The Simpsons (TV Series) Treehouse of Horror IV (1993) User Reviews

One Of The Best TOHs Out There (SPOILERS)

[I_Am_The_Taylrus · 10/10 · 4 March 2007]

SPOILERS

I must say, this is probably the second best Treehouse Of Horror in the Simpsons history. Treehouse Of Horror Five is the best but Treehouse Of Horror Four comes very close. There are hilarious and hysterical gags in this episode, and some very good entertainment parodies, such as Night Gallery, the Francis Ford Coppala version of Dracula, and Pigs Is Pigs.

The first segment of this episode is about Homer. He sells his soul for a donut. Until a fair trial he has to spend time in Hell. In Hell Homer has to do grueling tasks, such as eat all the donuts in the whole entire world, which he enjoys very much. At the trial it seems that Homer will have to spend an eternity in Hell but Marge helps him when she finds a photograph that says that Homer's soul is legally Marge's. Homer is punished still, however, by having a donut for a head.

The second segment is about Bart. When Bart goes on his school bus to, well, school he sees a gremlin on the bus. Nobody believes him. He then sees the gremlin take screws off the bus's tire. Bart then takes an emergency flare and lights the gremlin on fire, knocking it off the bus. Unluckily for Bart he is taken to a mental hospital, despite the fact that he was right.

The third segment is about the family. They go to Mr. Burns's mansion is Pennslyvania, which sounds a lot like Trannslyvania. Lisa discovers that Mr. Burns is a vampire. Bart and Lisa find Mr. Burns secret laundry room, plus his Vampire Room. Mr. Burns bites Bart, turning him into a vampire. The family goes home. The whole family realizes that Bart is a vampire. Homer and Lisa go back to the mansion and kill Mr. Burns. The twist is that Marge is the Head Vampire, and the family is about to kill Lisa when they break into the Peanuts song.

Overall, this is a great Treehouse of Horror episode. To this day, I have no idea why they all of a sudden turn into the Peanuts Christmas Special. It is supposed to be Halloween. Some of the best quotes ever in the whole entire show are in this episode. They are also some really good reveals in this episode, such as the reveal of the super-secret laundry room. Anyway, this is a fantastic Treehouse Of Horror that you must see if you are a fan of the Simpsons.

10/10

Gallery of Horror

[hellraiser7 · 10/10 · 9 June 2016]

This is another of my favorite episodes of the show and best Treehouse of Horror segments. All three stories I think are great and two of them are my absolute favs.

The first one is an original one on Homer and the Devil. This was just a hilarious story as it practically displays the epitome of Homer's stupidity. Honestly he couldn't wait till after work to go to a Dunkin Doughnuts to by a box full of doughnut's, let alone he couldn't of just wished for a huge sum of doughnuts; thinking long run was never Homer's strong suit.

I really liked seeing Flander's as the Devil, it makes sense in a way, honestly is anyone ever that nice. He has a funny dry witism but also a bit of menace. Really like that moment he transforms into the Fantasia devil which I'll admit was a bit scary, but it goes to show whatever deal you make with him goes.

It was really funny seeing Homer's time in Hell, really love the Ironic Punishment lab where Homer has to eat all the doughnuts in the world which he does, Homer has a superhuman stomach.

The second is of course a parody on the famous Twilight Zone tale "Terror from 1,000 ft". Who'd of thought going on a school bus could be a terrifying experience. Bart of course is plague of a dream which of course turned out to be a omen of doom (in a way that scene is almost an homage to the film "Final Destination" and that was years before that movie.) and doesn't want to ride the bus but has no choice. Why he could get a ride from Marge or Homer is any ones guess, honestly is it really that far.

It's funny and kinda sad as Bart is trying to convince people he's telling the truth, but like in all horror stories no one believes him which is always their fatal mistake. My favorite moment was when Bart was retrieving road flares from Martin's rear end but then he leaves one flare behind, yeah Martin deserves that one.

The last one of course is probably my fifth favorite Treehouse tale, which of course is a parody on the Dracula franchise but most notably the Francis Ford Copila version which is my favorite one. I really like that scene where we see Bart and company float in front of Lisa's window which is sort of an homage to "Salem's Lot" and "The Lost Boys".

But of course the highlight is seeing Homer about to stake his boss, but of course on his first attempt lets just say Homer hits way below the mark. And in the end just when you think the horror is over, you discover it has only just begun.

So, Happy Halloween everybody.

Rating: 4 stars

A super fun happy ride!!!

[Foreverisacastironmess123 · 10/10 · 31 October 2016]

This has always been one of my favourite Simpsons Halloween shows and I love all three segments which are all about the characters and are so full of such great quotes. I love all the parodies of famous works of art in the gallery book-ending part which is kind of strangely dropped as the third tale becomes the 'real' show. The first story was a fantastic take on an old scenario, selling one's soul to the devil in exchange for something. Flanders made for a surprisingly great devil and is evil yet just as char-diddly-arming! Maybe it works so well because he's so nice all the time. I love when Homer actually has the presence of mind to realise that the devil can't take his soul if he doesn't finish the doughnut of damnation, and he teases the devil about it who becomes enraged and flares up into a more traditional image of Satan for a moment and that's quite the excellent bit of striking animation they did there. Why did they make it so easy for Homer to get at and eat the last speck of the doughnut by placing it right in the fridge instead of just throwing it away? I do love that crazy absurd lapse in logic though. Besides we get treated to seeing Homer briefly go to hell and see a timeless and absolutely hysterical scene where Homer is ironically 'punished' by being force-fed endless doughnuts until he bloats up like a balloon and still enjoys it and actually wants more, to the hilarious astonishment of the blue demon delivering the torture! The scene was so well remembered that a toy was once made depicting it. And also the freakish doughnut-headed Homer who is picking and eating at his own head is a priceless funny sight gag! They kept the doughnut motif going in the tale pretty inventively. The second story is a neat Simpsonny spin on a certain old beloved Twilight Zone story, although a bus is a big change from a plane! It still has a nice atmosphere about it though, I love the rain and the eerie music. And it has a lot of moments and lines in it that make me laugh, like Homer terrorising Bart with the boat horn he 'found', and Ralph saying "You're deceptive!" What the?! I personally find the ending genuinely creepy! It then closes with a terrifyingly terrific Dracula story that features Mr. Burns as a parody of the Gary Oldman incarnation of the character from the 90's movie. It's so funny when Homer mutters that Dracula-Burns' hair looks "So queer." Yeah I remember that about the movie back when it came out. Oldman gave such a top performance but all you could really concentrate on was the stupid hairdo! Burns causes me to laugh again with the noise that he makes after Homer stakes him in the correct place and he disintegrates into gross old man mush! And then it ended, with such a bizarrely out of nowhere happy ending, with the family of vampires all about to get Lisa and then stopping to sing a sweet Christmassy tune while Santa's Little Helper tap dances? Okay why not! Enourmously fun classic episode, still so charming to watch after all these years. Happy Halloween indeed!

best one

[mikeholmes-48012 · 10/10 · 9 June 2016]

i never give something 10 but for this one i have to. i usually visit this site and give cheesy reviews of shows i have watched on the oldie station but i thought, why not this. I have been known to be a fan of the Simpsons, i have almost every figure in the Springfield series minus bout 20 of them and they are mostly the ones you get in the play sets. i find the new Simpsons fad chasing and preachy so my figures are for sale soon. contact me, cheap. anyhow , this episode was so awesome when i saw it new nad it never gets old, what is it, over 20 years, i remember being in art class and talking about this one, that was 1993. Everyone saw this episode. Common phrases were "super fun happy slide" or "Hey Otto there 's a Gremlin on the side of the bus". I always liked how Burns shadow played the yo yo and didn't act like him . I remember a Mad Magizine where they had someone write in saying that scene stole from them when Mad Magizine had a bit about people doing one thing and their shadow doing another (lots of material there). The forbidden donut, Lionel Hutz, the Philidlehia dirt bag flyers of 76 (Sorry Devils fan here), ironic punishment in hell (twilight zone fan so nothing new but still cool), and did i already say "super fun happy slide">.

Perhaps my favorite part of this episode, now that i approach 40 , is how it reminds me of being a kid on a school bus. No monsters, no gremlins on the side of the bus, no flares or German kids named Uter, but that warm feeling you had back when, when you were on a bus on your way to school in rainy weather but you were warm and fine and you had that great feeling that when you got to school, you had something (rain) to look at when you stared out the window. The Simpson cannot recreate taht ever again, not for my generation at least. now all the episodes deal with stupid trends so much that like i said, i got a lot of figure for sale for cheap. but that feeling i get , when i see the school bus (ghoul bus) , that can never be sold.

An Animated Gallery of Ghoulish Portraits of Terror

[Incredible_Brightness · 16 November 2006]

The Simpson Halloween specials / Treehouses of Horror usually function as spoofs on different types of horror movies / TV programs. The opening features Bart walking through a gallery of paintings, each one of which he says has a scary story to tell.

The first painting tells the story of a desperate Homer at work without a donut (he always keeps a spare for emergencies in a book with pages hollowed out at the center - Black Christmas, 1974). He says the immortal, "I would sell my soul for a donut," and suddenly... who should appear to grant his request but The Devil (The Devil and Daniel Webster, 1941 - also a classic book / story), Ned Flanders ("it's always the ones you least suspect"). Homer thinks he can outsmart Devil Flanders if he doesn't eat the entire donut. But during a midnight snack craving, he manages to eat it anyway. Satan Ned shows up to claim his property when Lisa suggests they have a trial to determine who owns the soul, but Ned may have the upper hand when he selects his special "Jury of the Damned," which is comprised of many murderers and tyrannical dictators from history's past. The outcome of the trial involves a double twist.

The second painting tells the story of Bart's nightmare that predicts his imminent death on a school bus. He wakes up to find it was just a nightmare. Until he boards the bus and the things he saw in his dream are starting to come true. Only now, he looks to find the source of the bus's malfunction and sees a little monster on the side of the bus, taking it apart, trying to make it crash (The Twilight Zone / Twilight Zone: The Movie, 1983). He runs to the bus driver and tells him there's a gremlin (Gremlins, 1984) on the side of the bus. But Principal Skinner and Groundskeeper Willie who are also riding the bus tie him to his seat to keep him quiet. The little creature slowly picks screw by screw out of the bus's wheels trying to get it to crash and a resourceful Bart is able to shake the thing for a moment at which point a passing Ned Flanders comes to the creature's aid. He wraps it up in a blanket and takes it away (It's Alive, 1974) with him. However, soon a story Twist changes the situation.

The third tale tells of the Simpson family's visit to Mr. Burns' creepy castle in Pennsylvania. Right away, things are seriously amiss as Mr. Burns dressed in a long, red robe and big white poofy sticky bun of snow-white hair (Bram Stoker's Dracula, 1992) and a deformed, shriveled, hunchbacked Mr. Smithers (too many movies to name) answer the door. At dinner the family are given what appear to be glasses of wine but which are actually full of blood (The Lost Boys, 1987). Lisa and Bart get up from the table to look around the house and find a basement full of coffins (Once Bitten, 1985), as well as a book with a spell that might tell them something of how to stop these creatures of the dead. Then when the undead begin rising from their coffins, Lisa runs away but Bart is bitten by Mr. Burns who changes into a human from a bat (Dracula, 1931). That night, in her room, Lisa is awakened by a floating Bart who wants to enter through her locked window (Salem's Lot, 1979) and when Lisa screams, the rest of the family discovers Bart is a vampire. So it's back to Burns' castle to kill who they assume the Head Vampire is, thinking this will return Bart to normal. But Lisa is mistaken in thinking the Head Vampire is Mr. Burns (The Lost Boys, again).

Overall, this is a half and half Treehouse of Horror. The third tale is the best of the show and one of the best and most memorable in the Treehouse series. The first tale has it's high points but isn't all that funny. The second tale, however, is one of the most disappointing and least entertaining portions of the entire Treehouse series. Too much of the story is taken directly from the Twilight Zone installment and the jokes are far too obscure. Wang computers? That's the most obvious one. I didn't "get it," and I almost always get obscure humor.

"Kill my boss? Do I dare live out the American dream?"

[gridoon2024 · 8/10 · 24 March 2010]

I'm usually not the biggest fan of "The Simpsons"'s Treehouse of Horror episodes, maybe because they feel a bit too cluttered, but this Season 5 version is certainly one of the best I've seen so far. The first two stories, about Homer selling his soul to the Devil for a donut and Bart seeing his nightmare about his school bus becoming reality, are good enough, but the undeniable highlight IMO is the third story, a clever and affectionate homage / parody of Coppola's 1992 "Dracula" (doing a MUCH better job at that in about 7 minutes than Mel Brooks did in 90 with "Dracula: Dead And Loving It"), with Mr. Burns perfectly chosen as the title character, and some big laughs ("The police are baffled"). The animation is particularly great in this entire episode, featuring lots of transformations and other special effects. Only possible drawback is the ending, which is so crazy and nonsensical that it will not be to everyone's taste. *** out of 4.

Candy isn't the only treat you can get at Halloween

[gizmomogwai · 9/10 · 19 September 2008]

Treehouse of Horror IV is one of two serious contenders for being my favourite Treehouse of Horror, and I love the Halloween-themed Treehouses of Horror. The other really great one is Treehouse of Horror V. Even if Treehouse of Horror IV isn't the best Halloween episode, I might just say it's the best episode of season 5. It's the reason why I own season 5 on DVD, and it was worth my $20.

As always, there's three stories. Homer sells his soul to Satan for a donut; a terrified Bart sees a gremlin trying to sabotage the school bus; Mr. Burns is a vampire and invites the Simpson family to dinner. What's particularly appealing about this episode isn't just the humour, it's the story concepts. In tackling Satan, vampires, and Mr. Burns, the episode is pitting the Simpsons against pure evil. What could be more exciting? The second installment is also appealing to me because it's about a gremlin, and I've always loved the 1984 movie Gremlins (my screen name is a clue)- though the segment is actually parodying a story from The Twilight Zone instead.

But of course, this is a particularly funny Treehouse of Horror. It achieves this with irony (Flanders is the Devil, the one you'd least suspect, and he assures us the donut he gave Homer was "scrump-diddily-dumptious"), with Lionel Hutz at his incompetent best, with Homer also as his lovable dimwitted self ("Now let's go back to that building-thingy where our beds and TV... is.") Geekiness and stupidity are funny. This whole episode is fun.

Really good Halloween Episoed

[atinder · 8/10 · 11 February 2010]

Bart and other member of The Simpsons family host 3 scary Halloween tales based on some paintings.

The first story is called The Devil and Homer

Homer is at work said to himself he sell his soul for donuts only for The Devil to turn up as Flanders who gives homer the donuts, while a sleep homer as the last part of the donuts as sent to hell for night until the trial.

There had some really funny moment, I really liked the idea of Flanders being the Devil and while Homer is in hell, he add all the Donuts was really funny too.

The next story we see Bart wake up after having nightmare dying on the school bus and Bart feels strange as it getting on the Bus to school and looks out window he sees a GremLin on the side of the bus and no believes him and end up going a bit mad.

I didn't like this story that much, I did find it that funny, but I did enjoy the part when Flanders picked it up was little funny.

Next story which is Bart Simpson's Dracula Mr Burns invites The Simpsons to dinner after closing a deal to buy blood bank., Lisa think Mr burns is vampire, while Mr burns bites Bart.

Later that night Lisa sees Bart and his friends floating outside his window and his about Bite Lisa that when Homer walks find out Bart is the vampire, Lisa tells Homer to kill Mr Burns, As Homer dose, but was Mr Burns the really leader? There is a really good twist to that story , don't want to ruin it.

This great spoof from Bram stoker's Dracula, I find it really funny

Best one so far

[User6482828 · 9/10 · 19 September 2021]

This is the best one out of the first four the first two stories were great third ok.

TOH

[safenoe · 10/10 · 20 December 2022]

I haven't seen the Treehouse of Horrors from season 10 onwards but the ones from the golden years of The Simpsons (which I count as the first 10 seasons to be honest really) are the best, and this one is one that stands out in the annals of treehouse of horrors.

Being a fan of The Twilight Zone, well the original series and even the movie believe it or not, then well done to the production team for their homage to Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (or Nightmare at twenty thousand feet or Nightmare at 6096 meters) in this third Treehouse of Horror of The Simpsons.

It would have been amazing if William Shatner was a guest voice, or John Lithgow, but not to be, or maybe they weren't available.

Treehouse of Horror 4 and twice the rating

[MarkLynnIreland1294 · 8/10 · 21 November 2022]

This is another classic Treehouse of Horror special of The Simpsons, yet the animation seemed a bit off as it was in early seasons. Bart introducing the three segments via paintings which parody of Night Gallery.

First segment - The Devil and Homer Simpson is obviously a reference to The Devil and Daniel Webster. Homer's fatal slaw will always be his desire of doughnuts (like stealing Lard Lad's colossal one). He sells his soul for one to the Devil - in the form of Ned Flanders (how ironic). I like when Homer mocks that he's smarter than the devil as deal wouldn't go through as long as he doesn't eat the last bit of the doughnut - could've last crumb much smaller then lock it up tight and bury it, instead of putting in fridge for midnight snack. The trial bit with Grim Reaper as judge is scary, and got a jury including Benedict Arnold, John Wilkes Booth (Lincoln's assassin), president Nixon and Blackbeard the pirate. At least Marge tries to save Homer with vow his made, he still gets a hefty, and to his taste, price to pay.

Second segment - this is another one based of an episode of Twilight Zone. Bart having some paranoia (which is uncommon) and seemingly a hallucination over a gremlin sabotaging the school bus. I'm confused about this if Bart is telling the truth (as proof of the damage to the bus) or he's definitely having hallucinations. It does have some gut-busting gags from start to finish, like Homer with the air horn.

Final segment is obviously based on the movie Bram Stoker's Dracula which seems luckily coincidental how Bart Simpson has same initials as Irish author of the 1897 Dracula novel. So the Simpsons go to Transylvania to find Mr. Burns who is in villainous role, and Lisa snoops like private investigator. Some gags like the secret switch which reveals laundry room and Burns angrily yell "I heard that!" when Homer mentions Burns' hairdo looks queer and claims the boy said it.

Then this ends very weird with the Charlie Brown's Christmas carol "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and Santa's Little Helper acting like Snoopy the dog - which I disapprove of as its ending.

Another Victory

[Hitchcoc · 10/10 · 7 May 2022]

Once again, great use of the classic horror canon. First of all, we have a parody of Night Gallery, the Rod Serling show where paintings introduced the stories. Bart is the host. First we have Homer, selling his soul to the devil (played by Ned Flanders). The deal is if he eats the donut the soul belongs to Satan. Eventually he goes on trial, based, of course, on "The Devil and Daniel Webster." The theme is "You can't sell what you don't own." Painting number two is the school bus version of the famous Twilight Zone episode, "Nightmare at 5,000 Feet." The gremlin goes after Bart's school bus and Bart is the only one that can see him. Finally, we have the Gary Oldman version of Dracula parodied. All are quite stellar!

Police are baffled

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 4 September 2022]

Bart introduces three more comedy-horror tales.

This is another strong Halloween special where the writers can do what they want with the characters and this is used to maximum comic effect.

The introduction sequences and stories are all very good. My favourite is Homer selling his soul to the devil, which is cleverly written, but the other two are also good. Mr Burns as Bram Stoker's Dracula is inspired.

Some of the Halloween specials can be quite hit and miss in terms of the quality of the material, but this one is pretty consistent with strong verbal humour and sight gags. As ever the opening title sequence contains some classic gravestone jokes.

Treehouse of Horror Top 3 Ever; Nah.. Scratch that - a Top 1 ever

[TheMelancholySpirit · 22 May 2022]

Treehouse of Horror episodes were always great during the earlier Simpsons years. The latest one I ever remember seeing, though, I think, was around the season 15-20 one. I can't remember for sure. But of all the ones I have seen and that's at least 10-20 in total, maybe 14 or 15 for sure, this one - alongside V, VI and several others - are the best. The references, jokes, nostalgia and what they're based on usually are top tier, whether Vampires, Nightmare cafeterias, Gremlins, a 3D world, werewolves and beyond. I used to love these a lot as a kid as well, looking forward to one airing and remembering little bits and pieces that would make me smile and laugh and discuss with pals. Treehouse of Horror is always a blast. Season 4's Treehouse of Horror III with the Krusty Doll and King Kong Homer is another highlight that I love, great memories from that one. A bit of a step up, just barely, but a bit of a step up in season 5's Treehouse of Horror IV, where Homer essentially does whatever it takes for a - singular, not even plural - donut. What does he do? Makes a deal with Ned Flanders, the devil, that he will sell his soul for a donut. In my humble opinion this here is the most memorable Simpsons part of a Treehouse of Horror, alongside Treehouse of Horror V's Shining. Also included in this is the Gremlin on the Bus section, which parodies Twilight Zone (the Movie); it, too, is memorable and hilarious. Even more so is the Vampire / Mr. Burns Dracula part where the Simpsons travel to Transylvania and Bart becomes a Vampire. Three great, nostalgic, hilarious, and standout Treehouse of Horror sections which make up possibly the best of them all as a whole, alongside Treehouse V and either Treehouse VI or VIII. This episode includes what is also my single favourite line of any Simpsons dialogue ever, AND includes two other favourites of mine, of all time. Really this is one to cherish. They are:

"Dear Homer, I. O. U one emergency donut, signed Homer."

"John Wilkes Booth, Blackbeard the Pirate, John Dillinger, and the starting line of the 1976 Philadelphia Flyers"

And my all time fave: "Lisa, vampires are make-believe, just like elves, gremlins and Eskimos"

And when Homer's head literally becomes a giant donut, that is one of my favourite scenes of all time. I used to always mention this scene to an old friend from school, back in the day. This was cuz they, too, loved the show. To this day that's a top ten Simpsons moment and portion of any episode, for me. And this is likely to be my favourite Treehouse of Horror, alongside V as I mentioned. Just super iconic, classic Simpsons. I haven't seen it in a long time so I'm only going to watch it for the fortieth time in my life again, right now.