Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Beginning with the second season of The Simpsons, there has always been one episode that broke the mold of the traditional antics of our favorite family. That special episode is the Simpsons Halloween Special or Treehouse Of Horror. During these episodes, the Simpsons may take the form of monsters, be attacked by zombies or develop special powers. In most cases, hilarity ensues.

The first three seasons of The Simpsons have already been released on DVD. Recently, however, a mixture of Treehouse Of Horror episodes have been released on DVD themselves. The new disc contains Treehouse Of Horror V (Season 6), Treehouse of Horror VI (Season 7), Treehouse Of Horror VII (Season 8) and Treehouse of Horror XII (Season 13).

The first episode, Treehouse Of Horror V, like all of the Halloween shows, contains three separate stories. However, there is one link among all three and that is of Groundskeeper Willie’s demise.

The Shinning-The first tale is a spoof of The Shining. Homer slowly goes insane at an isolated lodge after Mr. Burns removes all of the beer and cuts off the cable. Luckily, Bart’s shinning can save the family from certain death.

Time And Punishment-In the second tale, Homer uses a toaster to change the past and puts the family into an alternate world where Ned Flanders is the ruler.

Nightmare Cafeteria-The final story focuses on Springfield Elementary and its detention overcrowding and budget cuts. Principal Skinner finds a solution to the problem by eliminating the overcrowding and solving the money problem in one diabolical solution.

All three of these episodes are down right funny. If you enjoy the film, The Shining, you’ll love the Simpson’s take on it. Homer is great as the Nicholson like tyrant and it doesn’t get any better than the line, “No beer and no TV make Homer something, something. Go crazy? Don’t mind if I do.” The second story is just as funny. Homer wants to avoid “Re-Neducation” class and manages to escape to try and change the future. Be sure to watch some of the crazy houses that pop up during the time travel scene. Also, the scenario with the raining donuts is great. The final story is entertaining but doesn’t have any of the special moments that the first two stories have.

The second episode, Treehouse Of Horror VI, has no underlying theme, but is still entertaining.

Attack Of The 50ft Eyesores-In the first story, giant advertising mascots are sprung alive during a crazy lightning storm and Homer draws the ire of one large donut pitchman when he steals his enormous donut.

Nightmare On Evergreen Terrace-The next story focuses on Groundskeeper Willy and his dying declaration to rain terror upon the children of Springfield, a la Nightmare On Elm Street.

Homer^3-Finally, there is a very experimental story that actually allows The Simpsons to take on a 3D shape. Homer attempts to hide from his awful sisters-in-law, Patty and Selma, and stumbles upon a mysterious three dimensional world.

This episode is the first one that starts to shy away from the “Halloween” theme and focuses more on outlandish stories. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as long as the stories are funny and entertaining.

The first story is average at best. There are some very cool visuals with the giant advertisements coming to life and terrorizing Springfield. Other than that, there are a few laughs compared to past stories. The next story is a Nightmare On Elm Street parody and it’s about the same quality as the first story. There are no laugh out loud moments, yet it’s still entertaining. The final story, while not particularity funny or very scary, still is a special episode. The 3D graphics are very cool and look even better on DVD.

The third episode is Treehouse Of Horror VII and once again, there is no specific theme to the stories but they have their humorous parts.

The Thing And I-In this story, Bart finds out that he has an evil twin brother named Hugo that lives in the attic. Obviously, chaos ensues.

The Genesis Tub-The next tale is that of Lisa and her science experiment. She creates her own underwater civilization where she is thought of as God and Bart is, of course, the Devil.

Mr. Kang Goes To Washington-The last story is an election parody where Kang and Kodos, of past Halloween specials fame, kidnap Bob Dole and Bill Clinton. They assume their roles and it’s up to Homer to expose the diabolical plan.

I think this is the season where the Treehouse Of Horror episodes really started to fall apart. The first story about Bart’s evil twin starts off promising. However, there’s nothing really too funny nor especially entertaining. The second story was actually funnier when South Park parodied it a couple of years ago in their “Simpsons Did It” episode. Finally, the last story is just flat out boring and not funny. Don’t even waste your time watching it.

The final episode is Treehouse Of Horror XII and unfortunately, there is no theme among the three. Just as unfortunate, is the lack of laughs within the episode.

Hex And The City-The first story follows Homer after a gypsy curses him. Everyone that he comes into contact with either dies or horribly mutates.

House of Whacks-The second part is a story about a “smart house” run by a computer that takes on a life of its own. The computer, voiced by Pierce Brosnan, takes a shine to Marge and tries to eliminate Homer in the process.

Wiz Kids-The final tale is a Harry Potter parody where the students of Springfield Elementary learn the delicate art of transforming frogs into princes. Along the way, Lisa is targeted by the evil Mr. Burns.

The first story offers very few laughs. However, some of the visuals are funny. Marge and Bart both take on unusual appearances. The best part of the episode is the funeral scene and the end. Some of the attendees are slightly out of their correct galaxies. The second story is probably the best of the bunch. Pierce Brosnan’s voice is perfect as the HAL-like computer that has intentions of killing Homer and having Marge all to himself. Homer’s axe wielding antics save the episode. The final tale is based somewhat on everyone’s favorite wizard, Harry Potter. Mr. Burns wants Lisa’s magical power and enlists Bart to assist him. There are a few cute jokes and it actually ends on a very sweet note. However, it’s not a solid story.

Like all DVDs, you purchase them for many of the extras that are included. Unfortunately, this collection offers nothing in the way of additional features. There are no commentaries, no outtakes, no storyboards, nothing. Sure, there is a Kang and Kodos featurette, but it really offers nothing new. It’s basically a collection of some of the funnier moments that have involved Kang and Kodos over the history of the television show. Even the choice of episodes is a little curious. While I realize Season Two and Season Three have already been released on DVD and Season Four is probably right around the corner, those seasons have some of the best Treehouse Of Horror episodes. If you’re going to make a collection of just Halloween shows, you should definitely include the best ones and frankly, these are not those episodes. Another slightly annoying thing is the menus do not respond normally. There is a significant delay when making your selections unlike anything I’ve seen previously on any DVD. There is one good aspect about this release; the picture and sound are DVD quality and that’s a big upgrade compared to my personal VCR tapes and various collector’s edition releases.

The big question that arises is if this Treehouse Of Horror DVD collection is a solid purchase. The answer is hard to say. I’m a die-hard Simpsons fan so I basically need all of the episodes for my collection. Unfortunately, the collection itself leaves a lot to be desired. The best episodes aren’t included and there are no extras. If you are a “completist” you’ll want this collection. If you specifically like some of the episodes, you’ll want to pick it up as well. However, if you are a casual Simpsons fan, you’re better off spending the additional money and purchase the boxed sets of Season One, Season Two or Season Three.


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older