‘The Simpsons’ Took Its Best Tradition From This Beloved Sci-Fi TV Series

As long as The Simpsons stays on the air (which could be for eternity), we’ll receive new installments of the yearly “Treehouse of Horror” special. From Season 2 in 1990 to Season 37 in 2025, the Halloween-themed anthology episode is a tradition unlike any other. Despite being a major landmark in American pop culture, many of The Simpsons‘ most indelible traits, characters, and episodes riffed on pre-existing stories and iconography, which were then infused with a new comedic edge to feel wholly original. “Treehouse of Horror” is no different, as its horror, fantasy, and supernatural roots are indebted to The Twilight Zone, arguably the most famous anthology and science fiction series in history. The Simpsons used to be a love letter to its evergreen artistic influences, but these days, the long-running animated show has its eyes focused on cashing in on the zeitgeist.

“Treehouse of Horror” Was a Witty Parody of ‘The Twilight Zone’

For so many people raised on The Simpsons in the ’90s and beyond, watching new episodes on Fox every week was a gateway to a new realm of classic and contemporary pop culture with its countless references and satirical homages to movies, television, books, and celebrities. This still resonates today with the likes of 26-year-old breakout director Curry Barker, whose recent cinematic sensation, Obsession, was inspired by the “Monkey’s Paw” segment on none other than “Treehouse of Horror II” from 1991. Based on the 1902 short story by W.W. Jacobs, The Simpsons made old texts hip for modern audiences, and now everyone understands that a monkey’s paw represents the axiom “be careful what you wish for.”

Today, The Twilight Zone has endured in the lexicon, from Rod Serling‘s narration and opening theme to its recurring themes and motifs. Just like the aforementioned “Monkey’s Paw,” calling something a Twilight Zone-esque experience, something related to a nightmarish alternate reality or haunted fable, is a universally understood phenomenon, and countless people were likely drawn to check out episodes from the ’60s anthology series after watching “Treehouse of Horror.” The various supernatural and fantastical encounters each member of the Simpson family has every spooky season are comedic takes on Twilight Zone segments, broad enough to appeal to mass audiences yet carrying an extra layer of charm for die-hard fans of the original series.

Direct parodies of The Twilight Zone from the “Treehouse” saga include “Hungry are the Damned” (“To Serve Man”), “Bart’s Nightmare” (“It’s a Good Life”), and “Clown Without Pity” (“Living Doll”). Plot points such as Lisa’s discovery of a cookbook showing how to cannibalize, Bart’s possession of terrifying psychic powers, and a Krusty the Clown doll turning evil deploy the signature hook of Twilight Zone segments for exceptional farce, while occasionally retaining ounces of the show’s thematic undercurrent.

The Lack of Enduring Cultural References in Contemporary Episodes of ‘The Simpsons’

Unsurprisingly, “Treehouse of Horror” reached its peak in the 1990s, and like everything else about The Simpsons, it simply doesn’t hit the same today. To an extent, the yearly horror-themed tradition crystallizes what modern Simpsons episodes are missing compared to the show’s golden age. Before the Internet, the show used to be a gateway to different realms of historical pop culture, and it helped 30-plus-year-old shows like The Twilight Zone increase their cultural legacy.

When watching modern “Treehouse” episodes, the series isn’t so much tapping into its well of references that influenced Matt Groening and the golden age’s writing staff, but rather, the buzzy trends in the zeitgeist. 2024’s installment featured Homer donning a pair of possessed Denim jeans modeled after Marvel’s Venom comic book character, which saw its third entry in the Tom Hardy film franchise release simultaneously. It’s hard to get much mileage out of Spider-Man’s antiheroic foil, considering its recent series is already goofy and tongue-in-cheek.

The 36th “Treehouse” in 2025 directly parodied the indie horror film Late Night with the Devil in the segment “Clown Night with the Devil,” as well as another segment involving surrounding families in crisis watching The Simpsons (with a cameo by Groening). For anyone looking for an escape from the 2020 election, The Simpsons, unfortunately, dedicated a segment in “Treehouse of Horror XXXI” to the mania and uncertainty of the event. This episode reflects a sense of delayed catch-up on the writers’ part to tap into the horror phenomenon, only to satirize a relatively forgotten movie, and the self-reflective meta commentary is very much the product of a show running on fumes. The Twilight Zone remains a timeless source for parody, while also providing a perfect template for anthology sci-fi/horror TV.