5 Worst The Simpsons Treehouse Of Horror Episodes Ranked

Every Autumn, television viewers prepare for a Halloween tradition that's stretched on for decades now. That would be the annual new edition in the "Treehouse of Horror" anthology series courtesy of "The Simpsons." Initially, the 2nd season "Simpsons" episode "Treehouse of Horror" was a one-off exercise that nobody could imagine continuing for ages to come. However, continue it has and with great results to boot. The best "Simpsons" "Treehouse of Horror" episodes have been full of unforgettable jokes and even some genuinely effective scares. With each outing delivering at least three segments, these episodes cover a lot of different ground, often to glorious results.

However, with the saga now on "Treehouse of Horror XXXVII," it's understandable that some creative misfires have materialized. The five worst "Treehouse of Horror" episodes (ranked from "least worst" to excruciatingly bad based on this author's subjective opinions) are unfortunate examples of the creative possibilities of these anthology endeavors going untapped. Even without the restrictions of adhering to "Simpsons" continuity or keeping central characters alive, these "Treehouse of Horror" episodes demonstrated a tangible lack of imagination. The best "Treehouse of Horror" episodes inspired chills and chuckles. These five outings merely inspired frustration.

At least these particular episodes make one appreciate the greatest "Treehouse of Horror" exploits even more. Given how these installments are Halloween-themed, it's fitting that "Treehouse of Horror" would deliver some tricks to go with its many treats.

Even by late 2010, punchlines about the most over-the-top "Twilight" moments were already running their course, which made the "Treehouse of Horror XXI" segment "Tweenlight" less than promising. Even with the conceptually clever casting idea of Daniel Radcliffe playing the segment's Edward Cullen stand-in, Edmund, and having Count Dracula as Edmund's dad rather than rehashing the plot of "New Moon," "Tweenlight" didn't have many unique gags to offer. 

This whole "Treehouse of Horror" felt creatively stifled, in fact. An opening segment concluding with a recreation of that famous "The Office" opening but with classic monsters, for instance, isn't very amusing. Ditto a middle segment lampooning "Dead Calm" that gets too wrapped up in cramming as many "twists" as possible into an exceedingly brief runtime. Even the opening story involving Springfield being consumed by real-life versions of old board games doesn't deliver much beyond one or two chuckle-worthy sight gags. Save for the inexplicable "Dead Calm" spoof occurring decades after that movie's release, too much of "Treehouse of Horror XXI" feels like it's straining for circa. 2010 relevancy with its "Twilight, "The Office," and spoiler culture jokes.

Whereas past "Treehouse of Horror" segments, like "Citizen Kang," combined topicality with phenomenal jokes that work in any era, "Treehouse of Horror XXI" was largely shrug-worthy both when it first aired and today. Reaching for "Twilight" jokes didn't serve "The Simpsons" well.

"The Simpsons" has had countless guest stars over the years, including a number of  bizarre cameos. However, none sounded quite like Jerry Lewis as Professor Frink Sr. in the "Frinkenstein" segment of "Treehouse of Horror XIV." That's not just a comment on Lewis' wacky vocal comedy and goofball catchphrases. The actor literally sounds like he's being recorded in a closet. There's an oddly distant quality to his vocals that distractingly separate him from the other "Simpsons" cast members (including fellow guest stars Oscar De La Hoya and Jennifer Garner). 

Having Lewis play the dad to Hank Azaria's Professor Frink, himself a Lewis pastiche, should've been a slam-dunk. Instead, this odd sonic detail derailed the entire "Frinkenstein" segment. Unfortunately, nothing else in "Treehouse of Horror XIV" ensures this episode is otherwise a delight. Even the sight of Homer Simpson (Dan Castellaneta) becoming The Grim Reaper doesn't produce especially memorable yuks. Meanwhile, the final segment, "Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off," is a predictable "Twilight Zone" pastiche ending on a bunch of disposable sight gags suggesting the writers had no idea how to wrap up this story.

Not even the grisliness of Marge (Julie Kavner) shooting Homer with a shotgun in the opening "Treehouse of Horror XIV" segment is enough to make this episode memorable. The only thing that stands out (and not in a good way) is the odd sound quality of guest star Jerry Lewis.

Indecision seems to have plagued the "Treehouse of Horror XXII" segment "The Diving Bell and the Butterball," which oscillates between lampooning "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (a movie everyone thinks of when Halloween rolls around) and Spider-Man lore. Between going all over the place with its cultural influence and flatulence jokes, "Butterball" is an utter slog. It's a pitiful kick-off to "Treehouse of Horror XXII" exemplifying the creative stagnancy that began consuming "The Simpsons" around its 23rd season. While the program had a brief post-"Simpsons Movie" resurgence from 2009 to 2011, too much of the show's early 2010s output was on par with "Treehouse of Horror XXII."

Further creative stagnation materializes in the short "In the Na'vi," a half-hearted "Avatar" parody that one wishes had, like the James Cameron movies we'll never get to see, never made it off the ground. There isn't much horrifying or especially Halloween-y during "In the Na'vi," just unimaginative "Avatar" parodies. A disposable middle segment where Ned Flanders (Harry Shearer) is basically the titular lead of "Dexter," meanwhile, returns to the "Treehouse of Horror" well where Flanders is a killer/Satan/werewolf that past installments have done infinitely better.

Most frustratingly, "Treehouse of Horror XXII" hails from writer Carolyn Omine, whose recent "Simpsons" episodes (like "The Way of the Dog") have been fantastic. That artistry and wit, though, was missing from this forgettable "Treehouse of Horror" that indicated larger creative problems with this "Simpsons" era.

When ranking every Jurassic Park and World movie from worst to best, it's clear that the post-1993 entries haven't exactly been sublime. Maybe that makes it inevitable that the "Treehouse of Horror" parody "Geriatric Park," would also underwhelm. Airing as part of 2018's "Treehouse of Horror XXIX," "Geriatric Park" saw all the elderly "Simpsons" characters transforming into dinosaurs and running amuck. None of it's especially scary and the jokes are tepid at best. Even putting familiar figures like Agnes Skinner (Tress MacNeille) or Jasper (Harry Shearer) into dinosaur molds doesn't result in especially creative character designs.

If you've seen one "Jurassic Park" parody, you've seen what little "Geriatric Park" has to offer. Tragically, writer Joel H. Cohen and director Matthew Faughnan failed to conjure up memorable delights in the other segments to make up for it. Of these exploits, only a Lisa-centered spoof of "Split" elicits some chuckles. "Intrusion of the Pod-y Switchers" especially fails to deliver on its potential thanks to a bizarrely executed ending that sees the whole storyline just fizzle out. No fun final gags or scares, just the writers shrugging their shoulders and moving on to what's next.

A sense of settling for the bare minimum permeates the entirety of "Treehouse of Horror XXIX." Even an opening segment where Homer and the family meets Cthulhu yields few chuckles. It's only fitting, then, that such an underwhelming episode would end with a segment like "Geriatric Park."

Several of the worst "Simpsons" episodes came from the show's 18th and 19th seasons, where lame stabs at "edgy" humor and trite attempts at sentimentality ruled the day. Whether this was a byproduct of being made while "The Simpsons Movie" was in production (which sucked up all the creative energy in the room) or just a weird burst of artistic lethargy, these two years of "The Simpsons" were incredibly rough. No wonder this stretch produced the nadir of "Treehouse of Horror" episodes, "Treehouse of Horror XVIII."

This dire installment didn't even find horror movies or classic "Twilight Zone" episodes to skewer, instead settling for "E.T." and "Mrs. and Mrs. Smith" riffs that could've been done at any time of the year. A more explicitly Halloween-themed ending segment, "Heck House," works a little better, yet even here, this story (about Ned Flanders channeling Heavenly powers to teach rambunctious Springfield kids about the Seven Deadly Sins) retreads familiar ground. Seeing Flanders as The Devil again especially suggests this episode is running on fumes. "Treehouse of Horror XVIII" is only content to rehash the past, right down to having Plopper/Spider-Pig make a brief cameo appearance after his "Simpsons Movie" debut.

That approach doesn't produce the memorable comedy or frights that classic "Treehouse of Horror" segments delivered. Once more, this particular stretch of "The Simpsons" history let down loyal fans and casual viewers alike.