Maybe there was a special effort put into the thirteenth Treehouse of Horror because of the scary significance of that number, because THOH XIII is a big improvement on last year's Halloween episode and the last good THOH that I've seen. I first saw the episode along with fellow-university students on the campus residence, and I think it went over well with the group, particularly for a later Simpsons episode. I've now seen it again as part of my reviewing of Halloween and horror-themed media throughout this October.
The episode begins with a séance in which the Simpsons and Ned Flanders contact the ghost of Maud, who was killed off in season 11. This was a good idea, building on the death of an important character. The first of the three stories is about Homer cloning himself. The clones seem helpful at first, and there's good humour in the Homers' stupidity. But then, as THOH stories should, it turns to horror when the clones decapitate Ned, which has shock value (though it was done before in THOH IV). The second story is an odd take on gun control, in which Lisa's crusade to ban guns leaves the town vulnerable to undead cowboys. There's some good jokes, with the "cold dead hands" line being smart. The Simpsons' musical number also adds colour to this story.
The final story is a parody of The Island of Doctor Moreau, in which an insane Dr. Hibbert turns Springfielders into man-animal hybrids. Good matches with kinds of animals were found for a number of characters. It's also outrageous (in a good way) that Homer could have sex with Marge without knowing for sure that she was changed into a cat. He had his suspicions, though.
Happy Halloween.
The episode begins with a séance in which the Simpsons and Ned Flanders contact the ghost of Maud, who was killed off in season 11. This was a good idea, building on the death of an important character. The first of the three stories is about Homer cloning himself. The clones seem helpful at first, and there's good humour in the Homers' stupidity. But then, as THOH stories should, it turns to horror when the clones decapitate Ned, which has shock value (though it was done before in THOH IV). The second story is an odd take on gun control, in which Lisa's crusade to ban guns leaves the town vulnerable to undead cowboys. There's some good jokes, with the "cold dead hands" line being smart. The Simpsons' musical number also adds colour to this story.
The final story is a parody of The Island of Doctor Moreau, in which an insane Dr. Hibbert turns Springfielders into man-animal hybrids. Good matches with kinds of animals were found for a number of characters. It's also outrageous (in a good way) that Homer could have sex with Marge without knowing for sure that she was changed into a cat. He had his suspicions, though.
Happy Halloween.
