachs_ right now!  [laughs] Wait...scratch that one. 

  *****

Lisa: Mom!  Mom!  You've gotta help: they're cooking kids in the
           school cafeteria!
    Marge: Listen, kids: you're eight and ten years old now.  I can't be
           fighting all your battles for you.
     Bart: But Mom --
    Marge: No buts!  You march right back to that school, look them
           straight in the eye, and say "Don't eat me"!
Bart+Lisa: [disappointed] OK.

 

#9:  Hungry Are The Damned (ToH I)

The first ToH to feature Kang and Kodos.  I love how Marge tries to flatter their great technological achievement of the Pong video game. 

Quotes:

Alien: Greetings.  I am Kang.  Do not be frightened.  We mean you no harm.
   Marge: You, you speak English.
   Alien: I am actually speaking Rigelian.  By an astonishing coincidence,
          both of our languages are exactly the same.
   -- The Simpsons are abducted by aliens,
      ``Hungry Are the Damned'' in ``Treehouse of Horror'' 

*****

Nobody, but NOBODY eats the Simpsons!
   -- Homer, ``Hungry Are the Damned'' in ``Treehouse of Horror''
   

#8:  Don't Have A Cow, Mankind (ToH XX) 

28 Days Later is on of my favorite movies, and I like how the Simpsons handled it in this segment.  One of my favorite small parts of the episode is Apu's vegetable necklace; nice touch!

Quotes:

Marge: I can't kill her, she's Lisa's god mother
Apu: You can apologize in hell
Marge: I guess I could!

*****

Marge: What kind of civilized people eat the body and blood of their savior?
[camera pans to Reverend Lovejoy...]

#7:  Dial 'Z' For Zombies (ToH III) 

I'm a sucker for zombie movies, and this segment delivers with biting ferocity.  Lisa turned into a snail is classic!

Quotes:

Bart:  From A-Apple to Z-Zebra, Baby's First Pop-up book is 26 pages of
       alphabetic adventure!
Mrs.K: Bart, you mean to tell me you read a book intended for preschoolers?
Bart:  Well, most of it. 

*****

Lisa:  Dad, we did something very bad!
Homer: [eating pork rinds, frowns] Did you wreck the car?
Bart:  Nooo!
Homer: [frowns] Did you raise the dead?
Lisa:  Yesss!
Homer: [more frowns] But the car's okay?
Kids:  Uh-huh.
Homer: [relieved] All right then.

 

#6:  Lisa's Nightmare (ToH II)

I really enjoy every segment in ToH II.  It's probably overall the best Simpsons ToH, and I picked this episode because the monkey paw scenario is awesome.  Back in those days when Simpsons mania hit, it really seemed like the calypso album would be a reality.  My favorite part is probably when Homer thinks the stand has mysteriously vanished, until realizing he's just pointing in the wrong direction.

Quotes:

  Lisa:  [takes the paw] I wish for world peace. [the second finger on the paw closes]
Homer:  Lisa, that was very selfish of you! -- `The Monkey's Paw' in ``Treehouse of Horror II''

*****

Alien 1: It seems the earthlings won.
   Alien 2: Did they?  That board with a nail in it may have defeated us.
            But the humans won't stop there.  They'll make bigger boards
            and bigger nails, and soon, they will make a board with a nail
            so big, it will destroy them all!
            [both aliens laugh evilly, for quite some time]
   -- `The Monkey's Paw' in ``Treehouse of Horror II'' 

#5:  Bart's Nightmare (ToH II)

The whole premise of this episode where Bart has god-like powers really entertains me.  It makes me think what I would do with that kind of ability, and how terrified people are because of Bart's special gift.

Quotes:

Bart:  [sees Snowball 2]  Every day, same old cat.  I'll make it more
          interesting.  [furrows his brow, turning the cat into a
          multi-colored fire-breathing whatever]
   Snowball:  Meow.  [fire breath singes the breakfast table.  The cereal
          box is on fire]
   Bart:  Ah, there.  That's better.
   Marge: Much better.  Oh, good!  The curtains are on fire.
   Homer: [nervously]  It's good that you made that.. awful thing, Bart.
          It's real good.
          [Marge hoses down the fire with the fire extinguisher]
   -- `The Bart Zone' in ``Treehouse of Horror II'' 

*****

Well, class the history of our country has been changed again, to correspond
   with Bart's answers on yesterday's test.  [groans from the class]
   America was now discovered in 1942 by ... [consults]  `Some Guy'.
   And our country isn't called America any more.  It's Bonerland.
   -- Ms. Krabappel, `The Bart Zone' in ``Treehouse of Horror II'' 

#4:  Stop The World, I Want To Goof Off (ToH XIV)

Adult Milhouse lived his whole life on a diet of gummy worms; awesome!  Mayor Quimby probably has his most clever idea in the series when he tries to catch Bart and Milhouse in this segment.  

Quotes:

Bart:  Check out these ads! Let's see... X-ray gum... [Gasps] Cool!  Milhouse, do you have your change purse?
Milhouse:  Always!!

*****
Principal Skinner:  Due to budget cuts, music class will now have a two drink minimum.  Cran-apple juice only counts as one, and...
Bart and Milhouse stop time and pull down Skinner's pants
[Skinner gasps]  My slacks!  They've descended!

#3:  Time And Punishment (ToH V) 

I know it's ridiculous, but I always felt sorry for Homer when arrived in the perfect version of his world and leaves before it starts raining donuts.  And Willy takes another axe in the back!

Quotes:

Homer: Aah!  OK, don't panic -- remember the advice your father gave you
       on your wedding day.
        [remembers Abe with hair and a tuxedo]
  Abe: If you ever travel back in time, don't step on anything because
       even the tiniest change can alter the future in ways you can't
       imagine.
Homer: Fine.  As long as I stand perfectly still and don't touch
       anything, I won't destroy the future.
        [a mosquito flies in]
       Stupid bug!  You go squish now!  [swats it] 

*****

Homer: This time I'm not going to touch a thing.
        [a tyrannosaurus rex attacks him]
       Aah!  [hopping away] Mustn't crush...mustn't kill...made it!
        [sits on a fish that walks out of the water]
  Ohh, I wish, I wish I hadn't killed that fish.

#2:  Clown Without Pity (ToH III)

I remember people singing the H-O-M-E-R song for weeks after this episode.  Perhaps it's the Gremlins connection that makes this episode so memorable to me, or Krusty's infatuation with Malibu Stacy.

Quotes:

Owner: Take this object, but beware it carries a terrible curse!
Homer: [worried] Ooooh, that's bad.
Owner: But it comes with a free Frogurt!
Homer: [relieved] That's good.
Owner: The Frogurt is also cursed.
Homer: [worried] That's bad.
Owner: But you get your choice of topping!
Homer: [relieved] That's good.
Owner: The toppings contains Potassium Benzoate.
Homer: [stares]
Owner: That's bad. 

Homer: Can I go now? 

*****

Doll:  Guess who, Fat boy!!
Homer: [blinded, bumping around, with the doll strapped to his head]
       Marge!  Marge!  Look!
Marge: [from the kitchen] Oh, my God!
Homer: [staggering into the kitchen] The doll's trying to kill me and the
       toaster's been laughin' at me!

#1:  The Devil And Homer Simpson (ToH IV)

This one's what Halloween's all about; the Devil!  While the Heck House episode is fairly similar, this is the one that first introduced Ned as the King of the Underworld.  I like how deleted scenes expanded on Homer's punishment in hell.

Quotes:

While Homer signs, Mr. Burns watches on the security monitors.

Burns:  Hmm, who is that goat-legged fellow? I like the cut of his jip.

Smithers:  The Prince of Darkness, sir. He's your eleven o'clock.

*****

Flanders:  I hold here a contract between myself and one Homer Simpson pledging me his soul for a donut -- which I delivered! And it was scrump-diddly-umptious! I simply ask for what is mine!

The jury chatter.

Hutz:  That was a right-pretty speech, sir. But I ask you, what is a contract? Webster's defines it as "an agreement under the law which is unbreakable." (with emphasis) Which is unbreakable! (the jury stare at him) Excuse me, I must use the restroom.

*************************************

Well, that's it for my favorite segments of the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes.  There's 50 other segments out there, plus the new ones coming up, so I'm sure everyone has there own special memories of this great show.  Happy Halloween!