Review: The Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror XXXII”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, Bambi’s revenge, and much, much more are featured in the 32nd annual Halloween special.

Our Take:

It’s that time of year once again. We’re already gearing up for Halloween, meaning The Simpson family is doing the same with their annual “Treehouse of Horror” special. Every year, the show has been scaring and amusing its viewers with its mini-segment Halloween episodes, but this year, it will take on a much different direction. Instead of showcasing the usual three segments, the 32nd “Treehouse of Horror” special will show five. If that isn’t enough to terrify you, I don’t know what will. So now the big question is whether or not this direction helps in delivering another successful Halloween treat.

After opening with a spoof of Disney’s Bambi, the special began with a segment that parodies Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning thriller, Parasite. If you’re familiar with the film’s plot, then you’ll know what it’s about. If not, then here’s a quick summary: The Simpsons pretend to have professional jobs to move into the wealthy family’s house. I loved Parasite for its cast, direction, and social commentary, so it makes me happy to see that it’s been introduced to more American audiences with this segment. It’s a shorter version of the South Korean classic with a much different ending and no subtitles, but it’s also a fun mini-story that pays tribute to Bong Joon-ho’s most significant works.

The rest of the segments are as follows: “Nightmare on Elm Tree” has Bart’s treehouse coming to life and overthrowing the human race. Next, Vincent Price (Maurice LaMarche) tells the story of The Telltale Bart, who causes trouble in a Tim Burton-esque Springfield every month. Finally, “Dead Ringer” is a parody of The Ring, which saw Lisa investigating a cursed TikTok video that kills everyone who watches it.

With five segments on display instead of the regular three, it created a challenge for the writers to cram these spooky short tales into the 30-minute time frame without rushing them. Fortunately, they happened to tackle that challenge pretty well. Unfortunately, the Vincent Price and Elm Tree segments faltered in their cleverness and humor, although LaMarche from Pinky and the Brain did a solid job voicing the iconic horror actor. However, the Parasite and The Ring parodies proved that The Simpsons is at its best when providing humorous takes on pop culture and classic films.

Overall, the 32nd “Treehouse of Horror” special continues the show’s tradition of scaring and tickling our funny bones. It may not reach the heights of the earlier “Treehouse of Horror” specials, but it’s an enjoyable set of creepy mini-stories that’ll put every Simpsons fan into the Halloween spirit this year. Out of the five segments shown in this special, I liked the Parasite parody the most because of its humor and unexpected ending. I enjoyed The Simpsons, and I loved Parasite. It’s a winning combination, in my eyes.