The Simpsons’ Darkest Treehouse of Horror: Inside the Bloodiest Episode Yet

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The Simpsons’ yearly Halloween special, “Treehouse of Horror,” has become noticeably more graphic, and fans are wondering what prompted the show’s writers to make it so much darker.

In a recent interview with Cracked, Simpsons writer Mike Price talked about the latest “Treehouse of Horror XXXVI” episode and the inspiration behind it. He explained that many of the show’s main characters die in the episode, and shared how that came about.

We realized previous Halloween episodes hadn’t always focused strongly on horror, so we decided to create a truly scary and intense Halloween story. That’s why you see such shocking moments, like Nelson exploding and Sideshow Mel getting his face ripped off by the crazed Mr. Teeny. It’s disturbing, but in a way that’s meant to be entertaining.

The latest episode of The Simpsons features a bizarre storyline: Springfield is invaded by a living, thinking blob of fat from the sewers. Meanwhile, Krusty the Clown’s Halloween special includes a spooky guest, playfully referencing the horror movie Late Night with the Devil. The episode also offers a glimpse into the distant future, showing the Simpsons family preserved in plastic after a post-apocalyptic event.

As a huge cinema fan, I always loved the ‘Clown Night with the Devil’ segment – seeing Krusty take center stage was brilliant! The creator, Price, was really upfront about where the idea came from, saying the 2024 horror film was the sole inspiration and, honestly, a pretty direct copy. He put it perfectly though: we sometimes revisit the established classics, but every now and then a movie comes along that immediately feels like one, and he definitely thought that film was it.

Michael Keaton and Idris Elba both lent their voices to the Krusty the Clown segment, playing Krusty’s producer and the Devil, respectively. Producer Price shared that Keaton was a pleasure to work with and reminisced about his early career. Keaton mentioned he grew up in Pittsburgh and, before moving to Hollywood, worked as a stagehand on the Mr. Rogers show when he was in his twenties.

The Simpsons is the longest-running scripted primetime TV show in American history. It passed Gunsmoke in 2018, airing its 636th episode. A sequel to The Simpsons Movie is now in the works and is scheduled to be released on June 27, 2027. The series currently has an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

As a longtime fan, I remember when “Treehouse of Horror” first hit our screens back in 1990. It was a fun concept – Bart and Lisa competing to tell the most terrifying story. What’s always been great about these Halloween episodes is that they aren’t part of the show’s regular storyline, which gives the writers free rein to go wild with spooky and often shocking plots. Apparently, the whole idea was sparked by those classic horror comics from EC, and you can definitely see that influence!

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2025-10-26 21:18