5
6
(violence, gore, sexuality, strong language)
(silly comments about Jesus)
7
(worth seeing multiple times)
"The Simpsons'" "Treehouse of Horror" release is a small collection of 4 Simpsons Halloween episodes. When it was first released there was a lot of controversy amongst Simpsons collectors about whether this release was worthy of a fan’s libraries. It seems a lot of fans wanted the DVD makers to quit with the small releases like this and focus on getting the full season collections out on the shelves.
The criticism must have worked because this was the last Halloween disc that got released. I think that stinks. The Treehouse episodes are my favorites, and at Halloween it's nice to be able to grab 1 DVD of episodes for a non-stop marathon rather than having to go through each season individually. I wouldn't mind having all of the Halloween specials available in sets like this.
The "Treehouse of Horror" episodes are typically made up of 3 short stories with a Halloween-themed intro and sometimes an epilogue. We get special theme music, funny credits, gross couch gags, and other creepy goodness. Stories frequently parody popular horror or sci-fi movies and sometimes even pull in classic literature. They adhere to no continuity which means that anything can happen from sending Homer into the real world to even adding a new Simpsons family member.
To find out more about the individual episodes in this set check out my episode guide, and see the buying guide for details about the DVD itself.
Morality
The Treehouse episodes can be more gruesome than the typical Simpsons episode. “Nightmare Cafeteria” involves cannibalism as the teachers eat the school kids for lunch. “The Shinning” is all about Homer losing his mind and trying to kill the rest of his family. “Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace” involves Willie killing kids in their sleep.
Other than that they are typical as far as questionable content goes. “Hex & the City” features a gypsy and a leprechaun getting frisky though thankfully most of it happens off screen. Computerized Pierce Brosnan puts the moves on Marge and tries to get her naked. Otherwise there is little to no sexuality.
The strong language is very mild.
Spirituality
These episodes are goofy fun without any real spiritual message in them. “Hex & the City” includes a brief, silly discussion about Jesus. Jesus can solve your problems, but he's a lot harder to catch than a leprechaun. Other than that there's some supernatural and magical elements to some of the stories.
Final Thoughts
If you want some HaLOLween fun without having to get 4 full seasons of the series this is a great collection to pull out during that time of year. This is some of the best comedy there is for the season.
Buying Guide
The “Treehouse of Horror” DVD is 4 “Simpsons” Halloween episodes plus a short bonus video. There are no other options for it so there's not much to say here.
Final Thoughts:
There's really no reason to get this release if you're already buying all of the seasons unless you are a “Simpsons” completest or want a convenient disc of these episodes to play at Halloween (which is certainly much easier than getting out each individual season). I appeciate hving it, but with so many other Treehouse episodes out there I'm still pulling out box sets left and right each season.
The Treehouse of Horror is a single DVD.
Video
1.33:
It is a little fuzzy with some minor flecks of trash. The last episode is perhaps marginally sharper with less trash.
Audio
2.0 Dolby:
The audio is clean though not robust. The later episodes have a stronger mix than the earlier ones. There's a pleasant amount of fill coming in on the rear channels.
Packaging
The case is standard plastic.
An insert provides some amusing graphics with episode and chapter lists.
The interface has an amusing static image. It is a little slow to respond to input.
Extras
Episodes
There are 4 episodes at about 22 minutes each. They are not all in sequence and include numbers 5, 6, 7, and 12. You can read more about the episodes in the Episode guide.