Episode Recap: Halloween of Horror

Hey hey friends! So somehow the cards have lined up in Wookiee land and I’m still caught up with episode recaps for all my favorite tappers?  Of course, that means it’s time again to take a break from endlessly distributing terrors and squashing disco zombies to pop in with another episode recap for y’all. One of the features we like to have on this site is recaps of new Simpsons episodes for all our friends who can’t watch them immediately or like our silly reviews of them. I love when there are new episodes of the Best. Show. Ever. on TV and this week’s episode once again did not disappoint. I love that I get to not only watch the new episodes, but then break them down for all of you. I stuck to the stream of consciousness format and probably will unless a ton of you hate it. Without further ado… here’s my thoughts on Season 27, Episode 4: “Halloween of Horror”.

First off, wow and wow did I love this episode.  Without even rambling I can shout out Rocky Horror, every stuck in the house they’re after us horror movie ever and the lovely Halloween theme park events I’ve come to love and participate in AND be happy they all made it in to my favorite cartoon.  This is the 578th episode of The Simpsons and for the first time, they did something new… a canon Halloween episode and boy howdy did they do it well.  Additionally, this episode basically explains a ton of stuff happening in the 2015 TSTO Halloween Event which is rad IMHO.  I could probably blab on and on about my enthusiasm for “Halloween of Horror” but in an attempt to be brief in my intro because I know the recap won’t be, I’ll spare you from further words… for now.  Let’s get on with my bullet point madness and watch this beauty.

– No intro… we get right to the action and it’s the day before Halloween.  Homer is finishing his Halloween decorations for the house and it should look familiar to tappers.  Flanders shows up to ask if they’re continuing the Halloween tradition of telling three scary stories but Homer tells him that’ll be next week:  “It’s gonna be Pyscho with Skinner and his mom, Muppet Wizard of Oz — I’m Scarecrow-Fozzie, and then, uh, one where the furniture gets smart and takes over the world or something.” 

– Lol… pretty sure that’s not the line-up for this Sunday but one can hope.  I’m a big Fozzie fan so I’d love to see Homer dressed up like that.  Anyhoo… Lisa is super stoked with Everscream Terrors.  Homer explains to her that “Halloweening your house is a dying art.  More and more people are turning off their front lights and pretending they’re not home.”  Halloween skippers… they make me sick too.

– Bart pulls out the plastic skeletons which Homer stored too close to the furnace… not a loss though.  Grampa is going to get a new roommate and the family gets to make “a skeleton run to the Halloween Pop-up Store.”  I love Marge’s excitement of dressing up Santa’s Little Helper as a Yoda.  “Who wants to be a Yoda?  You want to be a Yoda.”  Not gonna lie, my son almost became a Yoda just because of this dialogue.  We opted for an Ewok though… it was cute on two levels vs. just one for the Master.

– The Simpsons wind up at Halloween Headquarters but are more enticed by the “Official” version right across the street.  Also an ad for Krustyland Halloween Horror Night (nice advert Universal!)  Lisa is stoked by the billboard.  She’s finally old enough to go and that’s precisely what they’re doing later that day.

– “Welcome seasonal customer to my pop-up emporium.”  Apu owns the Halloween store and has a clever nametag saying A-Boo.  Marge likes the new name better lol (so does Aladdin).  Apu tends to his slacker workers who are lounging about, “still comin’ down from huffing all that glow stick juice, man.”  They’re “strung out on silly string” but A-boo gets the “lazy trick-or-treat trash” back to work detangling the novelty cobwebs.  Apu’s not worried about offending the “pop-up people.  Temporary workers who drift from town to town, holiday to holiday, living off candy hearts and sleeping on Easter grass.”

– “Mariachi skeletons.  They’re spooky but they also teach you about Mexico.”  One of the pop-up people sells Homer four skeletons for the price of only one in cash.  “Just don’t tell Old Man Squishee about it.”  Homer ends up doing exactly that and gets the three workers fired.  Homer’s gonna be real sorry for getting them fired even if he is currently sorry already.  Funny gag of gonna be vs. sorry now.  “You guys don’t know me at all.”

OTHER STUFF I LIKED:

• Big and Tall Giant Costume and Soiled Ghost
• Kosher Fangs… Glatt!
• Striped Hamburger Thief and Restaurant Meat Clown

– Woo hoo!  Right to Krustyland Horror Night.  If you don’t know… Universal does a great Halloween shindig of a similar name.  Since the real-life KL is in both the Florida and California theme parks, I just about split my seams when I saw this amazing portion of the episode.  I only wish our games had this in it.  This whole portion of the episode is so great.  Basically Lisa plays tough and immediately is frightened by a zombie… “That’s really, uh, anatomical.”  The scares don’t stop there though.  Chainsaw maniacs scare her next but Lisa wants to go home.  Homer convinces her it’s not real unlike the super-expensive tickets bought with money that is real.  All she needs to do is take his hand as they walk through “this roiling zombie horde.”  Of course they get separated (I love that Homer winds up holding hands with Moleman… the sixth Simpson) and Lisa’s frights continue.  Nice lady with chainsaw-wielding demon baby… check.  Park security guard with alien exploding from chest… double check.  It’s all too much for Lisa and the park has to shut down when the terror scan reveals her terror level to be a seven.  Reset time is 65 minutes.

OTHER GREAT KL MOMENTS:

• Zombie Itchy & Scratchy Mascots with no skin
• M’nthster walks behind Homer and Lisa
• Krustyland Pretzel Stand.  Spooky toppings include Salt, Extra Salt, Ultra Salt, Plain, Salt Frosting and Peanut-ish Butter
• CBG and Kumiko still together in the park

– The terror of KL Horror Night ruins the magic of Halloween for Lisa.  She doesn’t even feel like wearing her Frida Kahlo costume the next day.  All the other kids are in the spirit at school: Buccaneer Bart, Power Ranger Sherri & Terri, Uter as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, Janie as Dorothy, Minecraft Database, Lewis Clark as Austin Powers… awesome.  Skinner ruins Bart’s fun by commandeering his hook, bandana and eye patch.

– Lisa is still effected by her scary night.  Even though the school decorations are charming, she sees the monsters from the previous night in everything and hides in a locker.  Marge rescue her and takes her home.

– Marge thinks they might need to take down Everscream Terrors it’s so bad.  Homer isn’t too happy about it but he relents when they both see she’s gone back to Tailee, her childhood comfort device.  “I’m the Mozart of Halloween decorations and tonight is the Super Bowl.”  Lisa can’t deal with her emotions without a crutch and the decorations have been turned off at the Simpson home… sad face.

– Bart comes home to find all the decorations gone.  The house has to be a Halloween-free zone because his “sister has a tummy ache in her courage.”  Marge knew Bart would be upset and only think of himself so her plan is to take him to “the best trick-or-treating block party in the tri-Springfield area.  There’s a dad who’s a deejay.  Even an E.T. who says your name.”  Yes Bart, if you say a name that is a swear he will repeat it.

– The Simpsons are now skippers (woo hoo! Wait?  This doesn’t mean they work with me on the Jungle Cruise?  Oh… I get it… moving on.)  The decorations are back in the attic and the please-take-one-candy-bowl makes it mere seconds before Nelson scoops it all away.  While Marge takes Bart out for Halloween fun, Homer and Lisa get to enjoy a new holiday… Puzzle Wednesday.  The doorbell rings and Homer goes off to shoo away the treaters but it’s not just any old candy grubbers, it’s the “pop-up scuzzos” from Apu’s store.  Homer tells the sad losers to go suck somewhere else.  They are undeterred but when the doorbell rings again, no one’s there.  “Creepy nursery rhyme… like in every movie.”

– Marge and Bart arrive at the block party but can’t get in because “too many randos crashed the block party last year so ‘Spine Chills’ is Pine Hills only.”  The party looks good too but even a Groupon can’t seal an entrance to the party.  It’s too bad Raphael (aka Sarcastic Clerk) has morals even if zip-lining is everything to him.  They have to just drive by the bounce house, Daddy deejay and E.T. who says scrotum lol.

– Homer is worried about the “vengeful seasonal thugs” but still trying to keep Lisa’s Eve as un-Hallow as possible.  I’m still laughing at him whistling a happy tune aka the theme from Halloween.    He locks down the house but the scuzzos make it into the house before he could lock the kitchen. Homer would call the cops but they took his cellphone and he forgot to pay the phone bill.  Homer tries to sneak away to Flanders house with Lisa to see which kid is Rod and which one is Max but Lisa forgot Tailee.  Lisa runs back home and Homer follows.  Cue the “inexplicable fog.”  The scuzzos say Boo and dad and daughter are off to hide in the attic while the three hoodlums huff smoke from the fog machine.  Lisa tells herself it all isn’t real but Homer can’t lie to her even if he has previously “more times than there are stars in the sky.”  This is real.

– Marge is still trying to make Bart’s Halloween happen but it’s all over.  The clock strikes nine and “the change is upon us.”  In my favorite moment of this episode, Sideshow Mel kicks off a Rocky Horror-esque song…

Mel: The children are all sleeping, Not one kiddie on the streets.

Dr. Hibbert and Bernice, devil and slutty angel respectively: The fun’s just starting for Mommy and Daddy, Sexy tricks and boozy treats.

Toga Krusty: Drunken hobbits hit on slutty crayons.  Policeman dressed as bondage Frankenstein.

Moe dressed as King Tut: Your kid’s teacher in a steampunk orgy.  Grown-ups become monsters after nine.

All the grown-ups: It’s time for grown-up Halloween!  Close your eyes if you’re under eighteen!

Squirrel Luann: It’s my chance to show boobs.

Wolfcastle Jessica Rabbit: Live my fantasy.

Willie: Cuz tomorrow morning…

All: We won’t remember a thi-eee-ing! Our lives are awful and dreary so tonight we’re going way, way, way, way, way too far. Hide your kids, this cannot be unseen.  It’s naked, wasted, adult Halloween.

– You can’t blame Marge for quickly speeding away with Bart and Maggie.  I love this though… so many costumes to make you giggle including Squirrel Luann and Acorn Kirk.  So many amazing costumes which I could write on and on about.  In order to get on with the recap, I’ll just show a collage.

– Homer and Lisa are still in the attic while the scuzzos look for them.  “You can’t hide forever thumbhead.  Sooner or later you’ll have to buy Thanksgiving decorations and we’ll be waiting by the Indian corn.”  Homer admits to Lisa that he’s scared too but urges her not to let fear shut down their brains because “between the two of us, we’ve only got one good one.”  Lisa comes up with the idea to use the Halloween decorations to signal for help.  “I may not be the smartest dad or the bravest, or the smartest, but I am great at one thing: drawing attention to our home.”  

– They need the decorations from every holiday to manage it (4th of July/Easter/ Christmas/Valentine’s Day/St. Patrick’s Day/Thanksgiving/Festivus) but knock over the mariachi skeletons in their plans and signal to the scuzzos their location.  The intruders attempt to open the attic door while Lisa holds them off and the tension mounts as Homer tries to light off fireworks on the roof .  But the matches won’t stay lit.  The weirdos break through the broom Lisa placed to barricade it forcing Lisa to climb up to her dad.  She offers Tailee as a starter because “this ratty piece of polyester has been soaking in face oil for eight years.”

– The fireworks and assorted holiday HELP sign do the trick and draw the attention of all of Springfield… even the debauchorous sexy drunks.  Bondage Frankenstein, Burt and Ernie, err, I mean Wiggum, Lou and Eddie arrest the pop-up scuzzos, victims of Springfield’s “disposable pop-up culture.”  They’re still going to jail but Wiggum tells them to look him up when they get out.  He knows “a guy who owns a 99-cent store.”  The holidays may come and go but they’ll get the chance to stay.

– End scene with Martin dressed as Bender and Ralphie as what I can only guess is Super Ralph.  “I saw an areola.”  Marge returns home and they find that the Simpson home has been transformed into a Holiday Extravaganza.  Everscream Terrors is back, Lisa is dressed as Frida and SLH got to be a Yoda.  Happy days.  Kang and Kodos show up right at the end to mention how this is not the “typical Halloween experience” but turns out it’s just Lenny and Carl in costume.  Lenny does a mean Kang impersonation.

And that’d be it if there wasn’t one little snippet at the end.  Usually this is where fans fear an episode might derail but I for one loved Maggie finding the remnant of Tailee, magically making it whole again and then caressing it innocently as the Halloween theme plays and the camera zooms in on her.  Genius!

Wowza… this was an amazing episode.  Not only was the script and animation great but the score added to the scenes excellently.  The scenes transitioned very well and every little item hit on in the plot was revisited for effect.  Some critics of the Best. Show. Ever. have accused the writers of being lazy but this episode is not one of those times.  It is genuinely well-written with scary bits, heartwarming moments, comedy and more.  Also another great use of guest stars.  Nick Kroll and Blake Anderson seamlessly became part of the universe.

But enough words from me.  What did you think of the episode?  Have a favorite bit I didn’t mention.  Disagree with my thoughts?  If nothing else, this episode explains why we have “naked, wasted (pixelated) adult Halloween” in TSTO and why M’nthster figured so prominently.  I think of this Halloween event as the biggest episode tie-in ever with bits and bobs thrown in from other Treehouse of Horror episodes.  Sound off in the comments and stay classy screamereenos.

TTFN… Wookiee out!