‘The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XXXVII’ Review: Halloween Special Memorable Moments
The Simpsons Halloween specials were yearly traditions for me growing up. In syndication, there were always marathons of the collected episodes up to that point. I’ve probably watched the horror shorts in the first eight The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror episodes more than individual episodes.
Even though I am a waning fan of The Simpsons, having stopped around season fifteen, I have kept up with the Halloween specials because they have at least been creative and entertaining to a degree. “Treehouse of Horror XXXVII” is season thirty-eight’s entry into the anthology, and while it doesn’t live up to the classics, there were some standout moments.
The Simpsons Halloween special intro (The Nightmare Before Christmas parody)
The intro is hands down the star of the episode as the special does a parody of The Nightmare Before Christmas and the opening song “This is Halloween.” The Simpsons’ version is not as catchy, but I ignored the lyrics every time I replay it just so I could watch twenty seconds of pure stop-motion beauty. Most of the big characters from The Simpsons were transformed into icons from The Nightmare Before Christmas, including Bart as Jack Skellington, Lisa as Shock, Marge as Sally, and Homer as the Mayor of Halloween Town.
In the end credits, the show highlights stills of the puppets used to produce this opening segment, giving viewers a second chance to appreciate true art. The only bad thing I can say about it is that it’s too short and not an actual segment in the episode. Hopefully, someday The Simpsons can return to stop motion again.
“Bride’s Shed Revisited”
“Bride’s Shed Revisited” opens with Marge and Homer early on in their marriage. Marge wants to build a shed; Homer barely helps, and for some reason when he goes inside, Marge gets married to another character from The Simpsons.
This also changes the house and who Marge associates with. It begins with Lenny, followed by Chief Wiggum, Dr. Hibbert, and so on. It peaks when Jeff Probst appears as a guest star, literally playing himself as Marge’s new beau. He’s not a very good actor in this role, and the inclusion of Probst feels a bit dated.
The other celebrity guest, Tiffany Haddish, who plays Marge’s surprise friend, is a delight even though her inclusion is shoehorned in as well. There’s not much of a horror element to “Bride’s Shed Revisited”. Marge’s new partners aren’t trying to kill her, and the shed itself is not explained. This is by far the weakest segment of the episode and is down near the bottom in how I would rank every segment in the Treehouse of Horror anthology.
“Dog Boy Afternoon”
Things pick up considerably with “Dog Boy Afternoon,” which is a combination of Freaky Friday and Pet Cemetery. Yes, two very old classic ideas in cinema, but the usage is clever. When Homer and Bart go out to eat at Luigi’s with Santa’s Little Helper tagging along, the poor pooch gets hit by a car.
While burying him in the pet graveyard, Homer accidentally kills Bart too. Panicking, he puts Bart in the same hole, and when Homer wakes up the next day, both Bart and the dog are perfectly fine… seemingly.
What actually happened is that their souls were switched around so that Bart is trapped in the dog while Santa’s Little Helper is living it up as a human. It’s a great play on tropes, with Lisa added in to help Bart get his body back while Homer is acting like a real cad.
Everyone gets what they deserve in the end, and the most gruesome kill in the entire episode is saved for one family member. My favorite jokes in the episode were Homer’s A.M. beers and vodka drinks, which I would rank highly as clever gags in the overall series.
“Vehicular Dadslaughter”
“Vehicular Dadslaughter” opens with Bart and Lisa as teenagers, and Marge is single because Homer mysteriously left the family seven years ago. When the kids go to Driver’s Ed, they notice the actors in the simulation films look a lot like their dad. When they sneak into the DMV later that night, they find out what happened to Homer and get locked inside a series of driving films, too.
“Vehicular Dadslaughter” is a high concept and my favorite of the episode in terms of real segments. Following the rules to escape a simulation is so video game coded that I could see this working as a standalone product, with or without The Simpsons. The villains of the episode are kind of obvious, and once again not much is explained, but that’s par for the course for a Treehouse of Horror entry.
The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XXXVII rating and final thoughts
The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XXXVII is not a home run that lapsed fans of The Simpsons, like me, should go out and see. The Nightmare Before Christmas parody is undoubtedly special, and I did overall like the ideas in “Dog Boy Afternoon” and “Vehicular Dadslaughter,” with “Bride’s Shed Revisited” dragging down the whole episode.
I do have complaints beyond “Bride’s Shed Revisited,” though. Every segment focused on the Simpson family while not giving the other townsfolk much to do. It’s a real shame in a show that celebrates so many unique voices.
Furthermore, the segments don’t feel like they have air to breathe. Things start, twist, and end so quickly that I sort of developed whiplash by the end credits. That said, in what has become an annual tradition, this episode at least didn’t let me down, and I look forward to next year’s Treehouse of Horror.
