The Simpsons: 10 Most Disturbing Episodes

Lisa's first word is one of the most endearing episodes of The Simpsons. It tells the story of Lisa's arrival into the Simpson family and the strange dynamic between her and older brother, culminating in an incredibly heartfelt climax where the young girls first word is "Bart".

So with an episode this sweet, what constitutes its position on a most disturbing episodes list? Well, it comes from the terrifying nightmare fuel that is the bed Homer builds for Bart. Those who have a phobia of Clowns likely find this to be very difficult to sit through, as Homer creates a clown shaped bed for his son and the young boy is utterly terrified of it.

The scare here is visceral and real thanks to the fact that every viewer has likely had a similar experience in childhood. The imagination of a child often takes inanimate objects and turns them into the stuff of nightmares, and this episode perfectly encapsulates that feeling of dread and powerlessness that children have when something scares them.

For that reason, it's easily one of the most disturbing Simpsons episodes.