The Simpsons get spooky

The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Treehouse of Horror XVIII Airs: Sunday, Nov. 4,… The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Treehouse of Horror XVIII Airs: Sunday, Nov. 4, 2007 at 8 p.m.

This Sunday, Nov. 4 marks the return of “The Simpsons” annual “Treehouse of Horror” episode. These episodes are classic, entirely too quotable and filled with ghoulish holiday fun. These are no ordinary “The Simpsons” episodes. Anything can, and does, happen. Anyone can die, become a horrible monster, transport to another time or world or face the apocalypse. Throughout the years, the Simpsons have endured all of these trials and more, all to return the next week as if nothing ever happened.

Beginning on Oct. 25, 1990, in the show’s second season, the Simpsons have been amusing and terrifying viewers with these themed episodes. Each episode takes its tales from well-known horror and science fiction sources. Many “Twilight Zone” episodes have been parodied, as well as some of the greatest horror and science fiction movies.

The Simpsons have gone crazy like Nicholson in “The Shining,” experienced their nightmares like the victims of Freddy Kruger and faced an obsessive, Pierce Brosnan-voiced smart-house a la “2001: A Space Odyssey.” The inspiration for horrors for the Simpsons to endure is not always contemporary. Occasionally, the writers take cues from the master of horror, Edgar Allan Poe. In the first “Treehouse of Horror,” Homer is tortured by a Bart-faced raven, as in the classic horror tale.

“Treehouse of Horror IV” featured the devil (a Ned Flanders look-alike) ready to strike a deal with Homer, who agreed to sell his soul for a doughnut. In the next tale of terror, “Nightmare at 5 1/2 Feet,” Bart sees a goblin on the side of the bus, but no one believes him. This is a reference to the classic “Twilight Zone” episode, “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” Finally, the Simpsons visit Mr. Burns, who has become a vampire. The vampire-Burns turns Bart into one as well, and Lisa and Homer must kill the lead vampire to save Bart and the town.

“Treehouse of Horror V” brought a homicidal Homer, time travel-Homer and some extra-hungry faculty at Springfield Elementary. In “The Shining,” Homer is driven mad by having to house-sit with no beer and no TV. Bart develops a “shining” that helps thwart his father’s murderous attempts.

Homer time travels in “Time and Punishment” after attempting to fix the toaster. At first he heeds his father’s warning, “If you ever go back in time, don’t touch anything,” but his mistake; Homer lets loose. He is transported to alternate universes including one where Flanders is a lobotomy-giving overlord and one where the Simpsons are rich. Homer leaves this paradise after asking for a doughnut and receiving confused responses, not realizing that doughnuts were falling from the sky. He settles for a family with frog-like tongues instead. The teachers at Springfield Elementary found a way around the rising cost of meat for the cafeteria. One by one, the students are butchered for sloppy Joes and fish sticks. Bart and Lisa catch on when the homework of the day becomes “eat a stick of butter.”

Other memorable moments were in “Treehouse of Horror VI” when Homer finds his way into another dimension – ours. The episode closes on a 3-D Homer walking into a real-life bakery. In “Treehouse of Horror III” Homer buys Bart a Krusty the Clown doll who befriends Bart, but repeatedly attempts to murder Homer.

This year, in “Treehouse of Horror XVIII,” the Simpsons are in for some scary adventures. In a segment entitled, “Mr. and Mrs. Simpson,” Marge and Homer will be pitted against each other in a “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” style battle of wits. “E.T. Go Home” features the Halloween staple character, Kodos the alien, who wants to communicate with his home planet. In “Heck House,” Bart and Lisa prank the citizens of Springfield and Ned Flanders retaliates. Ned is given supernatural powers and teaches the children a lesson by forcing them to experience the seven deadly sins.

Although “The Simpsons” has been on the air for almost twenty years, its dedication to quality television and tradition keeps viewers returning every year. With “Treehouse of Horror XVIII,” creator Matt Groening continues the Halloween tradition, and if number 18 is anything like the previous installments of the “Treehouse” series, it will be full of all the satirical, pop-culture referencing, comedic genius that is a Simpsons Halloween. Happy watching, happy laughing and have a happy Halloween (in November) with the Simpsons!