Of the first ten Simpsons Halloween specials, Treehouse of Horror X is definitely at the bottom of the list when it comes to quality. I'm not sure it deserves to be hurled into the sun, but it's surely not Mars-worthy. I'm now commenting on it as part of my series of reviews on Halloween and horror-themed entertainment.
The first segment is probably the best one. Although it spoofs a bad movie (I Know What You Did Last Summer, 1997), the theme of murder works well for a THOH as Marge accidentally runs over and kills Ned Flanders. Much of how the Simpsons try to cover the death up is not from the movie and is a highlight of the episode. Bart utters a true statement- that no one will believe a Simpson killing a Flanders could be an accident. Homer also gives a terribly suspicious eulogy. This segment is also the first time a THOH has tackled the concept of werewolves- though Flanders as a werewolf isn't quite as good as when he was the devil (THOH IV).
The second segment of the episode is a superhero spoof. My main gripe about it is that superheroes aren't a Halloweenish subject. Trying to compensate, the beginning of the segment is set on Halloween, but that's it. Sure, maybe an argument could be made that THOH was never exclusively about Halloween. It had aliens, and Lisa in this very episode asks "What do aliens have to do with Halloween?" It's interesting to note, however, that Orson Welles' 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast was a Halloween show. While we've accepted science fiction as appropriate subject matter for THOHs in addition to horror, this superhero stuff falls under neither the horror nor science fiction category.
Finally, THOH X ends with Y2K, a computer malfunction some feared would occur on New Years' Day in 2000. Although New Years' and Halloween are different holidays, this is passable since Y2K was a real terror at the end of the '90s. The segment suggests imaginative ways in which the machines will malfunction. Much as how the superhero spoof in this episode closely resembles the later Futurama episode Less Than Hero, this Y2K segment resembles the Futurama episode Mother's Day, where the machines all rebel. The ending deserves comment: although I'd be sympathetic to the idea of putting Dr. Laura, Dan Quayle, Tonya Harding and Pauly Shore on a collision course with the sun, and I enjoyed this part, this may not be as enjoyable to future audiences if those people are eventually forgotten.
Happy Halloween.
The first segment is probably the best one. Although it spoofs a bad movie (I Know What You Did Last Summer, 1997), the theme of murder works well for a THOH as Marge accidentally runs over and kills Ned Flanders. Much of how the Simpsons try to cover the death up is not from the movie and is a highlight of the episode. Bart utters a true statement- that no one will believe a Simpson killing a Flanders could be an accident. Homer also gives a terribly suspicious eulogy. This segment is also the first time a THOH has tackled the concept of werewolves- though Flanders as a werewolf isn't quite as good as when he was the devil (THOH IV).
The second segment of the episode is a superhero spoof. My main gripe about it is that superheroes aren't a Halloweenish subject. Trying to compensate, the beginning of the segment is set on Halloween, but that's it. Sure, maybe an argument could be made that THOH was never exclusively about Halloween. It had aliens, and Lisa in this very episode asks "What do aliens have to do with Halloween?" It's interesting to note, however, that Orson Welles' 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast was a Halloween show. While we've accepted science fiction as appropriate subject matter for THOHs in addition to horror, this superhero stuff falls under neither the horror nor science fiction category.
Finally, THOH X ends with Y2K, a computer malfunction some feared would occur on New Years' Day in 2000. Although New Years' and Halloween are different holidays, this is passable since Y2K was a real terror at the end of the '90s. The segment suggests imaginative ways in which the machines will malfunction. Much as how the superhero spoof in this episode closely resembles the later Futurama episode Less Than Hero, this Y2K segment resembles the Futurama episode Mother's Day, where the machines all rebel. The ending deserves comment: although I'd be sympathetic to the idea of putting Dr. Laura, Dan Quayle, Tonya Harding and Pauly Shore on a collision course with the sun, and I enjoyed this part, this may not be as enjoyable to future audiences if those people are eventually forgotten.
Happy Halloween.
