FXX is going to celebrate this Halloween by airing a 13-hour Treehouse of Horror Marathon. This is a homage to The Simpsons legacy of scary spoofs. This annual tradition began with season 2 of The Simpsons and has been a regular annual feature since then. The latest episode was aired last Sunday, and it parodied films such as The Exorcist and Caroline. Although Treehouse of Horror was initially a purely horror oriented event, we have seen it expand to include sci-fi, fantasy, and pop culture themes in the recent years.
Among the most unforgettable Treehouse of Horror parts is ‘The Shinning’ from season 6. In this episode, Homer went crazy without beer and TV, and it made him try and kill his family. The title is deliberately spelled incorrectly to refer to a joke within this episode showing Bart trying to use the correct spelling and being warned by Groundskeeper Willie that it might attract a lawsuit. Another iconic segment is the season 7 episode ‘Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace’ which showed Willie as a dream stalker similar to Freddy Kruegger.
There is a total of 27 Treehouse of Horror chapters in the books and fans have debated on countless occasions online about which ones are the best episodes to watch during the Halloween. Now courtesy FXX, fans don’t need to debate or pick and choose as they will be able to watch all the first 26 Treehouse of Horror episodes during the 13 hours long Halloween day marathon announced by FXX. It must be noted that ‘Treehouse of Horror XXVII’ won’t be aired during that marathon event although it can be watched via streaming on Hulu and the FOX Now app.
The marathon will start with the first Treehouse of Horror episode at 11 am on the Halloween day and end at midnight on November 1. If you are going to be busy with the holiday, FXX will also come up with theme based marathons of various Treehouse episodes as a build-up on the days prior to Halloween. For example, the marathon to be aired on October 30 focuses on movie parodies whereas the one on October 27 has a theme based on demons and witches.
Although fans are now wondering when The Simpsons will finally go off the air for good, indications are about some more Treehouse of Horror chapters to come up before Homer and family become a part of TV history forever. If this marathon is received well by viewers, then FXX might make it a Halloween tradition of its own in the years to come.
The Simpsons season 29 airs Sundays on FOX.
Source: FXX
