Treehouse of Horror VIII
| "Treehouse of Horror VIII" | ||
|---|---|---|
Couch gag The Simpsons sit on the couch. Metal shackles restrain their wrists and ankles and metal caps come down on all of their heads. The family writhes in pain as they get shocked by electricity.[1] | | |
| Commentary | Matt Groening Mike Scully David X. Cohen Mark Kirkland George Meyer Matt Selman | |
"Treehouse of Horror VIII" is the fourth episode of the
Plot
Opening
A censor for the Fox network named Fox Censor is sitting at his desk going through the show's script, censoring some things and explaining to the audience that the episode is rated
The HΩmega Man
After
Fly vs. Fly
Homer buys a matter transporter from Professor Frink. Bart sees the family pets inadvertently go through the transporter together, resulting in a DNA mismatch. This gives him the idea to enter the teleporter with a fly, thinking that he will become a mutant superhero. However, the machine simply switches their heads around. Bart appeals to Lisa for help, but she is chased by the fly and cornered in the kitchen. Bart tries to stop the fighting, but is eaten by the fly. Lisa then pushes the fly into the teleporter. Bart comes out the other end, fully restored. Homer furiously chases Bart with an axe for messing with the device.
Easy-Bake Coven
In 1649, the town is witness to many
Production
"The HΩmega Man" was written by Mike Scully,[2] "Fly Vs. Fly" was written by David X. Cohen,[3] and "Easy-Bake Coven" was written by Ned Goldreyer.[2] Large portions of the "Fly vs. Fly" segment were cut, including the original ending where the fly also emerges from the teleporter, but is considerably larger and the Simpson family ride it to the mall.[3]
The producers had trouble with the censors over several segments in this episode. The opening segment of the episode, which features the aforementioned censor Fox Censor being stabbed to death, was pitched by David Mirkin and had a difficult time getting through the real-life censors. They had issues with the size of the knife and the sound effects used.[2] Originally, the TV-rating was supposed to stab Censor with a dagger, but Fox objected because it was too gruesome and was changed to a cutlass.[4] The censors also objected to an unaired scene where Homer does his naked church dance on an altar. The scene was reanimated so that Homer was dancing naked in the front row.[2]
This episode was the only Treehouse of Horror episode that was directed by Mark Kirkland. It was also the last episode Brad Bird worked on; he left the show to direct The Iron Giant at Warner Bros. Animation. "Easy-Bake Coven" was storyboarded by Kirkland and the backgrounds were designed by Lance Wilder.[4] Although Kang and Kodos make brief appearances in every Treehouse of Horror episode, their brief appearance in this one was nearly cut. David X. Cohen managed to persuade the producers to leave the scene in.[3]
Cultural references
As with the majority of the Treehouse of Horror episodes, numerous cultural references are made throughout the episode. "The HΩmega Man" is an extended homage to film The Omega Man, which was one of Mike Scully's favorite movies as a child.[2] In the same segment, Homer runs over Johnny and Edgar Winter while fleeing the mutants pursuing him, mistaking them as mutants as the Winter brothers are both albino.[2] Homer does not seem to "get" Gary Larson's calendar. In the movie theater Homer watches a David Spade/Chris Farley comedy, just six and a half weeks after the episode aired Farley died of a drug overdose at age 33.
The title "Fly vs. Fly" is a reference to the Mad magazine comic strip "Spy vs. Spy", while the segment itself is based on the film The Fly, with elements from the remake by David Cronenberg, primarily the telepod design.[3] In "Easy-Bake Coven", the animators referenced the film The Crucible for many of their designs,[4] and Edna Krabappel is wearing a Scarlet A, which is a reference to the novel The Scarlet Letter.[3]
"Easy Bake Coven" makes a reference the TV show Bewitched; when Patty and Selma refer to Homer as "Derwood", Marge corrects them, "His name is Homer." In Bewitched, Samantha's mother Endora often referred to Darrin as "Derwood" (among other things), whereupon Samantha often corrected her with "His name is Darrin."
Reception
In its original broadcast, "Treehouse of Horror VIII" finished 18th in ratings for the week of October 20–26, 1997, with a
"Treehouse of Horror VIII" won a
In a retrospective review for The A.V. Club, Erik Adams praised Alf Clausen's score, "its mournful oboe like a fall breeze shaking the last leaves from the branches. The 'Treehouse' franchise is a yearly showcase for Clausen’s work, and he doesn’t disappoint here."[9] The original "Treehouse of Horror" was the first episode scored by Clausen.
References
- ^ a b Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Treehouse of Horror VIII". BBC. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
- ^ a b c d e f Scully, Mike (2006). The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VIII" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b c d e Cohen, David X. (2006). The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VIII" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b c Kirkland, Mark (2006). The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VIII" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Bauder, David (October 31, 1997). "Strongs series finish boosts NBC". Rocky Mountain News. p. 11D.
- ^ "Past Golden Reel Awards". MPSE.org. Archived from the original on 2009-03-17. Retrieved 2007-10-17.
- ^ "Primetime Emmy Awards Advanced Search". Emmys.org. Archived from the original on 2009-02-15. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
- ^ Bahn, Christopher; Donna Bowman, Josh Modell, Noel Murray, Nathan Rabin, Tasha Robinson, Kyle Ryan, Scott Tobias (2006-04-26). "Beyond "D'oh!": Simpsons Quotes For Everyday Use". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 2008-07-09. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Adams, Erik (July 19, 2015). "The Simpsons (Classic): "Treehouse of Horror VIII"". The A.V. Club.
External links
