Every 2000s “Treehouse of Horror” Episode of ‘The Simpsons,’ Ranked

“Treehouse of Horror” is a yearly tradition in The Simpsons wherein a series of non-canonical short stories is depicted, usually parodying certain movies or TV shows. This tradition has been going on since Season 2 way back in 1990, and it remains a highlight of each season, with fans eagerly awaiting the release of a new one every single year.

With the vast volume of horror content pumped out in the 2000s, there was certainly no shortage of material for The Simpsons to cover, and while the ideas might have been fine, the execution doesn’t always hit the mark. As such, each of the ten Treehouse of Horror episodes from the 2000s has their own distinct qualities, making some more memorable than others.

10 “Treehouse of Horror XX” (2009)

Season 21, Episode 4

“Treehouse of Horror XX” is probably the strangest installment of the well-respected series to come out in the 2000s. It’s not abnormal for Treehouse of Horror to parody horror films or shows, but this one came out with the most disjointed collection of films that barely made any sense. The first is a throwback to classic Alfred Hitchcock movies, taking inspiration from Strangers on a Train, in which Bart (Nancy Cartwright) and Lisa (Yeardley Smith) make a pact to kill each other’s teachers in acts of revenge.

This is followed by a parody of 28 Days Later, which is easily the best one, and then by a parody of Sweeney Todd, of all things, making the final segment musical-themed. The musical bits are really, really weird, and the films are so vastly different that they just don’t work at all together, leading to some serious inconsistencies throughout the episode. And perhaps most importantly, this episode of the show really just isn’t that funny at all. Whether or not it’s the worst Treehouse of Horror ever is debatable, but there’s no denying it’s the worst of the 2000s.

9 “Treehouse of Horror XII” (2001)

Season 13, Episode 4

Having Pierce Brosnan guest star in this episode was one of the few redeeming factors. The main problem with “Treehouse of Horror XII” is that it tried to do way too much at once. The second segment of the episode is a parody of three movies: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Demon Seed, and Dream House, which are three drastically different films that make for one confusing mishmash that makes very little sense.

The third segment was a little better, coming as a parody of the Harry Potter novels. Unfortunately, The Simpsons used what could have been a real heavy-hitter at entirely the wrong time, as the first movie hadn’t even come out yet. If they had saved this for a few years, viewers would have flocked to the show, but as it was, it just felt a little underwhelming. In short, this one was disappointing, and a bit of a mess.

8 “Treehouse of Horror XI” (2000)

Season 12, Episode 4

The segments in this one weren’t also overly complex, and that unfortunately meant that they kind of fell flat. Most of them weren’t funny, especially the first one, which barely delves into horror territory at all. The first segment is about Homer (Dan Castellaneta) having a hard time getting into Heaven after his death, which gets points for presumably being an original storyline, but unfortunately doesn’t really deliver.

The second segment was sort of a hodgepodge of multiple Grimm Brothers fairy tales, and the third segment was a mash-up of two films: Day of the Dolphin and The Birds. Tackling an Alfred Hitchcock film, especially one of his more famous works, could have been really brilliant, but like “Treehouse of Horror XX,” the showrunners made a few wrong moves to the point where it lacked the usual “oomph” of both Hitchcock films and The Simpsons. As a whole, the episode was underwhelming, while simultaneously being way too much to swallow at once.

7 “Treehouse of Horror XVIII” (2007)

Season 19, Episode 5

Treehouse of Horror usually goes after horror films, so the movie choices for this one were extremely bizarre. The third segment is an original story, but the first and second are based on E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial and Mr. and Mrs. Smith, repectively. Obviously, neither are horror movies whatsoever, and so it’s kind of hard to label this one “Treehouse of Horror” when there’s very little horror-themed content in it.

Truth be told, the Mr. and Mrs. Smith section is actually pretty good, following Homer and Marge (Julie Kavner) as they discover they are both assassins working for rival organizations, but it would have done more as a stand-alone episode, given more time to develop itself rather than as a Treehouse of Horror bit. So this one was just plain weird, because it doesn’t even feel like a Halloween special.

6 “Treehouse of Horror XVI” (2005)

Season 17, Episode 4

Once again, the choice of which movies to parody came as a little bit weird, because two out of the three are distinctly not horror stories. The first is the whimsical childhood movie A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, and the other is the short story known as The Most Dangerous Game. The final portion focused on a particular episode of The Twilight Zone, which is close enough to horror, but overall, not very spooky.

Sure, The Simpsons is never actually scary, but when viewing Treehouse of Horror, audiences kind of expect horror-themed content to go along with the season, you know? In any case, The Twilight Zone part of the episode also incorporated dozens of horror icons, which was just way too much to swallow all at once. It survives being among the absolute worst of the decade, but it could have been so much better.

5 “Treehouse of Horror XIV” (2003)

Season 15, Episode 1

The fourteenth Treehouse of Horror tackles one of the most undefeated horror films in cinema: 1931’s Frankenstein. It’s honestly shocking that it took The Simpsons so long to parody the film given its legendary status, but when they do, it winds up being brilliant. The first segment is a new, original story, in which Homer actually kills the Grim Reaper, which means no one can die.

This episode grapples with the consequences of immortality, as well as provides some throwbacks to classic IPs, including The Twilight Zone. However, the show decided to focus on one episode of the sci-fi thriller anthology series, which helps the story feel distinct and not too overbearing. The fourteenth installment in Treehouse of Horror is pretty standard, but ultimately, excellent.

4 “Treehouse of Horror XVII” (2006)

Season 18, Episode 4

“Treehouse of Horror XVII” earns points for being comprised almost entirely of original stories, save for its final segment based on War of the Worlds. This episode was among the most consistent as far as Treehouse of Horror goes, offering three stories that were all about various monsters. The first follows Homer as he becomes a monstrous being known as “The Blob” and wreaks havoc on Springfield.

Following that, it features golems, a magical being that is sadly underused in horror, and aliens too. Critics were all over this episode, but in a good way. Some were even bold enough to state that it was just as good as some of the most classic The Simpsons episodes, which honestly, isn’t quite an untruth. It has all the same charm and hilarious wit, and is made all the better for it.

3 “Treehouse of Horror XV” (2004)

Season 16, Episode 1

“Treehouse of Horror XV” really shines in its middle segment, in which it parodies the film From Hell, following the slayings of real-life serial killer Jack the Ripper in Victorian London. However, critics were also fans of the third segment, parodying a different film of a different style. Yet, nothing feels too jarring between the three segments.

The fifteenth Treehouse of Horror is definitely one of the better ones, because it sticks to the status quo and plays it safe. Sometimes this can be a bad thing, but this time, it worked beautifully, as it delivered exactly what The Simpsons fans want to see without coming across as too experimental. It also appealed to one of the most intriguing serial killers of all time, making true-crime fans appreciate the episode that much more.

2 “Treehouse of Horror XIII” (2002)

Season 14, Episode 4

Lucky number 13 proved to be very lucky indeed, as it is easily one of the best Treehouse of Horrors of the 2000s. This is one of those episodes of The Simpsons that is surprisingly deep, coming with a lot of political messages that kind of ring true. The second segment is an original story, painting a vivid picture of the state of gun laws in America, and what the consequences could be for leaning too far in one direction on the issue, but ultimately letting the viewer decide what they think is right.

The other segments are parodies of some pretty niche films, the third of which involves visiting an uncharted island, based on The Island of Dr. Moreau. This proves to give the episode a grand sense of adventure amongst the spookier segments, helping the episode feel varied without awkwardly thrusting viewers into too many different styles. It’s good entertainment with a good message, which is exactly why people love the show in the first place.

1 “Treehouse of Horror XIX” (2008)

Season 20, Episode 4

“Treehouse of Horror XIX” is by far the best of the 2000s in its parody of Peanuts, the final segment of the episode. In this, the show spoofs one of the most iconic Peanuts specials, making fun of the character Linus and his obsession with the mythical figure known as the Great Pumpkin, which he believes rises from the pumpkin patch every Halloween. This annoys everyone around him.

In the show, it is instead replaced by the Grand Pumpkin, who is an obsession of Milhouse (Pamela Hayden). Except this time, the Grand Pumpkin is real, and swears revenge against humanity upon learning that humans regularly consume pumpkins during autumn. After barfing up a whole load of pumpkin guts, the Grand Pumpkin chases Milhouse and his friends around, turning Peanuts into a much more violent affair. But that’s why it’s so brilliant. Of course, the other segments are just as good, one being an entirely original story, but one that works very well. Its originality as well as corrupting a nostalgic childhood classic is what makes this the best one of the decade.

KEEP READING: ‘The Simpsons’ – Every Treehouse of Horror Episode, Ranked