Treehouse of Horror (The Simpsons episode)

"Treehouse of Horror"
The Simpsons episode
Bart and Lisa telling Halloween stories in their treehouse. This is the only episode of the Treehouse of Horror series to actually take place in the treehouse.
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 3
Directed by	Bad Dream House: Wes Archer Hungry Are the Damned: Rich Moore The Raven: David Silverman
Written by	Bad Dream House: John Swartzwelder Hungry Are the Damned: Jay Kogen Wallace Wolodarsky The Raven: Edgar Allan Poe Sam Simon
Production code	7F04
Original air date	October 25, 1990 (1990-10-25)
Guest appearances
James Earl Jones as the mover, Serak the Preparer and the Narrator of "The Raven"
Episode features
Commentary	Matt Groening James L. Brooks David Silverman Al Jean Mike Reiss Jay Kogen Wallace Wolodarsky
Episode chronology
← Previous "Simpson and Delilah" Next → "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish"
The Simpsons season 2
List of episodes

"Treehouse of Horror" is the third episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 25, 1990. The episode was inspired by 1950s horror comics, and begins with a disclaimer that it may be too scary for children. It is the first Treehouse of Horror episode. These episodes do not obey the show's rule of realism and are not treated as canon. The opening disclaimer and a panning shot through a cemetery with humorous tombstones were features that were used sporadically in the Treehouse of Horror series and eventually dropped. This is also the first episode to have the music composed by Alf Clausen.

The plot revolves around three scary stories told by the Simpson children in the family's treehouse. The first segment involves a haunted house that is based on various haunted house films, primarily The Amityville Horror (1979) and Poltergeist (1982). In the second segment, Kang and Kodos are introduced when the Simpsons are abducted by aliens. The third segment is an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's 1845 poem "The Raven". James Earl Jones guest starred in all three segments. The episode was received positively, being included in several critics' "best of" lists. Critics singled out The Raven for praise, although Simpsons creator Matt Groening was concerned that it would be seen as pretentious.