Bart Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror (1995) 1

Hard to believe, but Halloween season is upon us. Welcome to October with the first of a series of haunted treats.

Opening the book is a story of Lisa’s science experiment that runs amok in Little Shop of Homers.

What appears to be a cash cow becomes a deadly liability. Until Homer comes to the rescue – of donuts.

Of course, this is a lampoon of The Little Shop of Horrors, Roger Corman’s 1960 horror/comedy based on the 1932 John Colliier short story Green Thoughts.

It was repurposed as a “horror comedy rock musical” with music by Alan Menken in 1982. It began as an off-Broadway production, but moved into the limelight.

The play was then adapted to film in 1986 by Frank Oz.

Bart Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror (1995) 1

Next is the Bart Simpson, master of disguise, presents the “quick ‘n’ easy, low budget do-it-yourself guide to cool costumes” offering some less than desirable choices for trick or treat in a one-page special.

Call Me Homer is a different take on the Moby Dick legend. Wishing to seem important, Grandpa tells a tale of an ancestor who was a whaling man. His lust for blubber brought Herman Melville’s story to a different conclusion, and started the myth of the Bermuda Triangle.

Bart People is a parody of the 1942 RKO Pictures classic Cat People.

Lisa is away for a week. When she returns, she notices some differences, but not enough to condone Bart’s revelation they are cat people.

Music soothes the savage beast and Bart is given a new home in the Springfield Zoo. Watch the final panels for the foreshadowing.

The original Cat People was redone in 1982 with David Bowie providing the title track to the film.

Treehouse of Horrors first aired Oct. 25, 1990, and became an annual tradition. Each consist of three-separate segments. Themes are either horror, sci-fi or supernatural.

This year we’re doing something a little different. We’ll be focusing on the Tree House of Horror series by featuring all 23 issues during October. Please join us as we celebrate the haunting season with a skewed vision of the season.