The Simpsons: 10 Best Treehouse Of Horror Episodes

Treehouse III is notable for its particularly cosy and festive framing device, taking place at a costumed Halloween party at Evergreen Terrace.

The killer Krusty the Klown doll brandishing a kitchen knife is an iconic Treehouse of Horror image. The tale itself, Clown Without Pity, may not be the funniest of the Treehouse segments, but there are still classic lines including “The doll’s trying to kill me and the toaster’s been laughing at me” and “The frogurt is also cursed”.

King Homer’s monochrome colour palette gives this monster movie parody a real charm in what is essentially a faithful retelling of King Kong with a cast of Simpsons characters. The line about Candy Apple Island also containing - like Ape Island - apes (“But they’re not so big”), is delightfully silly, as is Mr Burns’ inability to throw a smoke grenade further than at his own feet.

Finally, Dial Z for Zombies, although not offering a particularly original story, is still packed full of great sight gags and lines - “You killed zombie Flanders”/”He was a zombie?” - and has a tidy little ending with the Simpson family sitting stupefied in front of the telly.