Review: The Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror XXXVI”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

The town is menaced by a mysterious murdering monster from out of the sewers; Krusty has a demonic special guest on his live Halloween special; Springfield’s post-apocalyptic future.

Our Take:

As is tradition, The Simpsons returns with another spooky addition to the show’s “Treehouse of Horror” theme following its one-week hiatus.  While I couldn’t ignore some of the proudest moments in its regular episodes, the Halloween specials are equally entertaining for their parodic humor and their ability to go all out with storytelling and violence since they’re essentially not canon to the show itself.  The 36th edition is undoubtedly no exception, thanks to the usual creepy goodness we expect from other “Treehouse of Horror” episodes as well as its satirical references.  In the case of the latter, one of the segments, “Clown Night with the Devil”, parodies last year’s horror hit, “Late Night with the Devil”, showcasing Krusty the Clown having a hell of a broadcast with the Devil (voiced by Idris Elba).  Additionally, kudos to the team for changing the aspect ratio to match the one from the early seasons in the 90s. 

It is also another occasion where the animators provide some experimentation with various animation styles, adding a sense of variety in its fun horror aspects and narratives.  One such case is its opening segment, in which Stan Kelly of “The Onion” served as a guest animator to display its black-and-white comic-like aesthetics.  I haven’t read “The Onion” that much, so I couldn’t quite compare the two, but I will say that it was another refreshing way to kick off this year’s Treehouse of Horror, especially regarding its all-too-real representation of America.  However, the one segment that truly shines the most when it comes to the presentation’s variety is “Plastic World”.  Parodying the post-apocalyptic narrative trope, “Plastic World” utilized a mixture of traditional animation and CGI to depict a future where Springfield was covered by…you guessed it, plastic.  While the 2D quality of the characters dipped a bit during specific moments, the “Plastic World” segment is another suitable example of the special’s capability of utilizing various styles to enhance the horror fun of parodic narratives.

The first segment involving Fatberg didn’t provide much of an impact in its narrative despite it being a reference to “Jaws” but with lard.  Fortunately, the following two segments managed to inject some life into the 36th special with its animation and entertainingly frightening scenarios.  Additionally, they have Viola Davis and Idris Elba as part of the guest lineup, and I couldn’t say no to these actors joining in on the Halloween fun.  The latter, of course, seemed to have the most fun with his vocal performance as the Devil in “Clown Night with the Devil”.  Despite falling short in specific aspects, the 36th edition showcases that the “Treehouse of Horror” saga still has more chilling tricks up its sleeve to appease Halloween fanatics.