Bart Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror (1996) 2

Paul Dini chose The Blob as the movie to parody in the second installment of Bart’s Tree House of Horror and Sideshow Blob! is the star of the book.

Bob volunteers to play guinea pig for Doctor Nick. The quack with the sheepskin unleashes a gelatinous giant on Springfield. His obsession with killing Bart creates mass destruction as he oozes in pursuit. Bob meets an icy reception and demise at the Kwik-E-Mart.

Originally The Blob was a low-budget, independent film released in 1958. It claims Steve McQueen made his Hollywood debut in the this otherwise second feature to I Married a Monster from Outter Space.

A sequel, Beware! the Blob, was released in 1972 starring Larry Hagman.

Tri-Star pictures remade the movie in 1988, but only saw a return of $8.2 million for its $19 million budget.

Peter Bagge authors The Exosister in the second installment.

Lisa finds herself possessed by the spirit of Madonna. An abbreviated version of The Exorcist follows as the mass media darling of daring is expelled from Lisa’s soul.

Anyone familiar with comic books knows Dini’s name. Bagge’s name is not as synonymous with comic books, but his black humor alternatives, Hate and Neat Stuff, were another cornerstone of the grunge experience of the 1990s.

The Exorcist was a more popular media darling. Released in 1973, the film grossed $1.9 million in its opening weekend. It went on to make $441 million worldwide.

The film was nominated for a Best Picture by the Academy. Patton took Oscar home that year. In retrospect, the film has been honored by being chosen by the National Film Registry for preservation.