‘Treehouse of Horror XXXV’ Spoofs ‘Venom’ and ‘Pacific Rim’ in Mixed Bag Halloween Special [Review]

The Simpsons’ annual “Treehouse of Horror” Halloween specials were a seasonal highlight and a strong opportunity for the animated series to truly let loose and explore radical riffs on celebrated horror touchstones like The Shining, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and even classic genre archetypes like King Kong and The Twilight Zone. It’s appreciated that The Simpsons hasn’t turned its back on this annual tradition and that it’s still going strong. There are now more “Treehouse of Horror” episodes than there are days in October. Now, despite the pedigree of the “Treehouse of Horror” specials, they’ve become increasingly inconsistent and lazy in many regards, much like The Simpsons as a whole. 

The Simpsons’ “Treehouse of Horror” entries now just tackle the biggest pop culture trends, rather than explicitly telling horror stories. Instead of episodes that are focused on successful horror films from the past few years like Smile, Barbarian (“Bart-barian,” anyone?), or even Poor Things, “Treehouse of Horror XXXV” goes for the low-hanging fruit of corporate synergy like Venom or outdated movies like Pacific Rim. That being said, there have still been plenty of bright spots in recent “Treehouse of Horror” specials, like the anime makeover that The Simpsons received for its Death Note parody back in “Treehouse of Horror XXXIII.” The “Treehouse of Horror” specials are now basically an excuse to indulge in non-canon “What If?…” storytelling of a heightened genre, whether that applies to horror, science fiction, or giant tentpole action blockbusters. On that note, “Treehouse of Horror XXXV” is a mixed bag that’s far from The Simpsons’ strongest Halloween episode, but there are still some surprising delights here; and it’s leagues better than last year’s offering. 

“Treehouse of Horror XXXV’s” first segment, “The Information Rage” is a lively riff on Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim where information exhaustion, political rage, and doomscrolling literally manifest apocalyptic monsters. “The Information Rage” unpacks the slog of never-ending news cycles and equates this mental burnout to the End of Times in what amounts to an entertaining – and certainly timely – premise. “The Information Rage” is mindful with its execution and satire. The decision to turn the inciting incident into a whole lightbulb debacle rather than a genuine Democrats vs. Republicans debate is the perfect way to take something that’s supremely simplistic and dumb and use it as a brilliant way to hold a mirror up to society through suffocating minutiae. This episode is arguably at its best by tackling such a benign issue that’s gussied up to be important, rather than something that’s actually integral. 

“The Information Rage” draws clear parallels to Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim, but it feels even more in line with Nacho Vigalondo’s woefully underseen Colossal. Beneath the giant robot-versus-monster theatrics, there’s a positive message here about how society is stronger when they’re united and the dangers of succumbing to toxic social media echo chambers. If nothing else, this segment has Bart and Lisa piloting a giant mecha against killer kaiju, so it’s hard to complain.

“Fall of the House of Monty” is a delicious satire of Edgar Allen Poe’s Fall of the House of Usher, although at times it becomes a broader parody of Mike Flanagan’s entire oeuvre. Mr. Burns breaks a Thanksgiving promise to his loyal employees and finds himself cursed to be haunted by their ghosts until he loses all his worldly possessions. There are some delicious Poe references throughout the segment, including a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo by the Bart-ified Raven from The Simpsons’ very first “Treehouse of Horror” episode. 

There’s also a subtle, yet appreciated aesthetic detail during this segment where there are tiny “cigarette burns” that give the impression that this is old film stock. It’s another way that The Simpsons attempts to connect this segment to the Hammer Films and Amicus Productions of the ‘50s and ‘60s. The ghosts of Mr. Burns’ dead employees are actually kind of frightening. The episode goes all out in the gore department with these phantasms in order to craft some particularly disturbing designs. This is still a funny segment, but there’s a wicked backbone to it that helps it become “Treehouse of Horror XXXV’s” strongest entry.

Finally, in “Denim,” Homer wants to impress a waitress – Marge – and finally gains the confidence to approach his crush after he’s bonded with an extraterrestrial pair of pants. “Denim” basically copies the general beats of Venom, but with rampant jean puns, and becomes an amusing excuse to see Homer pull off incredible bodily feats as Denim’s host. There are many tiny details that help this segment connect, many of which are actually inconsequential to the story. “Irv’s Non-Canonical Diner” is a great background sight gag that does so much more heavy lifting than any exposition could. There’s another equally adept gag that takes place at a “Spit-Takers Anonymous” meeting.

”Denim” is one of many “Treehouse of Horror” stories that seems to be predicated on a dumb pun and not much else. At least in this case, “Denim” has impressive and inventive stop-motion animation to fall back on. It’s a shallow, silly story, albeit one that’s visually gorgeous and creative. The segment adeptly blends traditional animation with stop-motion augmentation to produce something special that should resonate with audiences, even if they’re not Venom, Sony, or Marvel fans. “Denim,” if nothing else, is a lot of fun to watch and a testament to The Simpsons’ compulsion to push boundaries with its aesthetics.

There’s a similar flair for heightened visuals in “Treehouse of Horror XXXV’s” title sequence. The episode’s opening credit segment is a passionate celebration of Mexican culture and Dia de los Muertos imagery that was helmed by Jorge R. Gutierrez (El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, The Book of Life, Maya and the Three). This fun introduction is one of “Treehouse of Horror XXXV’s” most entertaining elements. However, even this feels incredibly random and disconnected from the rest of the episode, as aesthetically pleasing as it may be.

Overall, “Treehouse of Horror XXXV” is surprisingly consistent and a satisfying Halloween episode for The Simpsons. There are smart and economical scripts that are filled with well-written and fast-paced gags, even when the episode’s broader ideas feel misguided or hollow. It’s just as funny as any regular Simpsons episode, and it’s a testament to how there’s still plenty of life left in these Halloween specials and that there’s no need to retire the tradition any time soon.

“Treehouse of Horror XXXV” airs Sunday, November 3 at 8pm.