Treehouse of Horror , also known as Halloween's The Simpsons , is a special series of Halloween in the animated series The Simpsons , each of which consists of three separate stand-alone segments. This segment usually involves the Simpson family in some horror, science fiction, or supernatural arrangements. They take place beyond the normal continuity of the show and completely leave any pretense to be realistic, known for their much louder and much darker nature than the average Simpsons episode. The first, titled "Treehouse of Horror", aired on October 25, 1990, as part of the second season and was inspired by the EC Comics horror story. Since then, there have been 28 episodes of Treehouse of Horror others, with one showing every year.
The episodes contain several trademarks, including alien characters Kang and Kodos, "scary names" in credits, special versions of the opening sequence, and parody of horror, science fiction, and fantasy movies. The event staff consider Treehouse of Horror as very difficult to produce, because the scripts often go through a lot of rewrites, and the animator usually has to design new characters and backgrounds.
Many episodes are popular among fans and event critics and have inspired all branches of Simpsons merchandise including action figures, playsets, video games, books, DVDs, comic books and special versions of Monopoly . Several episodes have won awards for animated and sound editing. In 1996, 2013, and 2015, "Treehouse of Horror VI", "Treehouse of Horror XXIII" and "Treehouse of Horror XXV" were each nominated for an Emmy Primetime Award in "An Extraordinary Animation Program (for Less Than One Hour Programming ) "category.
Video Treehouse of Horror
Segment
The Treehouse of Horror episode typically consists of four parts: the opening and the Halloween-themed version of the credits, followed by three segments. These segments typically have horror, science fiction or fantasy themes and quite often are movie parodies, novels, dramas, television shows, Twilight Zone episodes, or old EC Comics issues. Although sometimes they are connected with "wraparounds", the three segments rarely have a continuous connection in the episode. Two exceptions are "Treehouse of Horror V", where Willie Groundskeeper is killed by ax in the same way across all three segments, as well as in Treehouse of Horror XXVIII, where Maggie is owned by Pazuzu demon in the first segment and is still in recovery in the next segment. Episodes are considered non-canon and always take place beyond the normal continuity of the event.
From "Treehouse of Horror" to "Treehouse of Horror XIII", the three segments are written by different authors. In some cases there is a fourth author who writes the opening segment and cover. For the original "Treehouse of Horror", there are three different directors for the episode. Starting with "Treehouse of Horror XIV" season 15, however, only one author is credited with writing every episode of Treehouse of Horror.
Occasionally, episodes will be used to display special animations, such as the "Homer 3 " segment of Homer 3, where Homer computer animation is displayed in a non-animated setting. At that time (1995), it was a breakthrough, because it was not unusual for a television show to use such an animation. This segment is the idea of ​​executive producer Bill Oakley and includes a live action directed by David Mirkin. "Treehouse of Horror XX" includes the segment "There No Business Like Moe Business", which first became the musical theme. Maps Treehouse of Horror
Tradition
Opening the order
Each episode of Treehouse of Horror opens with a special introductory segment. The first, second and fifth episodes of Treehouse of Horror opened with Marge standing on stage and alerting parents about the contents of the episode, advising them to put their children in bed. Warning in the first episode is included as a sincere attempt to warn young viewers, as producers find it somewhat frightening. The whole segment is a 1931 opening parody of Frankenstein's . Marge's warning quickly became a burden to write. After "Treehouse of Horror V", they were permanently dropped and the authors made no attempt to revive them.
Other Treehouse of Horror episodes have been opened with parody; for example, "Treehouse of Horror III" has Homer introduced the episode in a manner similar to Alfred Hitchcock on Alfred Hitchcock Presents, "Treehouse of Horror IV" has introduced Bart episodes and segments in a similar way to > Night Gallery , and "Treehouse of Horror V" show a parody of The Outer Limits . The sixth and seventh episodes feature a short clip with no lines because the episodes have long runs and longer segments are truncated. After the "Treehouse of Horror VII", the opening has been going on for a minute and sometimes displays an introduction by characters, such as Mr. Burns in "Treehouse of Horror XVII" or includes over-the-top hardness, such as "Treehouse of Horror VIII" (which shows brutally murdered Fox Network sensors) and "Treehouse of Horror XIV" (which shows the Simpson families killing each other).
In the opening segment of the first five episodes, the camera enlarges the cemetery where a tombstone with a funny headstone can be seen. These messages include the names of canceled shows from previous seasons, the deceased celebrities like Walt Disney and Jim Morrison and tombstones with inscriptions that read "bulletproof TV" loaded with bullets as the camera shoots them. They were last used in "Treehouse of Horror V", which included a solitary headstone with the words "Amusing Tombstones" to give this cue. Gags tombstone is easy for writers in the first episode, but like Marge's warning, they end up harder to write, so they are left out. Another reason why they were dropped was that the gravestone would feature a television show that had been canceled the previous season; after several years, some canceled events are produced by authors of Simpsons .
While the early episodes of Treehouse of Horror feature Halloween-themed opening episodes, which then only include titles and credits "made by" and "developed by". Each episode between "Treehouse of Horror II" and "Treehouse of Horror X" features a Halloween Halloween couch, including the Simpson family dressed as skeletons, zombies and characters from earlier Halloween episodes.
Cover
The first four episodes of Treehouse of Horror had a short cover that occurred before each segment and loosely tied the three stories together. "Treehouse of Horror" is the only one that actually includes a tree house as a backdrop. In the episode, Bart and Lisa sat inside telling each other. "Treehouse of Horror II" displays all segments as a nightmare of Lisa, Bart, and Homer; "Treehouse of Horror III" has Lisa, Bart and Grampa telling at a Halloween party; and "Treehouse of Horror IV" presented by Bart in a parody of Rod Serling's Night Gallery. After several years, the amount of broadcast time for an episode is shortened, resulting in less time to tell the right story. There is no wrapping for "Treehouse of Horror V" as they have been cut to make more time for the segment. After that, the authors permanently dropped it.
Kang and Kodos
Two almost exclusive characters for the Treehouse of Horror series are Kang and Kodos, a pair of large space aliens introduced in the segment "Hungry is Damat" from "Treehouse of Horror". Kang and Kodos have since appeared in every episode of Treehouse of Horror, sometimes as an important part of a story, but often only for short brilliant acting. In some episodes, they only appear in the opening segment, but often they will make a cameo appearance in the middle of a different story. For example, a story about zombies who attacked the city briefly cut them on their spaceship, watching the events and laughing madly at the suffering of the Earth's inhabitants. The action then switches back to the true story. The unofficial rule is that they must be in every episode, although quite often they will be forgotten and added at the last minute, resulting in only a brief appearance. Their scene at "Treehouse of Horror VIII" barely made the final cut of the episode, but David X. Cohen managed to persuade the producers to leave the scene.
Scary names
Starting with "Treehouse of Horror II", the producers decided to give the cast and crew the "scary names" event in the opening and closing credits. Although the names quickly become more ridiculous than frightening, there are a variety of special credits, from simple names like "Bat Groening" to complicated ones like "DavidÃ,² S.Ã,² = CohenÃ,²". Sam Simon, who left the show during the fourth season but still receives "developed by" and "executive producer" credits, has since been enlisted in the Treehouse of Horror episode as "Sam 'Sayonara' Simon". Since his death in 2015 he has been credited only with his real name.
The idea for "frightening names" comes from executive producer Al Jean, who was inspired by EC Comics because some problems also use alternative names "scary". "Scary names" are a burden to write that they were cut for "Treehouse of Horror XII" and "Treehouse of Horror XIII", but after hearing complaints from fans, Jean decided to bring them back. Matt Groening's rule for "frightening names" is that they should not be longer than a person's real name, but this is rarely followed by anyone else.
Cultural reference
References to movies, novels, plays, television shows and other media are usually shown, and many segments have parodyed certain works in horror, science fiction or fantasy genres. Many segments are a parody of the Twilight Zone episode and the entire segment will be based on one episode. Some episodes of Twilight Zone are parodied including "A Kind of a Stopwatch", "To Serve Man", "A Small Talent for War", "Living Doll", "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", "Girl Little Lost ", and" Little People ". The "Bart's Nightmare" segment of "Treehouse of Horror II" parodies the episode "It's a Good Life" and is even presented in a format similar to The Twilight Zone episode. The Halloween episode also regularly parodies horror movies and thrillers such as The Exorcist The Amityville Horror , King Kong , Night of the Living Dead , The Shining , Nightmares on Elm Street , The Fly , Psycho , Paranormal Activities , and Death Calm . Robert Englund, who portrays Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm street franchise, has a cameo appearance in "Treehouse of Horror IX" as his character. Sci-fi movies are also sometimes used as inspiration for segments, and in later episodes many segments are based more on science fiction than horror. Science fiction works parodied including The Omega Man , novel Nineteen Eighty-Four , E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and the radio broadcast of Orson Welles The War of the Worlds . In "Treehouse of Horror", Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven" is read by James Earl Jones while parts of it are played by various characters. Recent parodies have included movies and television specials in a more varied genre, including Mr. & amp; Mrs. Smith, This Big Pumpkin, Charlie Brown , Transformer , Sweeney Todd , Dusk movie series, and Jumanji .
Production
The first Treehouse of Horror episode aired in 1990 as part of the second season, and the title on the screen was "The Simpsons Halloween Special." It was inspired by EC Comics Horror tales. Despite every episode titled "Treehouse of Horror", the first one is the only episode that actually uses a tree house motif. During the production of the first episode, Matt Groening was nervous about the "The Raven" segment, and felt it would be "the worst thing, the most impressive they ever did."
The Treehouse of Horror episode is difficult for writers and animators. The episodes were originally written at the start of production runs, but in later seasons they were written at the end and aired at the beginning of the next season as a relic, giving the animator more time to work. Part of the difficulty for animators is that the episodes always involve a lot of complex backgrounds, new characters, and new designs. They are hard for writers because they have to produce three stories, opening and, in the early episode, a cover. They should try to put all of this into episodes 20-22 minutes. Episodes often go through many last minute changes, with rewrites requiring a new line to be recorded. "Treehouse of Horror III" typically changes between 80 and 100 lines in a six-week period between the arrival of Korean animation and episode broadcast. In the fourth season, executive producers Al Jean and Mike Reiss were less enamored of the Treehouse of Horror episode and considered dropping them, but other writers insisted they were kept.
Part of the attraction for writers is that they are able to break rules and include violence that will not create regular episodes. In some cases, the author will have an idea that is too rough and too far or too short for a normal episode, but can be used as a segment in a seasonal special. Some writers, former executive producer David Mirkin among them, believe that the episodes should be scary and not just funny. "Treehouse of Horror V" has been described by Mirkin as one of "the most intense and disturbing Halloween shows" for being filled with violence and gore in response to new censorship rules. The "Treehouse of Horror" episode begins with Marge issuing a rejection that "if you have a sensitive child, maybe you should slip them into bed earlier tonight than write angry letters tomorrow." However, these episodes seem light compared to the massacre that followed in later episodes, according to Jean, who called it "a social thing". He points out that his 10-year-old daughter likes movies like Coraline , and that, "[in] the age of the scary stories [...] the accuracy has been lowered."
Although mostly horrific, some segments, such as "Citizen Kang" in "Treehouse of Horror VII", insinuate political issues. The opening segment of "Treehouse of Horror XIX" shows Homer who is trying to vote for Barack Obama but the rigged electronic voting machine instead registered a vote for John McCain. Instead of taking sides in the election, Al Jean said it was "mostly commentary on what many believe to be irregular in our voting system." In "Treehouse of Horror XVII", a Segment called "Days Earth Looks Stupid "ends with Kang and Kodos taking over Springfield as part of a mission called" Operation: Enduring occupation ". The script initially asked Kodos and Kang to check Springfield's smoking ruins and said, "It's very similar to Iraq." The Fox Network has no objections to that line, but is rejected by some authors as being too obvious and cut from the broadcast. When cut from the aired version, the line appears in the "reviews" version sent to newspapers and magazines.
The first Treehouse of Horror episode is for the first time an alternative version of the theme that airs through the end credits is used. Originally supposed to use theremin, but someone can not be found who can hit all the required records. Usually when the producer sends episodes to the Emmy Primetime Prize for "Extraordinary Individual Achievement in Music Composition for Serials (Underscore Dramatic)", they send episodes of Treehouse of Horror, and to date, seven episodes have been nominated. The "Treehouse of Horror IV" closure features a version of the theme which is a combination of the instruments used in the Munster and Theme songs and the harpiscord and clicks of the Addams Family theme song.
Scheduling
Despite the Halloween-themed episode of Treehouse of Horror, for several years new episodes aired in November after the holidays, due to Fox coverage from World Series Baseball Major World. Season 12's "Treehouse of Horror XI" was the first episode to air in November. There are several references to this on the show, such as in "Treehouse of Horror XIV" where Kang saw TV Guide and said, "Humans are sad They show Halloween episodes.. In November!" and Kodos replied, "Who is still thinking about Halloween? We have prepared Christmas decorations." The camera then cuts into fireplace shots with Christmas decorations, and Christmas music festive plays on top of the opening credits. The "Treehouse of Horror XX" season 21 airs October 18, before the World Series, but the next year's episode, "Treehouse of Horror XXI", aired in November. Season23's "Treehouse of Horror XXII aired on October 30, however, because the World Series (which lasted a maximum of seven games) has ended on October 28. The next episodes of Treehouse of Horror have been aired that month. October.
Merchandise
There are a variety of items based on the episode of Treehouse of Horror, including books, action figures, comic books, video games, DVDs and the "Treehouse of Horror" version of Hasbro's board game, Monopoly. Although every episode of Treehouse of Horror until Treehouse of Horror XVI was released along with its season in the boxset, in 2003, The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror DVD was released. These include the Treehouse of Horror V, VI, VII and XII. The Treehouse of Horror comic book has been published every year since 1995, and is compiled into several books, including the The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Fun-Filledfest Fulfilled , Bart Tree House Simpson Horror Spine-Tingling Spooktacular , Bart Simpson Tree House of Horror Heebie-Jeebie Hullabaloo and The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Hoodoo Voodoo Brouhaha . Some video games based on The Simpsons include levels with Halloween themes, including The Simpsons: Hit & amp; Run and The Simpsons Game . In 2001, Fox Interactive and THQ released The Simpsons: Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror in Game Boy Color. The whole game has a Halloween theme as players try to save the Simpson family from the Treehouse of Horror.
Many of the special character designs featured in the episodes have become action figures. Four different playsets have been created by Playmates Toys and released as Toys "R" Us exclusives. These devices are:
- The "Treehouse of Horror I" set was released in 2000 and includes the funeral playset and "Devil Flanders", "Bart the Fly", "Vampire Burns" and "King Homer". It also comes with "Evil Krusty Doll" and GREMLIN as an accessory.
- The "Treehouse of Horror 2" set was released in 2001 and includes an alien interior space playset as well as Kang, Kodos and "Alien Ship Homer". The whole set is based on "Treehouse of Horror".
- The "Treehouse of Horror 3" set was released in 2002 and includes a playset based on the "Iuction Punishment Division" of Hell in "Treehouse of Horror IV". It came with "Donuthead Homer", "Witch Marge", Hugo Simpson and "Dream Invader Willie".
- The last set of "Treehouse of Horror 4" was released in 2003 and includes a playset based on "Collector's Comic Book Guy's all-plastic nest". It came with "The Collector", "Clobber Girl Lisa", "Stretch Dude Bart" and Lucy Lawless. All designs are based on "Treehouse of Horror X".
After the set of Playmates Toys was completed, McFarlane Toys produced four Plainsets-themed Treehouse of Horror themed playsets including "Ironic Punishment Box Set" released in 2004, "In the Belly of the Boss" - Homer & amp; Marge Action Numbers "was released in 2005," Island Dr Hibbert Box Set "was released in 2006, and" Lard Lad Box Set "was released in 2007.
Reception
Treehouse of Horror episodes are often among the top episodes of their season and many Treehouse of Horrors are generally well-received by fans. However, like The Simpsons itself, critics have noted a decline in the quality of the next episode. In its first broadcast, "Treehouse of Horror" finished with a 15.7 Nielsen rating and 25% share of viewers and will lose with The Cosby Show . It is said that it "sets the level of excellence that was never expected by creator Matt Groening to repeat", although it was also described as "kind of foolish and unsatisfactory". "Treehouse of Horror V" is considered the best episode by some critics: finished in ninth on Entertainment Weekly's Entertainment Weekly 25 The Simpsons list on AskMen.com Top 10 : Simpsons Episode "list, and was crowned as the best episode of the sixth season by IGN.com. In 2006 James Earl Jones, guest star of "Treehouse of Horror" and "Treehouse of Horror V" was named seventh in IGN's "Top 25 Simpsons Guest Appearances" list.
In 2006, IGN.com published a list of ten segments of Treehouse of Horror, and they placed "The Shinning" from "Treehouse of Horror V" at the top, saying it was "not just an outstanding installment of the episode Halloween year, but from The Simpsons , period. "Rounding out the list was" Dial "Z" for Zombies "," The Devil and Homer Simpson "," Time and Punishment "," Hungry Are the Cursed "," Clown Without Pity "," Citizen Kang "," If I Only Have Brain "," Bart Simpson's Dracula "and" Starship Poopers ". The third, fourth and fifth episodes are each represented by two segments. The latest episode on the list is "Treehouse of Horror IX", which was first aired in 1998.
"Treehouse of Horror VII" is the Simpsons creator of seventh favorite Matt Groening, and the line he likes best is "We have reached the limit of what the probing probal can learn." "King Homer" from "Treehouse of Horror III" is one of Matt Groening's favorite segments. "Treehouse of Horror III" was also recorded for the moment where Homer shot Ned Flanders and Bart said, "Daddy, you killed Zombie Flanders!" just for Homer replied, "She is a zombie?" This is also one of Groening's favorite lines.
Awards
In 1996, the "HomerÃ,³" segment of "Treehouse of Horror VI" was awarded the grand prize of the Ottawa International Animation Festival. In 1998, "Treehouse of Horror VIII" won the Golden Reel Award for "Best Sound Editing - Television Animated Specials"; The recipients are Robert Mackston, Travis Powers, Norm MacLeod, and Terry Greene. Bob Beecher also received a nomination for "Best Sound Editing on Television Animation - Music" for "Treehouse of Horror X".
The second, third, fifth, eighth, ninth, fourteenth and fifteenth and eighteenth episodes of Treehouse of Horror were nominated for "Exceptional Individual Achievement in Music Composition for the Series (Underscore Drama)" at the Emmy Primetime Awards. The second and third episodes of "Treehouse of Horror" were also nominated for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or Special". In 1996, "Treehouse of Horror VI" was submitted for the Emmy Primetime Award in the category "Extraordinary Style Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour)" because it has a 3D animated sequence, which the staff felt would give it an edge. The episode failed to win and Bill Oakley later expressed regret about sending the episode. The twenty-third and twenty-five episodes of Treehouse of Horror are nominated for the same award in 2013 and 2015 respectively.
See also
- "Halloween of Horror"
- List of episodes The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror
References
External links
- "Treehouse of Horror" 101, About.com
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments