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*** This review may contain spoilers ***
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.
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