The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror (2008) 14

Steve Niles deconstructs his 30 Days of Night in 30 Days of Doh. Glenn Fabry joins as the co-plotter and penciler for this year’s Halloween opener.

As happens so much of the time, Homer’s incompetence causes a nuclear accident. A funky fog cover that lasts for 30 days. Those caught in the initial blight are turned to vampire zombies.

Chief Wiggum and Apu are the voices of reason until the sun shines again.

The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror (2008) 14

Originally, Niles had scripted 30 Days of Night as a comic book. With no backers, he attempted to find someone in the film industry interested. IDW Publishing bought the premise. The finished product was then taken back to Hollywood. Senator International acquired the rights and Columbia Pictures released the film, grossing almost $40 million in the North American market.

Murder He Wrote, by Ian Boothby and Nina Matsumoto, has a sinister notebook taking lives of anyone whose name is written within.

No relation to the Angela Lansbury crime drama.

Homer dishonors the land of the rising sun in Homerstein Conquers the World.

Following the disturbing plot of Toho’s Frankenstein Conquers the World, Homer eats the Frankenstein monster’s heart and becomes a Gargantua – soon to be named in the sequel a few pages later – fighting Baragon and stomping the countryside.

War of the Gargantua Homersteins follows. Another countryside trampling fight ends in friendship while Bart and Lisa speculate on what has come and what will happen.

King Kong vs. Godzilla had its roots in Frankenstein Conquers the World.

When Toho penned a deal with RKO for the use of King Kong, Frankenstein’s monster took a back seat.

The gigantic Frankenstein film was finally given the green light and Baragon was substituted for Godzilla.

The War of the Gargantuas became a sequel the following year in 1966.

Since then the cult movie has found a home just below the surface of normalcy. Such well-known personalities as Brad Pitt, Guillermo del Toro and Quentin Tarantino have praised the film. Even Scooby-Doo parodied the film with Battle of the Humungonaughts during the Mystery Incorporated series.