Review: The Simpsons “Treehouse Of Horror XXXIII”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Treehouse Of Horror XXXIII offers parodies of The Babadook, Death Note, and Westworld in typical Treehouse Of Horror fashion. 

Our Take:

“The Pookadook” focused primarily on Marge and Maggie’s relationship, shipping the rest of the Simpson family away fairly early. This segment was a faithful retelling of The Babadook, condensing the entire movie into a tight 7 minutes, which is quite the task. Instead of highlighting the grief and frustration of a worn-out widowed mother, “The Pookadook” took a look at Marge’s angst at being the Simpson to put out all of the fires created by her family. “The Pookadook” wasn’t necessarily funny, but it certainly offered an endearing peek into the relationship between Marge and Maggie. There were opportunities for more gags or jokes, but it’s hard to complain about a segment that tells a story as effectively as “The Pookadook”

“Death Tome” was one of the most unique visuals we’ve ever seen from The Simpsons, utilizing a surprisingly effective anime-art style. Parodying Death Note, this segment follows Lisa as she discovers the ominous Death Tome as she walks through downtown Springfield. While “The Pookadook” focused more on a sense of dread, “Death Tome” delivered some really solid laughs, especially with the introduction of Steve Johnson and the anime style Simpsons family. And what the hell was Monty Burns doing in their house!? It was brilliantly nonsensical. Would you watch an entire season of a Simpsons anime? I know I would. I still can’t get over the surrealism of this segment. It was like watching Pulp Fiction if it was directed by the Coen Brothers. It offered plenty of violence while still staying true to that Treehouse Of Horror comedy.  

“Simpsonsworld” starts off with a trippy recreation of a classic Simpsons episode and it doesn’t ever let its foot off the nostalgic pedal after that. “Simpsonsworld” parodies Westworld in a funny and clever way that gives us a glimpse into the history of The Simpsons. From Marge’s Pretzel Wagon to Homer’s makeup gun, “Simpsonsworld” was a funny segment that saw the Simpson family speed their way out of their constraints while driving a Canonyero and escape to safety inside Bob’s Burgers, or so they thought. 

Treehouse Of Horror XXXIII began on a more subdued note but quickly found its comedic groove with a surreal and wonderfully odd second segment. This was an excellent iteration of The Simpson’s Halloween classic episode and will not disappoint. Each segment stayed true to its source material while offering its own unique twist. The highlight of the episode has to be “Simpsonsworld”, which brought back many fan-favorite moments in an epic Westworld style. This episode will give fans just the right amount of gore, laughs, and nostalgia to keep them inside the treehouse for at least one more year. 

 

Score

Summary

Treehouse Of Horror XXXIII offers parodies of The Babadook, Death Note, and Westworld in typical Treehouse Of Horror fashion.

9.0/10