Ah my readers, DESPITE the fact that we have Christmas stuff up already in shops… something that continues and will always enrage me. We are finally into the month of October. Skies darken, and the spooky season commences, which conveniently allows me to create a buffer if I’m low on things that would fill the bracket or say all my classic games I’ve been playing of late are all Megaman related and I don’t want to do 2 in a row.. but anyway, time for a look into horror with another classic entry into the Simpson’s treehouse.

The 4th Treehouse episode is the last one to have a narrative conjoining element or host section. In this case Bart is our horror host presenting the tales in relation to paintings.

These stories are “The Devil and Homer Simpson”, “Terror at 5 and a Half Feet” , and finally “Bart Simpson’s Dracula”

The first story features a few classic scenes where Homer sells his soul for a donut and we get a few scenes of Simpson’s Hell and demons. Second is the Simpson’s take on the classic Twilight Zone story but is not that funny because of it. It’s a decent adaptation and translation of the story, but isn’t one you’re going to watch for a fun time. The stand out and funniest is Bart Simpson’s Dracula.

Design wise this last section takes reference and designs from the then recent Dracula movie Bram Stoker’s Dracula, notably the hair.

Even before this section starts you get the hilarious joke on the most insidious terrifying painting in the gallery, one that drives people mad with horror. So intense was the story made to go with the painting, that they just threw something together with vampires instead. This is also the section that gets the most references, notably the part where Chief Wiggum suspects the wrong supernatural monster.

As a small child (yes I was a child when this was on TV) this originally was the Tree House episode I didn’t like, and thinking back it’s probably because of the first 2 stories and a bunch of the jokes in the vampire bit. And for the most part, those first 2 stories still are dull to me. The Devil one has some good moments and I can understand the work on the second. But they just aren’t as enjoyable as the third Treehouse episode. That said I do still love that lead into the final story, definitely the high point.

Rating: 🎃🎃🎃