Editing Treehouse of Horror IV

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}

{{Good article}}
{{Infobox Simpsons episode
| image          = FlandersDevil.png
| caption        = The Devil, in the form of Ned Flanders, appearing at Homer's work station after he says that he would sell his soul for a donut.
| season         = 5
| episode        = 5
| director       = [[David Silverman (animator)|David Silverman]]
| writer         = "'''Wraparounds'''":<br/>[[Conan O'Brien]]<br />'''The Devil and Homer Simpson:'''<br/>[[Greg Daniels]]<br />[[Dan McGrath]]<br />"'''Terror at {{frac|5|1|2}} Feet'''":<br/>[[Bill Oakley]]<br />[[Josh Weinstein]]<br />"'''Bart Simpson's Dracula'''":<br/>[[Bill Canterbury]]
| production     = 1F04
| airdate        = {{Start date|1993|10|28}}
| guests         = *[[Phil Hartman]] as [[Lionel Hutz]]
*[[Frank Welker]] as the gremlin
| couch_gag      = The family (as [[zombie]]s) enter through the living room floor before sitting on the couch.
| commentary     = [[Matt Groening]]<br />[[James L. Brooks]]<br />[[David Mirkin]]<br />Conan O'Brien<br />Greg Daniels<br />Bill Oakley<br />Josh Weinstein<br />David Silverman
| prev           = [[Rosebud (The Simpsons)|Rosebud]]
| next           = [[Marge on the Lam]]
}}

"'''Treehouse of Horror IV'''" is the fifth episode of the [[The Simpsons season 5|fifth season]] of the American animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and the fourth episode in the ''[[Treehouse of Horror]]'' series of [[Halloween]] specials. It originally aired on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox network]] in the United States on October 28, 1993,<ref name=":book">{{cite book |last=Groening |first=Matt |author-link=Matt Groening |editor1-first=Ray |editor1-last=Richmond |editor1-link=Ray Richmond |editor2-first=Antonia |editor2-last=Coffman |title=[[The Simpsons episode guides#The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family|The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family]] |edition=1st |year=1997 |location=New York |publisher=[[HarperPerennial]] |lccn=98141857 |ol=433519M |oclc=37796735 |isbn=978-0-06-095252-5 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/simpsonscomplete00groe/page/124 124–125] |ref={{harvid|Richmond & Coffman|1997}} }}.</ref> and features three short stories called "The Devil and Homer Simpson", "Terror at {{frac|5|1|2}} Feet", and "Bart Simpson's Dracula".

The episode was co-written by [[Conan O'Brien]], [[Bill Oakley]], [[Josh Weinstein]], [[Greg Daniels]], [[Dan McGrath]], and [[Bill Canterbury]], and directed by [[David Silverman (animator)|David Silverman]].
As with the rest of the Halloween specials, the episode is considered [[Canon (fiction)|non-canon]] and falls outside the show's regular continuity. The episode makes cultural references to television series such as ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'', ''[[Night Gallery]]'', and ''[[Peanuts]]'', as well as films such as ''[[The Devil and Daniel Webster (film)|The Devil and Daniel Webster]]'', ''[[Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992 film)|Bram Stoker's Dracula]]'' and ''[[The Lost Boys]]''. Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen rating]] of 14.5, and was the highest-rated show on the Fox network the week it aired.

==Plot==
In the wraparound, [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] introduces each of the three segments by walking through a gallery of paintings and each time choosing one of them as the focus of his story.

==="The Devil and Homer Simpson"===
In "The Devil and Homer Simpson", [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] sells his soul to [[the devil]], who takes the form of [[Ned Flanders]], for a donut. After [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] and [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] plead with Ned, he agrees to put Homer on trial. At the trial, Marge saves Homer from being sent to Hell by displaying a photo from their wedding day. On the back of the photo, Homer has written that, in return for Marge giving him her hand in marriage, he pledges his soul to her forever; therefore, it was not his property to sell at the time of his deal with Ned. The case is dismissed, and Ned frees Homer, but Ned gets his revenge by turning Homer's head into a donut.

==="Terror at {{frac|5|1|2}} Feet"===
In "Terror at {{frac|5|1|2}} Feet", Bart tries to warn the passengers on the school bus that a gremlin is loosening the lug nuts on one of the wheels, but nobody can see the gremlin. In desperation, Bart climbs halfway out the window to scare off the gremlin with an emergency flare. As Bart is pulled back into the bus by [[Principal Skinner]] and [[Groundskeeper Willie]], he drops the flare on the gremlin, who catches fire and falls from the bus, but is found by Ned. Even though everyone sees the damage when they make it to school, Bart is sent to a psychiatric hospital for his disruptive behavior. Bart is relieved as he is finally able to rest, but is once again petrified when the gremlin appears in the back window of the ambulance, holding Ned's severed head.

==="Bart Simpson's Dracula"===
In "Bart Simpson's Dracula", the [[Simpson family]] is invited to [[Mr. Burns]]' castle in Pennsylvania for a midnight feast. Bart and Lisa discover a secret staircase descending to a basement with coffins. Vampires emerge from the coffins and encircle them while Lisa reads through Burns' autobiography ''Yes, I Am a Vampire''. Lisa escapes and tries to warn her parents that Burns has bitten Bart, but Homer and Marge pay little attention until Bart tries to bite Lisa later that night. Homer drives a stake through Burns' heart, and kills him, as Lisa believes doing so will restore Bart. The next morning, Lisa discovers that everyone else in the Simpson family is a vampire, and Marge is their leader. The family [[breaks the fourth wall]] and wishes the audience a happy Halloween; they then [[A Charlie Brown Christmas|begin humming]] "[[Hark! The Herald Angels Sing]]".

==Credits==
In all Simpsons Treehouse of Horror shows, the names on the credits include middle name nicknames, in quotation marks, which reflect some association with Halloween or horror.

Conan O'Brien's credits all reference his new role as host of ''[[Late Night with Conan O'Brien]]'', including a credit that says "Watch Conan O'Brien" and another which says "12:30 NBC" as his "middle" name. O'Brien had just begun his tenure on September 13, 1993, roughly a month before the 1993 Treehouse of Horror episode aired.

==Production==
[[File:Conan O'Brien by Gage Skidmore.jpg|thumb|180px|[[Conan O'Brien]] was one of the writers of the episode.]]

"Treehouse of Horror IV" was directed by [[David Silverman (animator)|David Silverman]] and co-written by [[Conan O'Brien]] (his final assignment for The Simpsons; by the time this episode aired, [[Late Night with Conan O'Brien|his brand-new late night show on NBC]] had been on for a little over a month), [[Bill Oakley]], [[Josh Weinstein]], [[Greg Daniels]], [[Dan McGrath]], and Bill Canterbury. O'Brien worked on the "wrap-arounds" of Bart introducing each segment to make sure that they "pulled" the episode together.<ref name="Conan">{{cite video |people=O'Brien, Conan |date=2004 |title=The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror IV" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> The wrap-arounds are based on [[Rod Serling]]'s television series ''[[Night Gallery]]'', in which Serling appears at an art gallery and introduces each episode by unveiling paintings depicting the stories. Executive producer [[James L. Brooks]] loved the show, so it was "great fun" for him to do the parody.<ref name="Brooks">{{cite video |people=Brooks L., James |date=2004 |title=The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror IV" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> [[Show runner]] [[David Mirkin]] thought the ''Treehouse of Horror'' episodes were the hardest episodes to do because the staff had to fit in all three stories in only 22 minutes. Mirkin said, "Things had to happen really fast. They're really just crammed with jokes and story beats and everything."<ref name="Mirkin">{{cite video |people=Mirkin, David |date=2004 |title=The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror IV" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>

"The Devil and Homer Simpson" was written by Daniels and McGrath.<ref name="Daniels">{{cite video |people=Daniels, Greg |date=2004 |title=The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror IV" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> The first time Devil Flanders appears, he resembles the devil [[Chernabog]] from ''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]'' (1940); Silverman particularly admired the animation in that sequence.<ref name="Silverman">{{cite video |people=Silverman, David |date=2004 |title=The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror IV" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Oakley loved the idea of Flanders being the Devil because he was the character whom viewers would least expect. He also thought [[Harry Shearer]] did a good job of playing Flanders in a much darker way, while remaining very true to the character.<ref name="Oakley"/> Many scenes had to be cut to shorten the segment, including one that showed Homer's severed head being used as a bowling ball by a demon in hell. This scene later appeared in the clip show episode "[[The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular]]", which aired in the show's [[The Simpsons season 7|seventh season]].<ref name="Mirkin"/>

"Terror at {{frac|5|1|2}} Feet" was written by Oakley and Weinstein. It was inspired by [[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|''The Twilight Zone'']] episode "[[Nightmare at 20,000 Feet]]", in which [[William Shatner]]'s character is inside an airplane watching a gremlin tear apart the wing. Silverman watched the episode to get inspiration for Bart's facial expressions.<ref name="Silverman"/> Oakley said there was a lot of work put into the design of the gremlin in "Terror at {{frac|5|1|2}} Feet" to make him scary "within ''The Simpsons'' universe".<ref name="Oakley">{{cite video |people=Oakley, Bill |date=2004 |title=The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror IV" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Mirkin said he felt the gremlin was well-done because he looked scary and "yet it looks like a completely organic ''Simpsons'' character". [[Üter]], a [[Germany|German]] exchange student, makes his first appearance in this segment; he was conceived as a one-time joke, but reappeared in later episodes because Mirkin felt he was "such a perfect stereotype".<ref name="Mirkin"/>

"Bart Simpson's Dracula" was written by Canterbury and based on [[Francis Ford Coppola]]'s film ''[[Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992 film)|Bram Stoker's Dracula]]''. Mirkin was a big fan of the film and pushed for a segment inspired by it. He liked the final result and felt Mr. Burns was perfect in the role of Dracula.<ref name="Mirkin"/> Dracula and his castle were designed by Silverman. Mirkin, a "big" ''[[Peanuts]]'' fan, came up with the idea for the ending of "Bart Simpson's Dracula".<ref name="Silverman"/>

==Cultural references==
The wrap-around segments are a reference to [[Rod Serling]]'s ''[[Night Gallery]]''.<ref name="BBC">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season5/page6.shtml |title=Treehouse of Horror IV |access-date=2007-03-21 |author1=Martyn, Warren |author2=Wood, Adrian |year=2000 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> The paintings seen in these segments are parodies of well-known works, including [[Vincent van Gogh|van Gogh]]'s [[Portraits of Vincent van Gogh|''Self-Portrait'', September 1889]], [[Edvard Munch|Munch]]'s ''[[The Scream]]'', [[René Magritte|Magritte]]'s ''[[The Son of Man]]'', [[Jacques-Louis David|David]]'s ''[[The Death of Marat]]'', [[Salvador Dalí|Dalí]]'s ''[[The Persistence of Memory]]'', [[Pablo Picasso|Picasso]]'s ''[[Three Musicians (Picasso)|Three Musicians]]'' and [[M. C. Escher|Escher]]'s ''[[Ascending and Descending]]'', all featuring members of the Simpson family. (The last painting, shown before "Bart Simpson's Dracula", is ''[[Dogs Playing Poker]]''.) Marge says that the following episode is scary, and that maybe viewers should listen to the [[The War of the Worlds (1938 radio drama)|''War of the Worlds'' broadcast]] instead.

"The Devil and Homer Simpson" is a parody of [[Stephen Vincent Benét]]'s story "[[The Devil and Daniel Webster]]". The first time the Devil appears, he resembles the demon [[Chernabog]] from ''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]''.<ref name="Daniels"/> After Homer discovers a technicality and boasts that he's "smarter than the devil" the Devil turns into the Chernabog-esque demon and intones, "I'll see you in Hell yet, Homer Simpson!" The scene in Hell where Homer is fed all the doughnuts in the world, and asks for more, is a direct parody of the cartoon ''[[Pigs Is Pigs (1937 film)|Pigs is Pigs]]'', in which the character [[Piggy (Merrie Melodies)|Piggy]] is taken in by a scientist and forced to eat all the food in the world.<ref name="Silverman"/> The demon who feeds Homer all the donuts in the world says: "I don't understand it. [[James Coco]] went mad in fifteen minutes!"<ref>[http://www.simpsoncrazy.com/scripts/thoh-4 ‘Treehouse of Horror IV’ script] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619122716/http://www.simpsoncrazy.com/scripts/thoh-4 |date=2021-06-19 }}, Simpson Crazy.</ref> Coco was an actor known for his culinary talents and best-selling cookbooks.<ref>[http://frieddoughho.com/the-simpsons-offers-homer-donut-hell/ The Simpsons offers Homer Donut Hell], ''Fried Donut Ho''</ref> The "jury of the damned" includes [[John Wilkes Booth]], [[Lizzie Borden]], [[John Dillinger]], [[Blackbeard]], [[Benedict Arnold]], [[Richard Nixon]] (who points out that he is not yet dead){{efn|name=fn1|In real life, Nixon died 5 months after this episode aired.}}<ref name=":book" /> and the starting lineup of the [[1975–76 Philadelphia Flyers season|1976]] [[Philadelphia Flyers]], a reference to their days as the Broad Street Bullies, when they were notorious for their violent playing style.

"Terror at {{frac|5|1|2}} Feet" is a parody of ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'' episode "[[Nightmare at 20,000 Feet]]", later remade as  the final segment of ''[[Twilight Zone: The Movie]]''.<ref name=":book"/> In the school bus, Martin wears a shirt reading [[Wang Laboratories|Wang Computers]]. Bart tells Otto there's a gremlin on the side of the bus. [[Hans Moleman]] is beside the bus driving an [[AMC Gremlin]]. Otto, assuming this is what he's referring to, says "No problemo, Bart dude!" and runs Moleman off the road.

"Bart Simpson's Dracula" is a parody of [[Francis Ford Coppola]]'s ''[[Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992 film)|Bram Stoker's Dracula]]''. At Burns' castle, Lisa notices a tome resting on a stand in the basement: ''Yes, I Am a Vampire, by Monty Burns. Foreword by [[Steve Allen]]''.<ref name="Mirkin"/> Shortly after she finds the tome, she mistakes Bart's fearful attempts at getting her attention as impressions of [[Shemp Howard|Shemp]] and [[Curly Howard]] of the [[Three Stooges]]. Bart floating outside Lisa's bedroom window is a parody of ''[[The Lost Boys]]'' as well as [[Stephen King]]'s novel ''[[Salem's Lot]]''. The family's plan to kill the head vampire is also a reference to both the film and novel. In particular, the twist revelation that Burns is not the head vampire is also a reference to the twist ending of ''The Lost Boys''.<ref name="Silverman"/> The segment ends with the family singing "[[Hark! The Herald Angels Sing]]" à la ''[[A Charlie Brown Christmas]]''.

[[Alf Clausen]]'s closing credits composition is a version of the ''Simpsons'' theme that combines the electric guitar used in ''[[The Munsters]]'' theme with the [[harpsichord]] and clicking from ''[[The Addams Family (1964 TV series)|The Addams Family]]'' theme.<ref name="Mirkin"/>

==Reception==
In its original American broadcast, "Treehouse of Horror IV" finished 17th in the ratings for the week of October 25 to October 31, 1993, with a [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen rating]] of 14.5, translating to 13.6 million households. The episode was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week.<ref>{{cite news |title=Prime-Time TV Ratings |work=Rocky Mountain News |author=Moore, Frazier |page=18D |date=November 4, 1993}}</ref>

Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. The authors of the book ''I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide'', Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, said the episode included many notable sequences and was "probably the best" ''Treehouse of Horror'' episode. They particularly liked the scenes in Hell where Homer is punished by the Devil, and [[Chief Wiggum]]'s attempts to deal with Dracula (who he thinks is a [[mummy]]) by ordering the [[Egypt]]ian wing of the Springfield museum to be destroyed.<ref name="BBC"/> DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson thought "Terror at {{frac|5|1|2}} Feet" was the best segment of the episode. Jacobson praised "The Devil and Homer Simpson" as clever funny, and described "Bart Simpson's Dracula" as "easily the least effective", claiming it, "presents some good moments but never quite takes flight".<ref>{{cite web |access-date=2009-01-24 |url=http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasonfive.shtml |title=The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season (1993) |publisher=DVD Movie Guide |date=2004-12-21 |author=Jacobson, Colin }}</ref> Patrick Bromley of DVD Verdict gave the episode an A grade and called it "one of the very best" Halloween specials, although said "[[Treehouse of Horror V]]" was better.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2009-01-24 |url=http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/simpsonsseason5.php |title=The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season |publisher=DVD Verdict |date=2005-02-23 |author=Bromley, Patrick |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116115733/http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/simpsonsseason5.php |archive-date=2009-01-16 }}</ref> ''[[Central Michigan Life]]''{{'}}s John Thorpe named it the tenth best episode of the series, and wrote: "The best part comes when Homer decides not to eat the last part of the doughnut, thus saving him from hell. Hilarious."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://media.www.cm-life.com/media/storage/paper906/news/2000/11/15/EtCetera/Top-10.Simpsons.Episodes.Ever-2475956.shtml |title=Top 10 Simpson's episodes ever |last=Thorpe |first=John |date=November 15, 2000 |work=Central Michigan Life |access-date=2008-12-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122045610/http://media.www.cm-life.com/media/storage/paper906/news/2000/11/15/EtCetera/Top-10.Simpsons.Episodes.Ever-2475956.shtml |archive-date=January 22, 2009 }}</ref> [[DVD Talk]]'s Bill Gibron gave the episode a 4 out of 5 score.<ref>{{cite web |access-date=2009-01-24 |url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/13784/simpsons-the-complete-fifth-season-the/ |title=The Simpsons&nbsp;— The Complete Fifth Season |publisher=[[DVD Talk]] |date=2004-12-21 |author=Gibron, Bill }}</ref>

Kim Nowacki of ''[[Yakima Herald-Republic]]'' named "Treehouse of Horror IV" her "all-time favorite" episode. She praised the parodies of ''The Twilight Zone'' and ''A Charlie Brown Christmas''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Howl of Fame&nbsp;— Dedicated to the Younger Set |last=Nowacki |first=Kim |date=October 15, 2004 |work=Yakima Herald-Republic}}</ref> The episode's reference to ''Bram Stoker's Dracula'' was named the 32nd greatest film reference in the history of the show by ''[[Total Film]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Nathan Ditum.<ref name="totalfilm">{{cite news |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/the-50-greatest-simpsons-movie-references/|title=The 50 Greatest Simpsons Movie References |last=Ditum |first=Nathan |date=June 6, 2009 |work=[[Total Film]]|publisher=GamesRadar|access-date=January 16, 2022}}</ref> James Whitbrook of ''[[Gizmodo]]'' called "Bart Simpson's Dracula" the "best sketch in what is the best ''Treehouse of Horror''."<ref name="gizmodo">{{cite news |url=https://gizmodo.com/bart-simpsons-dracula-is-the-best-treehouse-of-horror-s-1839366749 |title=Bart Simpson's Dracula Is the Best Treehouse of Horror Sketch, It Just Is |last=Whitbrook |first=James |date=October 30, 2019 |work=[[Gizmodo]] |access-date=January 16, 2022}}</ref>

==References==
{{Notelist}}
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_5#Treehouse_of_Horror_IV|"Treehouse of Horror IV"}}
{{Portal|The Simpsons}}
*{{snpp capsule|1F04}}
*{{IMDb episode|0701279}}

{{Treehouse of Horror}}
{{The Simpsons episodes|5}}
{{Adaptations of Dracula}}
{{Philadelphia Flyers}}
{{Richard Nixon}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Treehouse Of Horror 04}}
[[Category:The Simpsons season 5 episodes]]
[[Category:Television episodes about Dracula]]
[[Category:Animated television episodes about vampires]]
[[Category:Fiction about the Devil]]
[[Category:Fiction about vampire outbreaks]]
[[Category:Lawsuits against the Devil]]
[[Category:1993 American television episodes]]
[[Category:Treehouse of Horror]]
[[Category:Parodies of films]]
[[Category:Parodies of paintings]]
[[Category:Parody television episodes]]
[[Category:The Devil and Daniel Webster]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Benedict Arnold]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Lizzie Borden]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Richard Nixon]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of John Wilkes Booth]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Blackbeard]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of John Dillinger]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Flyers]]
[[Category:Television episodes about nightmares]]
[[Category:Television episodes set in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Television episodes set in hell]]
[[Category:Television episodes about curses]]
[[Category:Works set in castles]]
[[Category:Halloween television episodes]]
[[Category:Television episodes written by Conan O'Brien]]
[[Category:Television episodes written by Greg Daniels]]
[[Category:Television episodes written by Dan McGrath]]
[[Category:Television episodes written by Bill Oakley]]
[[Category:Television episodes written by Josh Weinstein]]
[[Category:Television episodes directed by David Silverman (animator)]]

[[it:La paura fa novanta I-X#La paura fa novanta IV]]
[[fi:Simpsonit (5. tuotantokausi)#Kauhujen talo, osa IV (Treehouse of Horror IV)]]