Rate & Review: "Treehouse Of Horror XIII" (DABF19)

[Mike]

For those who dont know yet...
Send In The Clones - Homer's new hammock makes clones of himself, and they run amock the house being even more obnoxious than the real Homer himself.

The Right To Keep And Scare Harms - Maggie Roswell returns to guest voice Maude Flanders as she comes back from the dead.

The Island Of Dr. Hibbert - A parody of The Island Of Dr Moreau.

This season is by far the most promising, lets keep this thread for episode talk and reviews after.

[conor.]

I'm pretty excited about this one it seems like it will be good. Mike are you a mod now?

[Cole]

http://nohomers.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15903

He is for two weeks.

[conor.]

20 bucks for only 2 weeks.

[Gagnonsux]

I saw a review for THOH XIII in the new Entertainment Weekly, they gave it an A-.

[SNUH]

Originally posted by Gagnonsux
I saw a review for THOH XIII in the new Entertainment Weekly, they gave it an A-.

Very promising.

I'll keep my fingers crossed.

[D'oh'ses]

too bad they never show the episodes before halloween

[Mafia]

TV Guide Description

Simpsons
Treehouse of Horror XIII
30 min.
The series begins its 14th season---tying it with Ozzie and Harriet as TV's longest-running comedy---with its annual Halloween trilogy.
In the first story, a magical new hammock enables Homer to “Send In the Clones,” a small army of duplicates that he happily dispatches to do chores---until one kills Flanders. Next is “The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms,” in which Springfield is invaded by a posse of cowboy zombies led by Billy the Kid, prompting Homer to go back in time to save the day. In the finale, the family ships out for “The Island of Dr. Hibbert,” where they become guinea pigs in experiments to cross humans with animals.

[Rowdy Roddy Peeper]

yeah homer becomes a walrus in 'the islan of dr.hibbert' i wonder what he wil look like?

[Simpson Purist]

Can't wait for THOH XIII, the animation in Send in the Clones looks sweet!!:D

[Cole]

Originally posted by Rowdy Roddy Peeper
yeah homer becomes a walrus in 'the islan of dr.hibbert' i wonder what he wil look like?
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0210/02/simpsons2.jpg

[Token]

I heard it was gonna be amazing.

[JAYX]

Originally posted by Simpson Purist
Can't wait for THOH XIII, the animation in Send in the Clones looks sweet!!:D

Do you have any pictures? if so, please send them!

[Eddie]

Originally posted by Gagnonsux
I saw a review for THOH XIII in the new Entertainment Weekly, they gave it an A-.

Yes, but keep in mind that EW gave that exact same grade to "The Parent Rap" last year. Okay, sure, that was Ken Tucker's review, and this one is Dalton Ross's, but still...Tucker has never seen major flaws in this show. He actually liked Seasons 11-13. Oh, and Ross even mentions something Lou says in this episode during his review: "Now all I got is my enormous genitals." Yeah, that makes me want to watch. :angry: The same secondary character who actually had memorable quotes in Season 3 ("You watch too many movies, Sax!") is now talking about his penis. Oh, that's just golden humor, right there. ;-/

[Wavy Gravy]

Okay, we get the idea, you hate all new episodes just beacuse they're new...you are, after all, the one who went around saying, "Season 14 will suck. I know it will. Don't try to tell me otherwise, IT JUST WILL." Do us a favor and stop bitching.

[Moe]

good!

[Stitchface]

Originally posted by Cloud Cole

http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0210/02/simpsons2.jpg

I smell a Spider-Man joke afoot..

[Andy]

Let the one-week countdown commence!

7 DAYS until the Great Migration to General Discussion.

[TheSimpsonsFreak]

It's still 8 days......here.

[Hapablap]

I have my season 14 flag ready to go, I still have to go to that all night score card place though.

[Abman51]

So you want a countdown do you? Here's your countdown:

UK Viewers countdown to THOH XII 21 Days, 1 Hour, 32 Mins, 1 Second
US Viewers countdown to THOH XII 7 Days, 3 Hour, 2 Mins, 1 Second

[Mafia]

The newer seasons had their good moments. I liked the most part of Season 10 for some reason. I really didn't have a problem with the new seasons until i started reading on this board. sure, i had a little voice telling me that the show seems more childish, but I liked a bunch of episodes.

[kid_bart16p]

Dude, the new season is going to be bad!, THOH XIII is going to be the best

[•ºMikè~Stẕ]

I Cant Wait!!!! Its Gonna Be Great

[Tomacco]

Has anyone else seen that really cool dramatic commercial for THOH? The one that says "For a year, we have waited, and now its finally here! TREEHOUSE OF HORROR 13, the unluckiest one yet!" It makes the episode look really good. For once, they did a good job advertising a Simpsons episode.

[Moe]

I saw that one tomacco!

[Toxic Monkey]

dammit, when are you guys catching these ads?

[StrideR]

during the world series

[Lady2Hotty]

I am looking forward to seeing the new animation of the Homer clone segment since they say it will all be like dat in a matter of time... I love the THOH eps, hope this one lives up to the expectations.

[Koolguy2006]

I heard some one say they are making the episode totally on the coputer. ???????????????????????

[Simpson Purist]

Just a question, is Maggie Roswell's appearance in THOH XIII going to be her only appearance or is she coming back going to voice all of her characters this season?

[Lady2Hotty]

From what I understand, the THOH 13 Send in the Clones will be digitally animated. This is the first time since THOH 6 (Homer 3d) and because of the lack of cartoon animators to draw the series by hand, they are supposed to fully switch animation of the series to digital sometime later in the season. Thats basically it, and I'm curious to see what this new animation will look like.

[Bubble Crum]

Can't wait for new season... I'm going to go crazy...

[Tomacco]

If you've seen the commercials, you already should know what the animation looks like. I personally love what the animation looked like in the commerical, which showed all the Homer's marching around the fields in unison. Very impressive-looking, like Futurama.

And Maggie Roswell will return as Helen and Miss Hoover at least once more this season.

[conor.]

I'm Glad to see that She will return as Helen and Miss Hoover.

[Dennis]

I hope she returns as Miss Hoover. That new lady sucked at it in "Little Girl in the big Ten"

[Gabbo]

oh yah she did

[Tomacco]

All things considered, I thought Marcia Mitzman Gavin did a good job with Hoover, but a crappy job with Maude and Helen.

[DotheBartman]

While we're on the subject of Fox ads, has there been ANY promotion for Futurama? I mean, Jesus, Fox, if a show is slipping you PROMOTE IT! YOU AlLOW IT TO GAIN A FANBASE! I'm looking forward to Futurama more anyways....

[Urts]

I'm very optimistic about this episode, and this season. I just saw the preview, and I'm impressed. Homer never spoke in his annoying, high-pitched voice that was so common in seasons 10-12. I think everything about it looked very promising.

I really hope this is a good season. It's shaping up to be excellent.

[Mr. Plow]

Very, very pysched about this episode. I get very excited every Season opener. This one is no different. I have seen the previews, and have so far been great. The animation looks exactly like Season 13's, and I can't wait to see the new animation style. Season 13 was so much better than Season 12, and hopefully, Season 14 can be much better than Season 13. 5 days :).

[Lady2Hotty]

....5 DAYS....

[Simpson Purist]

Isn't it 5?

[Cole]

Yep, it's still 5 days away.

[Lady2Hotty]

Aight there, I fixed it. Guess I just got anxious. I think I've been posting too much here lately, I'm losing it!

[Gagnonsux]

I hear that someone got a screener copy, I was hoping it'd reach Kazaa by now. Oh well, just have to wait like the rest of the world.

[Wiggle Puppy]

It looks hilarious!

[Bubble Crum]

I caught the commercial and it was taking THOH13 like a major drama film. Must be great...

[Abman51]

UK Countdown to THOH XIII:

16 Days, 20 Hours, 51 Mins, 35 Seconds

[Tomacco]

The animation in "Send in the Clones" is noticeably sharper and different from other episodes. Apparently they used computers for that segment, so they could draw all the Homers.

[Token]

Seems a little evil and uncreative.

[frldgf]

2 Days, can't wait.

[Interslice]

Damnit! Now I absolutely want to see it. I moved to Italy for a year with my family so I am unable to watch the new simpsons episodes. I wonder if there would be some way to get over the internet. It'll show up some day anyhow. (Sinks face into pillow and begins to cry).

[Smilin'JoeFission]

Can't wait to kick off the Halloween Season in 2 more days!

But I am looking forward to the new THOH, a lot.

[Cletus Del Roy]

I'm dying with anticipation. I just CANNOT wait to see the new episodes begin!

[Bartman3010]

Is it just me, or do most of them host Homer mostly?

DOnt get me wrong, I'm interested in this episode too, I just hope Homer wont be the main character of the MAJORITY of the episodes like in the last season (Probably before that, my memory is blank...)

[Friz]

Nah, They cancelled "The Homer Show" by the thirteenth series. We now have "The Plot" show, where the half-hour is actually covered with actual plot.

[Thrillhouse24]

i wish the halloween special came on the sunday before halloween taht would be better

[Mr. Plow]

Originally posted by Thrillhouse24
i wish the halloween special came on the sunday before halloween taht would be better

Same here. I think one of the main reasons, if not thee, is because of Fox airing the World Series, which takes up the end of October, so it's no dice for the Halloween Special airing before Halloween :(.

[Tomacco]

I've been reading some advanced reviews of the episode, and they've all pretty much said it doesn't live up to THOHs of the past, but still has some good qualities (followed by "after all, it IS The Simpsons!"). This annoys me because since THOH IX, it seems we've really just come to expect mediocre Halloween specials. They used to be favorite episodes of mine, and I used to look forward to them, but honestly, I would rather see "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" this week to kick off the season. I'm in the mood for a real episode.

[Dennis]

Originally posted by Tomacco
I've been reading some advanced reviews of the episode, and they've all pretty much said it doesn't live up to THOHs of the past, but still has some good qualities (followed by "after all, it IS The Simpsons!"). This annoys me because since THOH IX, it seems we've really just come to expect mediocre Halloween specials. They used to be favorite episodes of mine, and I used to look forward to them, but honestly, I would rather see "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" this week to kick off the season. I'm in the mood for a real episode.

I actually dont want to see "How I spent my Strummer Vacation"! It is the episode I am least looking forward to. It just doesnt seem interesting to me. Anyway, I am in the mood for a wacky Halloween episode. This one actually looks better than the past two. I actually enjoyed THOH X but after that they kind of sucked. I hope this one is good...

[Tomacco]

I think THOH X was thw worst one so far.

[Dennis]

For some reason, I liked THOH X. It is pretty bad compared to some of the early ones but I liked it a lot more than THOH XI and THOH XII.

[Simpson Purist]

Just a question Tomacco, are these "advance reviews" coming from fans of the Simpsons or TV critics? The reason I ask this is because I've noticed that the TV critics have been gushing over The Simpsons during its "dark" years (saying its better than ever) and it makes me question their validity.

[Tomacco]

TV Critics. That's the problem. And that's why I included the "After all it's the Simpsons" line, cuz they all use it.

That's also why I'm not looking so forward to it, because generally if a review says an episode is "just good", then it's even worse than that. :(

[Andy]

Might as well post the Tribune's review, from critic Allan Johnson (one of my faves): Speaking of absurdist humor: That Fox is showing "The Simpsons'" annual "Treehouse of Horror" (7 p.m. Sunday, Channel 32) Halloween special three days late doesn't blunt its silliness.

Most effective is the first segment, "Send in the Clones," a nod to "Frankenstein" with Homer (Dan Castellaneta) creating even stupider versions of himself (yes, it's possible), thanks to an evil hammock.

The copycats perform diabolical feats -- shopping with Marge (Julie Kavner), playing with Bart and Lisa (Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith) and baby-sitting silent Maggie.

The "Treehouse" shorts are a little more disturbing than the typical "Itchy & Scratchy" cartoon, so discretion is advised.

[caffolote]

Jut 1 more day until THOH.

[|RABiD|]

Just some last minute updates.

Marc Wilmore writes Part 1
Brian Kelly writes Part 2
Kevin Curran writes Part 3

and its all directed by David Silverman! His first episode in years!

There are no scary names either. I guess they must have dropped that.

[PrinceBejeeta]

:D I'm getting a pre air of the episode right now from #simpsons-central on DALnet.

[Tomacco]

Okay, but anyone getting a pre-air (which I don't really approve of anymore), PLEASE do NOT post any pre-air framegrabs, reviews, or spoilers.

[Simpson Purist]

Yeah David Silverman's back at directing. Now I can see why the promos for THOH XIII look and feel so familiar with THOH IV.

[FishBulb]

I am a fan of the Island of Dr. Moroe movie so I think the Island of Dr. Hibbert will be a good ep.



Kult Status (http://www.angelfire.com/theforce/kultstatus)

[DotheBartman]

Holy crap! David Silverman back? We could be seeing a true return to classic Simpsons animation (Little Girl in the Big Ten was close but maybe not quite there)!

And yeah, the scary names were dropped starting with THOH XII I think. Really a shame, since those were one of the greatest things about the THOH episodes at times. Even if they just reused past ones "Sam Sayonara Simon" "Matt Merchandising Groening" I'd be fine with it, since it kinda breaks the tradition for them to not be there.

And Tomacco, I agree about the critics and the THOH episodes. Though I liked THOH XI for the most part, everything after IX has been pretty mediocre really, THOH X being absolutely abysymal. And yet, every year the critics essentially just say "Its the Simpsons! Therefore its good!". Having no negative criticism is probably part what ultimately fed the decline of the show; they had no feedback for a while telling them that they were doing some things wrong.

[Friz]

The scary names were dropped after 9/11.

[DotheBartman]

Originally posted by Friz
The scary names were dropped after 9/11.

What would dropping the scary names have to do with 9/11? I would think the material itself would be more offending, and that's still stretching it. What would the connection be?

[Matty]

I finished watching THOH XIII some time ago and just wrote down my review for it. In respect for the people who dont want any spoilers, I've put it online. The text doesn't contain much spoilers actually, but I've also put in some screenshots. So, if you've already seen the ep or just love to get spoiled for some reason,

http://www.simpsons.nl/matty/reviews/thoh13.html

[Bubble Crum]

Thanks for the review and

spoiler
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.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Peter Griffin in the Homers is genius.

[Wavy Gravy]

Nice. I like the framegrabs (especially "The Island of Dr. Hibbert"), but I noticed that Kang and Kodos look kind of off model. Loved the dozens of Homer clones (especially the Tracey Ullman Homer and the "Family Guy" reference).

[Mr. Plow]

Loved the "Send in the Clones" picture at the end of the review :LOL:.

[Toxic Monkey]

No Spoilers for me, Ill post here tomorow at 8:30. ;)

[Tomacco]

I wish the pre-watching would just stop all together.
It sure doesn't help the show or the fans.

[mintjellyonthelam]

Keep this alive for me to read tomorrow tonight! Thanks in advance Jonah! I was worried when you shut down the site. Where would I read reviews!

[Dennis]

Originally posted by Tomacco
I wish the pre-watching would just stop all together.
It sure doesn't help the show or the fans.

Yes, but if you actually read some of the review, he says he can't get the episode in Holland and they dont get anything past season 11.

[Tomacco]

Well I purposely didn't read it to avoid spoilers, but my bad still.
The pre-air framegrabs don't help really though.

[Dennis]

I didnt actually read it either, to avoid spoilers. I just wanted to see why he couldn't wait a day to see the episode so I read the first couple sentences.

[irv]

what IRC server/channel did you get it from, matty

[Bubble Crum]

No real spoilers in this review.

[|RABiD|]

I've seen the episode also and I somewhat agree with your review. Send in the Clones was easily the best one. VERY FUNNY! Island of Dr. Hibbert would be second followed by act 2. Not the best halloween special but probably on par with last years...but maybe abit more funny.

[PrinceBejeeta]

I see this episode yesterday I won't post my review till after it airs and for ppl who don't like pre-airs well I only download them because I live in the UK and don't want to wait another 2weeks+ for them to air.

[Abman51]

Oh come on, you know Fox don't try to offend Americans with there programmes, but pretty much riducle every other nation in there news. ;)

Of course the other reason they may have been dropped is because of the difficulty of coming up with them. But I'm sure they'll be back.

[Koolguy2006]

If any one here lives in the U.S remember it comes on today. I can't wait.

[Tomacco]

Ever since the episode was written, everyone was saying the second segment of the episode was a disaster, and judging from reviews, and the way the episode has been promoted (showing zero clips from that segment, it seems they never bothered to fix it.

I'm, really anxious to get through the rest of the DABF episodes. "Bart vs Lisa vs 3rd Grade" could be good, but the other four just don't seem like my cup of tea. The season premiere next week, from what I can tell, is going to be a wacky Homer episode that spends most time poking fun at its guest-starring celebs. "Large Marge" will be the pinnacle of Simpsons sex jokes, no doubt, and "Helter Shelter" sounds pretty wacky.

[larouda]

How soon will it be on the net? The only reason i am downloading it is becuase here in Australia we dont get the new season till Febuary

[Finch 182]

I can't wait to see it tonight.

[irv]

i really liked the episode. the third act was the weakest, by far, but it was still a great ep. better than last year's ep, and i was a big fan of that one, actually.

act 1 - 9.5
act 2 - 8.5
act 3 - 7

overall: 4/5

[mintjellyonthelam]

Originally posted by Koolguy2006
If any one here lives in the U.S remember it comes on today. I can't wait.

Thank you Captain Obvious

[Mike]

<-- Start Reviews Here -->

[Finch 182]

A mod should add a poll, so we can vote 1/5 2/5 3/5 4/5 or 5/5.

[Mafia]

what ever happened to the "HOW WOULD YOU RATE _____________" polls that everyone liked? i think that would be much better to show those reviews at a thread like that.

[Cole]

Don't worry, there will be an official one tonight right after the episode airs.

[Tomacco]

Don't worry, the episode hasn't aired yet! The poll thread will be up tonight.

[Mr. Plow]

From now on, is there going to be 2 seperate threads for each new episode? One to review the episode in GD and one to rate the episode in The Voting Forum? I remember coming up with this idea a little awhile ago and did address Eric about it. Not sure if he checked it or not.

[Cole]

We've been debating this for a while and we decided to create a "Rate and Review" poll in General Discussion for a week and then send it back to the Voting Booth once it's time for the new episode.

Edit: http://nohomers.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16727

[Cole]

The day we have all been waiting for has finally arrived and now it's time to see if the Season 14 premiere lived up to the viewer's expectations. Here you can rate and review THOH XIII which will air tonight on FOX at 8PM/7C.*


*The poll will be opened once the episode airs.

[caffolote]

THOH is tonight, live on FOX!!! If you want to see the times. Look in my sig.

[Shlomo]

Here you go
I have it and so many others, it was aired sturday on... some channel. i just have it.

http://test.simpsonsil.com/temp/PIC00003.JPG
http://test.simpsonsil.com/temp/PIC00004.JPG
http://test.simpsonsil.com/temp/PIC00005.JPG
http://test.simpsonsil.com/temp/PIC00006.JPG
http://test.simpsonsil.com/temp/PIC00007.JPG
http://test.simpsonsil.com/temp/PIC00009.JPG
http://test.simpsonsil.com/temp/PIC00010.JPG
http://test.simpsonsil.com/temp/PIC00011.JPG
http://test.simpsonsil.com/temp/PIC00013.JPG
http://test.simpsonsil.com/temp/PIC00014.JPG
http://test.simpsonsil.com/temp/PIC00016.JPG
http://test.simpsonsil.com/temp/PIC00017.JPG
http://test.simpsonsil.com/temp/PIC00019.JPG
http://test.simpsonsil.com/temp/PIC00020.JPG
http://test.simpsonsil.com/temp/PIC00021.JPG

Don't wan't to spoil u too much, sorry.

[Abman51]

SPOILER ALERT


Scroll down for the pics.


































There's some more here:

http://www.simpsons.nl/matty/reviews/maude.jpg
http://www.simpsons.nl/matty/reviews/buckaroo.jpg
http://www.simpsons.nl/matty/reviews/uglies.jpg
http://www.simpsons.nl/matty/reviews/kangkodos.jpg
http://www.simpsons.nl/matty/reviews/homers.jpg

[Central Scrutinizer]

Heh heh...cool.

[Shlomo]

heh

nice
you got the vcdrip?

[Abman51]

No. Those are someone else's, he posted them earlier, on this very board but for some reason the mods deleted his thread. Luckily I had the URL for those pics. :)

[caffolote]

Bart dressing as a girl, Maude as a ghost, millions of Homers. What could get better than this? And how come tin that pic of Homers there is a guy from "Family guy"? :LOL:

[Wavy Gravy]

Heh, an even better pic for my sig. Thanks.

[spiky hair]

cool...thanks Abman51 and shlomov2001

[Stitchface]

HA! In the Homer picture,theres Peter Griffin and Ullman-Era Homer!

[Abman51]

Also he's got Henry Kissinger's glasses, and 'fat guy' Homer.

[Simpson Purist]

Just read some of the early reviews here. Let me say this, "let the criticism of OFF begin!".

[Darknoon]

hi :)

For a complete grab of the episode, go to my site :
http://springfieldparadise.free.fr/grab.php?ep=dabf19

It may be long to load, there are 366 thumbs ! :) enjoy !

[Thrillhouse24]

kang and kodos are actully on it. Im gonna tape this tonight.

[Thrillhouse24]

the last thoh was ok but no match to 3,5,10 or the one with willy as freddy krugerand the one with homer in 3D this thoh sounds great it will be good to see maude again shes so hot.Oh god i didnt not just say that. Im gonna atpe it tonight.

[Mafia]

i wouldn't say LIVE on FOX.

[conor.]

Nice.

[•ºMikè~Stẕ]

Thanx shlomov2001, those are some cool pic's, cant wait till tonight!

http://test.simpsonsil.com/temp/PIC00010.JPG

[1039greenday]

cool:LOL:

[Blinky]

LOL!

Send in the Clones was great!!!

No, stupid physical jokes, all of the stuff i laughed at were actual jokes..

It had a different style from pevious seasons even though it is only a halloween episode.

GREAT STUFF!


"shuttles in the hanger"

[Blinky]

....and then they show "The Right To Keep And Scare Harms "....


not so great...


Heres to hoping the last one is better.

[rocio]

I never really have a deep CBG type review, here's all i can say.

Clones: great stuff...
Harms: MEH! A big fat MEH!
Island: Greatness! Pure greatness. :)

[Blinky]

Send in the Clones

5/5

The Right To Keep And Scare Harms

3/5

The Island Of Dr. Hibbert

4/5


Final Score

4/5

[Andy]

Waited until the end of the show to post mine.

Here's my review, segmented into adorable little pieces.

Opening:

>>DAMN YOU! Why no funny staff titles again? Whoever decided to scrap those must be SHOT!
>>Good to hear Roswell again, but why not as Maude? Interesting.
>>So it's now officially THOH, not 'The Simpsons Halloween Special'? Also interesting.
>>The animation looked crisper. It does look kinda Futurama-ish, but still, it's better.

Send in the Clones:

>>Loved it. VERY funny scenes. Best of the three.
>>Fave sight gag: seeing Peter Griffin and Ullman-era Homer (with voice!) Nice.

Fright to Creep and Scare Harms:

>>Very meh. The weakest of the three, especially with some weak jokes.
>>Didn't need that genatalia joke.

Island of Dr. Hibbert:

>>Why did we need that 'Fox attitude' joke? TO PUT IN A COMMERICAL. Nice try, Rupert.
>>Kinda ended weakly, although it was good to see Kang and Kodos again.

Overall, good, but not absolutely spectacular.

[Mafia]

pretty good episode. The Ulman Homer and Peter Griffen were great.

First act: 4/5
Second act: 3/5
Third act: 3/5

They all felt too rushed, a common problem with the later THOH.

[Splashmore]

I liked it a lot.

[Token]

Send in the Clones: A good quality Halloween ep. 8.5/10

The Right To Scare and Bear Harms: Entertaining, Moe shooting the future, future Homer was great. 9/10

Island of Dr. Hibbert - BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! 9.5/10

Overall Value: 9/10

I must say, if Al Jean is this good.. well... wow!

[America: Fuck Yea!]

"Fire Gil, Not Guns!!!!" great protest sign!!!

I thought the ghost of Maude Flanders was supposed to be in this one???

[Mr. Plow]

Intro: It was weird to see Maude come back to life like that. Also strange to see how everybody was acting during the whole bit.

Send in the Clones: 4.5/5
A very funny first segment. I really enjoyed all the gags involving the cloned Homers. The one featuring the Homer from the Ullman days was a great laugh. The ending was a bit abrupt, and a bit disturbing with all the cloned Homers falling into the gorge and the Clone Homer massaging Marge.

Fright to Creep and Scare Harms: 2/5
The worst of the trio. Maybe got one laugh when Snake slapped Wiggum in the face. The plot felt very reused from past stories, and it ended very quickly with a unfunny gag revolving around Moe getting lucky. The genetalia joke was just lame, IMO.

The Island of Dr. Hibbert: 4/5
The second best of the trio. Very odd, but funny, to see all the Springfield characters as animals. My personal favorite was "Disco Shrew." A bit weird to see Dr. Hibbert as a mad scientist. Anyhoo, still very funny.

Overall, I'll give this a 4/5. Not really much of an improvemnt from last years, due to The Right to Keep and Scare Harms being very unfunny and short. Still a very good Halloween episode :).

It was nice to see Kang and Kudos again, but I thought their apperance was very short and not enough humor involved in that much time they were given.

[mathias1979]

Send in the Clones was by far the best...the other two had their moments, but didn't live up to Send in the Clones. Don't know why they put that on on first. Best line had to be from Fright to Creep and Scare Harms:

Policeman Lou (throwing out his gun): It always made me feel like a big man. Now all I have are my enormous genitals.

[BlindPsychic]

The first segment was best. The rest were meh.

[Dennis]

I gave it a 4/5! It was great. It was much better than the past two. My favorite segment was "Send in the Clones", though all of them were pretty good. I love how Peter Griffin from "Family Guy" was one of the Homer clones!! Brilliant!

Grades:

Send in the Clones: 5/5

The Fright to keep and scare harms: 3/5

The Island of Dr. Hibbert: 4/5

Overall: 4/5

[Rob G]

The best act... Island of Doctor Hibbert, seemed rushed. Bart and Lisa looked great as bird/spider as did Marge as a cat.

The other two acts were OK.

I liked how they tried to "wrap-around" the episode at the beginning with Maude (like they used to during THOH I-IV when it was more like the family is dreaming or telling stories... etc etc).

3/5

I don't think we have anything to really crow about until Lisa vs Bart vs the Thrid Grade.

[Moeborg]

I thought it was good. the entire episode as a whole.

I was kind of disapointed in the aliens at the end, seems to me they've done that a number of times, but its still cool.

[Gagnonsux]

I was pleasently surprised by this years instalment of THOH. "Clones" was the best of the bunch, a giant group of Homers is definently hilarious. My favorite parts were Gil and Ullman era HOmer. "Scare Harms" was average, and wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Some parts were pretty funny, but the overall story was weak. "Dr. Hibbert" was also very good. The animalized charactors were my favorite part, but it was pretty funny thoughout. My only complaints were the crappy Maude beginning and the complete waste of Kang and Kodos. Overall, a much better episode than the last two or three THOHs, but not a classic.

Clones-4/5
Scare Harms-3/5
Hibbert-4/5

Overall-4/5

[nowhere]

Send in the Clones 4/5
Pretty good. Some good gags. I thought the Ullman Homer was pretty cool to see.

The Right to Keep and Scare Harms 1/5
I dinna like it. Most of the gags just didn't work on me. (though I did like the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid gag) Also the whole thing seemed really thrown together and disjointed.

The Island of Dr. Hibbert 3/5
Cool to see all the different characters as animals, but outside of that I didn't think it was that great.

Why weren't there any scary names? that sucked and brings the final score to 2/5

[defrocked]

I hate THOH episodes, and this one definitely didn't change that. 1/5.

[Toxic Monkey]

Just got done watching. Send in the clones was by far the best, I didnt really like the second act. But they were able to pull off a good episode with the last act. One thing that pissed me off was there were none of those "scary name" thingies. I gave it a 4/5. :)

[Necromancer]

3/5 , not great by any means but segments 1 and 3 were solid

[allies107]

well i actually laughed out loud at send in the clones 4/5

it didn't add to show and i really think they could have done better + rushed fright to creep and scare arms 2/5

very funny, the sex scene(if u can call it that) was funny and i really liked this one aswell Island of Cr. Hibert 3.5/5

Overall i think they could have done bettter with the second one and the commercials were long but i doubt they have control over that so overall ill give it a 4/5 very funny!

[Simpson Purist]

Send In The Clones 8.5/10
The best segment of this THOH. Seeing all the clones die down the gorge was friggin hilarious. Seeing the Ullman-era Homer was great too.

Right To Keep And Scare Harms 5/10
Definitely the worst of the bunch. I did laugh at the parts with the double-kill and all that, but it seemed so derivative of other THOH segments (in particular Time & Punishment and Dial "Z" For Zombie)

The Island of Dr. Hibbert 6.5/10
Very funny segment with a very abrupt ending. Seeing all of the Springifieldians in animal form was very amusing, but the Kang and Kodos' appearance was wasted indeed. This segment along with the previous one lacked a coherent plot.

I would probably give this a 6/10 (or 3/5). The animation is nicely done and its nice to see that David Silverman hasn't lost his directing touch. The recent THOHs have been a bit lacking to say the least.

[brazilian812]

i liked the ep. a lot!

but...........

at the end, what did kang/kodos say before

"it makes you think"

[|RABiD|]

Originally posted by brazilian812
i liked the ep. a lot!

but...........

at the end, what did kang/kodos say before

"it makes you think"

I think it was: "Look at that island...doesnt it look like our number 4..." i didnt really get it...

anyway this halloween special gets an 8.5/10. Same as last years

[Urts]

I was a bit dissapointed by this episode. I didn't dislike it, but I felt it could have been better. I'll keep my reviews short.

"Send in the Clones": The best of the three. Despite some rather lame one-liners and some unneeded stupidity on Homer's part, it had almost no flaws. When Ullman-era Homer said, "Let's go out for some frosty chocolate milk shakes!", I couldn't stop laughing. Rating: 4.5/5

"The Fright to Keep and Scare Harms": This one was definitely rushed. When the dead finally rose, it got a bit better, but then slowed down again at the end. Rating: 3.5/5

"The Island of Doctor Hibbert": I honestly didn't like this one nearly as much as I thought I would. Homer was too stupid, it didn't really get funny until near the end, Frink as a turkey was too bizarre. Still, it had it's ups. Rating: 3.5/5

[TopGun77]

Eh it was alright. Nothign bad but nothing special. Had a few funny parts, but it was a bit of a letdown.definately not the best THOH. Then again i havent really liked any of the THOH's (besides the one where they knocked the shining)

[Eddie]

This was an absolute disgust. I laughed once (at seeing Peter and 80's Homer). 1/5. :(

[Gabbo]

I was very excited about this one, but kinda disappointed when i saw it. The second segment tore the episode apart. The 1st and 3rd one were good, but the second one really wasnt.

[felineki]

Send in the Clones was great... very good animation, and lots of great gags... loved the Peter Griffin mixed in with the bunch of Homers and the classic Homer babbling about frosty chocolate milkshakes. :LOL: And they used one of my absolute FAVORITE songs of all time, Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" for when the helicopters were trailing the giant donuts! WOO-HOO!

The Right to Scare Harms was pretty bland, but not as bad as some... the German guy's "Yippity-hippity!" was pretty funny. I loved it when Homer started playing Beethoven's "Fur Elise"... that was cool...

The Island of Dr, Hibbert was pretty good... I liked Cat-Marge's design, very cool-looking! Some fairly funny stuff, but not as good as Send in the Clones.

[*Waylon Smithers*]

You guys are so lucky, I have to wait till 8 PM!

[NoOneFamous]

I think they stopped calling it the "Halloween Special" because, well, these really have NOTHING to do with Halloween now.

Anywho, on with my review.

Opening Sequence: 0/5 - That was terrible! Worst opening sequence yet... it seemed very cheesy, and I'm sick of the references to Maude's death... and without the funny names, its even worse.

Send in the Clones: 4.5/5 - Very funny and well done. It even had a lot of classic Homer gags in it! I would have given it a 5/5, but I didn't like the fact that apparently the real Homer died in the end, and it was also somewhat of an abrupt ending. Still one of the best THOH sequences in awhile.

The Fright to Keep and Scare Harms: 1/5 - A few funny jokes but mostly it was a rushed mess that didn't even make much sense. It seems like the whole point of it was that the writers wanted to express that they feel that guns are both good and bad amd we're screwed either way, and they mixed that message in by ripping off past THOH segments (Dial Z for Zombie, The Monkey's Paw, Time and Punishment come to mind.) This was probably the worst THOH segment so far.

The Island of Dr. Hibbert: 2.5/5 - I can't say I liked this one much either. It had a really stupid set up - they were vacationing on a mysterious island for no apparent reason, which they said so themselves. There really was no story or point to this segment either - it just seemed like an excuse to show off what the characters would look and act like as animals. The only instance of plot development is that Homer was apparently going to save them, but that went nowhere and ended with him wanting to join. They never even explain why Dr. Hibbert changed the whole town into animals in the first place.

Overall: 3/5 - The 2nd and 3rd segments felt very contrived, but Send in the Clones makes up for that.

General complaints about the whole episode: Too much sex jokes, refferences, and things done just for pointless shock value.

Word!

[Blue Phoenix]

-Send in the Clones 4/5

I nearly tossed a lung on the classic Homer/milkshakes line. That was a nod to the long time fans thats for sure. Plus the music was great.

-The Fright to Keep and Scare Harms 3/5

Thrown together and disjointed. They've done gun controll better on this show then in this segment.

-The Island of Dr. Hibbert 4/5

The anamation of the springfeildians as animals was rather inventive and overall it was a funny bit. Plus the animals seemed to fit the characters, the Simpson faimly animal chocies also fit rather well.

Overall 3.6 rounded up to 4/5. All in all nto a bad Holloween episode they've done better but they've also done far worse. So I'm not disapointed, now lets see how the real episodes look this season.

[Smilin'JoeFission]

Easily better than the last three, excellent episode throughout.

=Opening=
A little corny, but the Maude ghost animation was very clever. It set the stage much better than the "bat" opeing last year.

=Send in the Clones=
Exceeded my expectations by far. Super the whole way thru, but the best part of all was the Ullman Hmer clone: "Lets all go out for frosty chocolate milkshakes!"

=The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms=
Above Mediocre, some good moments, especially the German zombie pretending to be a cowboy. Future Homer gave it a nice twist, but it could have ended better than with Moe travelling back in time

=Island of Dr. Hibbert=
I liked this one the least of them all. The transformations were kind of funny, but the whole segment didn't go any further than that. The Ned cow getting milked was awful, but other than that a mediocre segment. Kang and Kodos didn't do much to help at the end.

Grade= B+

[Bartman3010]

I thought that Send in the Clones was the best. The other two were probably overshadowed by the first one. The last one was the second best though.

Send in the Clones had so many good gags. I liked when the clones got a hold of the hammock, and came up with a Homer with glasses, Peter Griffin and Ullman Homer.

The Right to Keep and Scare Harms was....just plain dumb. It did seem like they just took idea's from previous THOH's and piece the stories together, whoever explained it earlier was right. Though Future Homer comming to prevent future gun violence was a good comeback, though I didnt really find it that funny, it was something that should've been there (And...it...was...yeah)

The Island of Dr. Hibbert was....okay, personally, it'd be nice if they did Dr. Marvin Monroe, but that's just nit picking. The real problem is that it wasnt very funny, and the whole milking Flanders thing was just....disturbing. The segment should've probably need a longer time for the story to be more enjoyable.

And a couple of things: To me it seemed like that Send in the Clones had a longer time, I dont know how but it did, the other 2 seemed a bit short.

And the whole Maude thing was overhyped. Of course the scene was not funny, but praising that it would be a whole segment was a complete lie, I just hope they use Maggie (Voice of Maude) in the future for better roles.

Overall I give it a 3 out of 5. The first act was the better bit, but the other two just wernt very interesting or funny.

[Wavy Gravy]

I loved this episode! A 4 out of 5. "Send in the Clones" was definetely the best - all the jokes worked great (Ullman Homer, the collective "mmm, donuts", Gil as the farmer, "Does anyone remember the way home?" "I do." (BLAM) "Anyone else?"). Liked the surprise ending too. "The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms" was actually better than I expected - considering the cheap ending. I liked Bart and lisa singing. Finally, "The Island of Dr. Hibbert" was great. Seeing all the characters as animals was hilarious. Only thing I didn't like was the beastality reference. Kang and Kodos coulda been better, but I'll take what i can get. overall, excellent episode, can't wait for "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" next week.

[Mafia]

did it say THOH 13 or Simpsons Halloween Special 13 on the book?

[James]

This episode seemed too light, by far, for a THOH. Also, it seemed like the writers, by far, were trying too hard for ideas and good gags.

"Send in the Clones": This one was full of the new twists on old themes and archetypes (the Hammock Man/Frogurt Guy from "THOH III", Lenny adoring Homer, the lazy Homer and his hammock), and was enjoyable to a point, but was ultimately strained and mechanical. It's probably never been more obvious that the writers are trying too hard for originality, so they come up with dull and lifeless (but enjoyable) gags and decent storylines that really only suffice. Still, though, this was enjoyable. I thought the theme of Homer engineering multiple copies of himself to do jobs he's too lazy to do and make himself good was fun and funny, fitting his oafish character well, and the Flanders beheading was great. B.

"The Fright to Keep and Scare Hams"- Too light and airy for a THOH by far, as well as too empty for even a THOH, but it had some good jokes: Kaiser Wilhelm, "Butch Cassidy: we aren't joined at the hip", and "open mike-night". The idea was strained, as well, but showed effort, and, while this ended up coming off as clipped, superficial, and unmemorable, it was at least better executed than the next one, a blotched attempt at hilarity. The good jokes ended up balancing it out, another B.

"The Island of Dr. Hibbert"- A rushed, badly developed plotline crammed with too many set-pieces and jokes would be the main complaint about this mini, and the main complaint is also a main feature of most Al Jean episodes so far. Again, empty and unmemorable, linear, strained, even a bit dull. Flanders as a cow was the high point. The ending was probably the worst of the three. C.

This would end up balancing out as a B-. I'm still looking for an episode that doesn't feel this contrived, yet the superficial enjoyments of a decently good joke lift this up from the pits. That, and the effort. But, please writers, can you stop worrying so much?

[Handsome Pete]

What? Everyone thought it was that good? Ugh...I didn't really like it as much as all you. Maybe I was just being a little too harsh. I mean, after all, this was a Halloween episode...but still, I had some major problems with it.

Intro - It was nice to have Maggie Roswell back for a change, if only for a short moment. Not really much else to notice here.

"Send in the Clones" - A fairly good segment. I did feel that it was a little too wacky overall, even for a Halloween episode. There was some weak development in general (you know, plot, jokes, etc.) in my opinion, but aside from those things, the segment was solid. Can't help but like having Peter Griffin among Homer's clones.

"The Right to Keep and Scare Harms" - Terrible, simply terrible. Completely stupid jokes ("caveman hookers"? What was with that?), poor plot, and an overall feeling of mediocrity. Fortunately...

"The Secret Island of Dr. Hibbert" - was a little better. There were no real problems, but nothing really stood out, either. OK, I guess. I will say that Kang and Kodos's appearances were rather lacking.

As for the episode as a whole, I did have some problems with it. First of all, the characters (particularly OFF) seemed really, really out of character and rather inhuman. I mean, wouldn't Homer really care (almost immediately) that Marge had turned into a cat-like creature? And that he had sex with her? Also, there was just too much that seemed to be from previous Halloween appearances (the hammock guy's warning, similar to Frink's warning for the matter transporter, for example). I know, they're probably running out of ideas, but still.
I did, though, that Homer didn't really seem all that whiny or stupid in this one. It made some of the segments a little more bearable.

Overall, I would give the episode a C (2.5/5 in my book). There were decent parts, but the middle segment really bogged it down. Hopefully, this season will be good, but judging by this episode, I'm not entirely impressed. Well, it was ok...but I'm not going to give in. Not yet, anyway.

Oh! I nearly forgot. The animation was rather good. It seemed that computers were used for a little bit, mainly for "Send in the Clones". If this is how the show is going to look like in the future, I'll be perfectly fine.

[Gagnonsux]

I think on Halloween episodes the characters can be a little out of character. Its outside of the show's "reality" so its okay to have the characters act a little crazier or whatever.

[Tomacco]

Hmm. I think people who have been saying they loved the ENTIRE episode have to be sort of kidding themselves. The "Fright to Creep and Scare Harms" segment was the worst THOH segment ever made. Disjointed, random, plain weird, lame jokes, and felt pointless. Felt REALLY short too. "Island of Dr. Hibbert" started well, but went badly at the end. Homer looked like he was staging a rebellion against Hibbert, but it all just fell apart. The segment really did feel like an excuse to show characters as animals, which was nice, but can't hold an entire segment.

Now, "Send in the Clones". That was pure vintage Simpsons stuff. Also the longest segment of the trio, and the most developed and carefully crafted. Great jokes, both physical and spoken. The ending was a bit off, but whatever. Great segment, one of the top ever. Too bad it was put together with two pretty poor segments that followed.

Probably a final score of 3/5, but without "Clones", it would likely be a 1.5, unfortunately.

Watching King of the Hill afterwards is starting to make Simpsons look like slop. KOTH made a 30 min episode last, and was paced well, with well-developed stories, and good usage of characters. People should pay more attention to the show, because even though it's not always as funny as Simpsons, it never reduces itself to anything cheap, which Simpsons did a lot tonight.

[irv]

don't tell me what to think, jonah. i thought the second segment was hilarious, but agree that the third segment was bad. now do me a favor and ejaculate in al jean's mouth. k thx. or perhaps animate a KOTH short.

[Simpson Purist]

Just like many recent Simpsons episodes, I'm also beginning to think if I was too generous by giving that episode a 7/10. The more I think about THOH XIII, the more flaws I see in this episode.

[Scratchy]

Great episode!

But, since when did they stop calling it "The Simpsons Halloween Special" at the beginning and start calling it "Treehouse of Horror?" It was just a little weird, cuz I never ever remember them callig it THOH on TV.

[Thrillhouse24]

I missed the intro i thought there was a whole segment with maude coming back. I started taping after the intro because i was looking at mad magizines and didnt relize it was 8:03. I gave it a 4/5 it was very good havent seen a thoh this good in a long time. Im glad i have it on tape.I wish the season dvds came out a little faster so i can see some of the good thoh's.The clones episode was great seeing the tracy ullman homer and peter griffen. And to top off my night i saw the funniest koth i ever saw it was awesome.This night was great but i do wish thoh came on the sunday before halloween.

[Simpson Purist]

Probably because the THOH eps air after Halloween. Calling it The Simpsons Halloween Special when Halloween is 360 days away is a bit premature

[NoOneFamous]

My guess is that they stopped calling it "The Simpsons Halloween Special" is because:

1. Halloween was last Thursday and they never air before Halloween anymore.
2. They're actually called THOH by the staff, and its what the fans call them.
3. The episodes really don't have anything to do with Halloween anymore - they started off as mostly parodies of classic scary movies and TV shows, but are now just random, crazy stories.

[Tomacco]

Yeah, I'm sorry actually that I said some people might be kidding themselves when they say they loved the whole episode.
But it is a fact that sometimes people actually do try to like things that they just want to, even if they know deep down that it's not as good as they say. It happens, but I'm not saying everyone's that way.

Anyhow, really mature JesusPHH. Excuse me for liking King of the Hill. ;-/

[skittlebrau]

Although the whole episode wasn't that good in some parts, it was great.

Clones= Best of the bunch. This is what it's all about. 5/5
Harms= Weakest of the bunch. Not all that great, although the old saloon scene in Moe's and Moe's line "Now to get me some caveman hookers." were good. 3/5
Island= Good at first, but fell apart quickly. It was decent enough to get a 4/5 out of me.

Overall, 4/5.

[Mafia]

TOMACCO: that can also be said about how some people have a bad attitude toward the show and expect badness and think it is bad because they do not see the good points while thinking of the bad. I'm just pointing that out because people who say episodes will suck before they air kind of annoy me. I guess it works both ways. However, I agree with you on everything you said. The episode was pretty bad after Clones. King of the Hill was much better this week.

[Bob Underdunk T]

Whoa! the Maude Flanders thing was huge! Maggie Roswell's part was so long it almost got boring! She practically voiced the whole episode! FOX was sure right to hype her guest appearance up! Her monumental appearance is sure to go down as the single greatest moment in television history!

(Oh, and in case you can't tell, I'm being sarcastic.)

[DotheBartman]

Opening: Lame. A couple chuckles, but most of it fell painfully flat. I groaned out loud at Homer's "Rowr!" and Lisa's "Duh!". Just painful. 1/5

First story: Not too shabby. Had some good lines and gags, particularly some of the clone behavior. Peter Griffin and the Tracey Ullman Homer were both great gags. Still, it was a mixed bag, half good, half meh. The ending was pretty awful too. 3/5

Second: Pretty lamish. I liked the far future Homer getting shot, but the rest was pretty much laughless 2/5

Final: Abysymal. I don't think I laughed out loud even once. And the ending.....why did they have to screw up on Kang and Kodos too?! 1/5

Overall, the current THOHs just don't contain the excitement and atmosphere of the old. If this is all they can come up with, they should just stop doing them.

Overall: 2/5 (1/5 if you wanna follow the captions at the top)

[Mafia]

fox didn't really hype up maggie rosewell's return. i don't remember seeing her name in any commercials. the internet hyped her up. It was said that she would only be in the intro, even the TV Guide description.

[Tomacco]

Good point, Mafia, that's very ture. People who always expect badness will sometimes hate episodes for no reason but to satisfy their expectations.

Anyhow, I do give it a 3/5, and I think that's very fair.

[Gagnonsux]

Did Fox actually hype up Maggie Roswell's return?

[Citizen Kang]

3/5 - Good not great...

I like the first act but the rest only had a few laughs. And I though the Prof Frink turkey was very bad...

But I don't think the few past THOH have been that great...

[Old Time Bike]

send in the clones = good
fright to creep and scare harms = not that good
island of dr.hibbert = ok

i give it a 3/5

[Kefka]

This episode wasn't that great. For a few reasons:

1) No Scary Names.
2) The segments didn't seem very Halloween oriented. I mean they were, but not as dark as the older ones, which I thought kinda sucked. I mean, a few years ago, Send In The Clones would've been a full episode.
3) Very few funny jokes.


I give this a 3.5/5

Not great, Not Terrible.

[ShadowBun]

Can someone please explain the Kang and Kodos joke at the end?

[Datoupee]

The first sketch written by Marc Wilmore was GOLD ! I will have to tell him how much I liked it. The second had some great bits also along with the 3rd. I would type more but I have some work to do...Overall another 5/5 Halloween episode. It feels great to start watching a primetime TV show that lives up to it's reputation.

[Mike Scully]

There's not much to say about this episode. It was just a bunch of cheap jokes meant for shock value, only some of which made me laugh. Sorry, Al Jean fans, but this blew completely compared to the last 2 very good Halloween episodes.

2/5

[thecapecoddah]

Very enjoyable, many LOL moments - specifically all of the scenes with the Homer clones and Homer milking Flanders even though I saw it in the previews. Not enough laughs in Harms (except for the fantastic ending) and I was also expecting more from Roswell's return.

Send In The Clones: 4/5
The Right To Scare Harms: 3/5
The Island Of Dr. Hibbert: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

[Kalbelgarion]

It was fairly good...

The first segment was certainly the best. The appearence of the Shorts-era Homer, along with his "classic" line, was great. I also laughed at the Homers falling into the gorge, ala Homer falling in "Bart the Daredevil". Perhaps the writers and Al Jean are getting ideas from watching the season 1 and 2 DVDs?

The second was also great. I was laughing for quite a while when Kaiser Wilhelm joined the cowboys. :LOL:

The third was kinda weak. IMHO, the third segment was the worst of the bunch. It would have been much better if it was more of a parady of the movie "The Island of Dr. Monoe".

Overall: 4/5.

[SNUH]

I'd give the first part an "A" -- loved the truck load of Homers.

The second...maybe a "C"...and a "B-" for the third segment...

so good, but not great.

[Simpson Purist]

I may be wrong about this, but is this the first time an episode's title has been explicitly mentioned since "Bart Gets Hit By a Car".?

[Edgehopper]

Good one-liners, not much coherence. Best parts:
1st act:
Peter Griffen and Tracey Ullman show Homer
2nd act:
Maggie's guns
Kaiser Wilhelm
Moe: "I'm gonna get some caveman hookers!"
3rd act:
We were just playing a game-What game?-Let's eat Maggie...
Homer's speech.

On the scale of general television: 4/5. On the scale of Simpsons: 2/5

[Mafia]

they are no longer halloween orientated. I consider Halloween orientated the following: ghosts, zombies, chainsaw killers, dream killers, unstopable killing machine, vampies, cursed objects, all episodes of the Twilight Zone, aliens, etc.

I don't consider Halloween orientated: Dolphins (I don't take Jaws as a Halloweenish Horror movie. I don't even wanna call it a horror movie), Harry Potter, Folk Stories, Fairy Tales, people turned into animals, etc.

the latter thoh's have followed the latter mentioned examples. I'd rather see the Simpsons take on more 70's and 80's slasher films, the better ones. They've only done 2 i believe: I know What You Did Last Summer, and Nightmare On Elm Street. If they wanna do new and old they can make fun of the following:
Friday the 13th series, Halloween series, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Se7en, Final Destination (or something involving death), Silence of the Lambs, Hellraiser, Scream, Urban Legends, etc. Not all those were good, but that brings more potential to make fun of them.

[Tomacco]

The Addams Family. What are they waiting for??

[Tirefire]

Scoring this is a little hard for me. The episode deserves at least a 3 I think. Now, Send In The Clones was just unbelievably good. In terms of specific THOH segments, it has to be in my Top 3 of all time based on the initial viewing. I simply loved it. However, the next 2 were just sooooo bland. The 2nd one did have its moments. The third one basically had no moments. A 3.5 is where I stood. In this case, i gave it a 4 because of Send In The Clones being one of my all time faves. Every bit of that Homers at the farm part was brilliant in a slapstick kind of way.

[blueduck37]

I really liked this episode.

The Ullman Homer had me cracking up! :D

[Tirefire]

Originally posted by blueduck37
I really liked this episode.

The Ullman Homer had me cracking up! :D

I thought that was just simply well done. It had me laughing soooooo hard. I'm glad you reminded me of that. "Let's all go out for Frosty Chocolate Milkshakes!"

[Mafia]

I searched SNPP for milkshakes and realized that Frosty Chocolate Milkshakes was kind of a tagline of Ulman Homer in the Ulman Shorts, Season 1, and parts of Season 2.

That's pretty funny.

[irv]

"Now let's rob the bank, give the money to the poor, then rob the poor, and shoot the money!"

That was my favorite line in the entire episode.

[KillyMaGee]

Clones was quite good, almost inspired. The rest, pretty forgettable to lame. The idea to use Dr. Moreau was good, just not executed very well. Also thought the scene with the Frink/Turkey was pretty tasteless. The middle one though, did not like it. Reminds me of the same episode where they tried to achieve world peace only to get invaded by Kang and Kodos (that episode however, was great)

[Evan Conover]

At least this year's segments had a connection to Halloween, unlike the season 12 THOH! The first part was decent, last 2 were dumb as hell. End of review.

BEST GAG: The Disco Shrew part. I dunno why, but it struck my funny bone for some reason.

[irv]

Originally posted by Tomacco
But it is a fact that sometimes people actually do try to like things that they just want to, even if they know deep down that it's not as good as they say. It happens, but I'm not saying everyone's that way.

good old Datoupee

never said i was mad at you for liking king of the hill, but to compare the two shows is pointless. koth is basically supposed to be a normal family but animated or whatever. the simpsons is about sight gags, parody, and satire.

[Bart to the 3rd]

I don't know how I'd rate it, but Send in the Clones was great. As I just re-watched that one, the funny moments are still fresh in my head...

It was hillarious when you see all the clones, and there was Peter Griffin and the Homer from the shorts. Also, as I went by frame by frame while they showed the map of springfield, as it changed to the U.S. map, they had a few of the Homer heads already up - located at all of the Springfields in the country, including Virginia. I've lived in Springfield Virginia all my life

GO VIRGINIA!!

[*Waylon Smithers*]

Awesome! 5/5!

[TheSageBean]

It was a meh episode. 3.5/5. A few jokes, but the endings were not good for the all the segments. A few jokes were good, but it was totallynot Halloweeny. Good opening though.

[Max Power]

Great ep. The 2nd segement almost killed it, though. Besides that one little flaw, everything eles was great.

[Tomacco]

I just re-watched it, and it the kinda lame plotlines were less shocking, and I was able to concentrate more on the jokes. Some were actaully really clever and funny:

Marge: I have a bad feeling about this island.
Homer: You don't think they're going to try and sell us timeshare, do you?

Hibbert: Watch out. He might try to slobber on your crotch.
Homer: I've met Scotsmen before.

Homer: Get back to work, ugly. (to his clone)

The entire Clones scene, as I said, was Simpsons gold. If the entire episode was as consistantly enjoyable as that, we would have had a brilliant episode. But now I give it a 3.5/5.

[Calamachino]

Originally posted by Tomacco
Hmm. I think people who have been saying they loved the ENTIRE episode have to be sort of kidding themselves.

Or perhaps they have a different opinion than you? Ever think of that?

Watching King of the Hill afterwards is starting to make Simpsons look like slop. KOTH made a 30 min episode last, and was paced well, with well-developed stories, and good usage of characters. People should pay more attention to the show, because even though it's not always as funny as Simpsons, it never reduces itself to anything cheap, which Simpsons did a lot tonight.

:uhh: It was a HALLOWEEN EPISODE!! How can they have well developed stories, when they have to toss THREE stories into 20 min?

[davidshirt]

Send in the Clones was horrible, so was the Island of Dr Hibbert. Now the second story of the night was awesome!

Okay, I am just kidding.

Send in the Clones was CLASSIC! The Island of Dr Hibbert was funny, but really, it was nothing more than that.

The second act was horrible though, but they all can't be golden. I can't wait for next Sunday's episode.

[Bubble Crum]

I think they try too hard. The light jokes Tommaco mentioned make it a great show but "potty humor" hurts it. I hated how they kept renforcing the fact that homer had sex with cat marge.

[StrideR]

Wow... so I guess I'm the only one who thought the whole thing was evenly bland. I'm sorry guys, I really tried to like the segments, and I did laugh a few times, but the whole thing didn't gel as a whole.

There's one consolation, though... it wasn't as bad as THOH X. Oh well...

[Jason]

3/5 It was good but not great.

[Jake]

My reviews:

"Send in the Clones" - While not an A-triple-plus, it was the best of the three acts. The best part was the panning shot of the clones. The Ullman Era Homer was the best part of the show, IMO. (Grade: A-)

"The Right to Keep and Scare Harms" - Imagine "Kill the Alligator and Run" quality crunched into a THoH short. Bland, Lame, yuck... (Grade: F)

"The Secret Island of Dr. Hibbert" - Boring, but not offensive like the previous short. Should've had Dr. Monroe as the doctor so the viewers could see what REALLY happened to him. :p

Jake

[Brian S.]

It was a great thoh ep.

Favourite scene: When Homer drove out the clones to the corn field and asked if any knew the way home, and he shot the ones that did. Also, the Ullman Short Homer was good, looked just like him and even had his voice downpat.

heh heh. i gave it a 4/5.

[Maddog53]

Well, it was definitely better than last years, however anything would have been better than last years. Here is a very short review:

Opening segment: not really that funny.

Clones: Everything to be said has been said. I thought it was the best of the night. Great stuff.

Scare: It was only OK, laughed a few times.

Island: Liked seeing the Springfieldians as animals, but that seemed to be the only point of the show.

Kang and Kodos: wasted.

I give it a 3/5, not the worst however not the best either.

Maddog.

[Maddog53]

Here's another take on the show:

Click Here (http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/EpisodeReviewPage/showid-146/epid-129859/blockid-79455/)

Maddog.

[pootytang907]

i thought it was a great episode :LOL: and it is really promising for the upcoming season. the 2nd act was okay and the 3rd act was weird but the 1st act made up for it all the way.
Great gags:
1.Homer asking clones if they knew how to get back to house then shooting those that did
2.Peter Griffin in group of homer clones
3.ending of first act
4.Lou's unexpected genital comment(really random)
5.Homer not realizing Marge was a cat
6.Ralph thinking he is a dog

[Mike Scully]

Originally posted by Mafia
I searched SNPP for milkshakes and realized that Frosty Chocolate Milkshakes was kind of a tagline of Ulman Homer in the Ulman Shorts, Season 1, and parts of Season 2.

That's pretty funny.

There was also a reference to this line in Children of a Lesser Clod, when Homer kdnaps the children.

[YesMan]

Meh.

That's all I can really say about this episode. For a halloween episode, it can't compare with the greatness of THOH V, VI, VII, and VIII, but overall it wasn't half bad.

Send In the Clones - an excellent segment. Full of great Homer moments, and loads of laughs. Loved Peter Griffin and the Ullman short Homer. The part where a Homer clone was smashing the car with a bat made me laugh hystarically. It brought back a lot of Homers old passions, like donuts and the hammock. If the following two segmants were as well written as this, we'd of had a perfect THOH. Grade: A

Fright To Creep And Scare Harms - A poor segment. It had potential, but spoiled it by rushing the plot and delivering bad jokes. I did laugh once or twice, but that can't make up for the overall crumminess of this episode. Grade: D+

The Island Of Dr. Hibbert - Another poor segment, although this one had me slightly more interested. It was neat to see all the characters as animals.. but that's about the only part of this segment I enjoyed. Despite a few humorous one liners, I didn't enjoy this one at all. Grade: C

Minus a few grades for the pointless and distubrbing sex jokes/scenes, no scary names, and bland intro, I give this episode a C (3/5).

[Sir Incognito]

Send in the Clones
Excellent. :LOL:

Fright to Creep and Scare Harms
Until reading a good part of this thread, I couldn't remember this episode at all, even though its only been hours since I've seen it. That has to tell you something. :o|

Island of Doctor Hibbert
This story was pretty weak, too. :o|

[Mike Scully]

Originally posted by stride_83
Wow... so I guess I'm the only one who thought the whole thing was evenly bland. I'm sorry guys, I really tried to like the segments, and I did laugh a few times, but the whole thing didn't gel as a whole.


I agree with you. "Send in the Clones" was slightly funnier than the other 2, but it was still very silly and bland. Last year's "House of Whacks" was IMO a far, far better short.

[homer5000]

Ahh! A Halloween ep that's not so good!

Beginning

HORRIBlE! Why in the hell did they quit using the title "The Simpsons Halloween Special"? The name "Treehouse of Horror" used to be a secret among fans! Now "they" know!

Send in the Clones

WONDERFUL! I loved this one! Ullman Homer...now that was funny. And Peter Griffin too. This is funny. Did I mention it was funny?

Whatever the second segment was...IT SUCKED! What's up with the mixing of "Kill the Alligator and Run", "The Cartridge Family", "THOH V: Time and Punishment" and "THOH II: The Monkey's Paw"? Why do you think Frink's time machine was in the exact form of Homer's TOASTER?

Isle of Dr. Hibbert

Crap, but not that crappy compared to the second segment. Funniest part was the beginning.

Kang and Kodos

WHAT THE FREAKING HELL??????? I expect more than this!

OKAY. Though, my sister hated it, and during Season Thirteen, I couldn't get her to stop rating them all good. And she also used to laugh at the stupidest moments. I miss those days...:(

[Jamie]

Clones: 10/10
Zombies With Guns: 7/10
Furries: 5/10
Best Part: Allusion to Peter Griffin being a clone of Homer.
Overall: 8/10

[Zutroy]

Hi-larious. I loved the episode. The most I laughed in a while.

[Simpson Purist]

Another beef with this episode, this THOH was a bit too Homer-centric. The rest of the family for the most part played second fiddle to Homer. Yeah Lisa played somewhat of a role in Right To Scare Harms, but then when the zombies came up, she was in the back seat for the rest of the segment. In the past, there would usually be a segment featuring Bart & Lisa as main characters.

[Lady2Hotty]

I think I was kind of dissappointed with this episode. I miss the title, the "scary" credit names. It was different...I don't understand why these things changed. Anyway, I taped the episode last night and I haven't got a chance to watch it closely yet. I will post my opinion later on.

[Abman51]

I haven't read this thread because I don't want to spoil this THOH when it finally airs on the 17th for us Sky|One viewers.

But next time mods (and what ever other title you decide to deem upon yourself), would you please communicate with one another and not bombard the board with numerous topics like clueless users do, and confuse the rest of us.

I would appreciate if you left all the speculation of an upcoming episode in the "Season 14 Information (Episode Guide, Airdates, Spoilers, Etc.)" thread and created a new thread for each new episode when required, and only use it for postage of reviews of that particular episode in that thread.

[HellBender]

Send In The Clones: 9.0/10
The Right To Creep and Scare Harms: 5.0/10 (I'm being generous)
The Island Of Dr. Hibbert: 8.0/10


Overall I give it a 7/10... 2nd act was quite crappy, and just a rip-off of The Monkey's Paw. I think the writers forgot to put Kang and Kodos in the episode... and quickly wrote them in this pointless, botched ending.

[thecapecoddah]

I'd also like to point out that although the episode was above average, you just can't have the final joke in the episode flop like the Kang & Kodos scene did for me and others. I mean, in the room I was watching it in we were laughing throughout the episode but there was silence (and maybe a chuckle out of respect) after the final joke played out. That just leaves a bad taste in a person's mouth... Kang and Kodos are awesome characters but do not guarantee laughs.

[Ignignot]

Oh, I just remembered that Homer also said lets all go out for thick frosty ice creams in behind the laughter!

Anyways all of the acts were good the 2nd was the worst and the best is tied with the other two overall:4/5

[Kamikaze_chimp]

I thought it was a great thoh. Many good jokes and few bad ones(like the horrible ending) but a great ep.

Send in the Clones: The best of all of them. Had the best "plot" and was overall the funniest

The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms: My second favorite, had some very funny plots(i liked the piano scene with homer) but the idea was'nt very original.

The island of Dr. Hibbert: The worst segment in my opinion, not bad, but not great either. The beast/sex joke was dumb i thought, but the segment was overall pretty good.

My rating is a B+...would have been and A- if not for the crappy ending. Ill give it a 4/5

[•ºMikè~Stẕ]

That was a awesome show yesterday. Bart dressed up a girl, lol. Cant wait till next week.

[NoOneFamous]

A lot of you are saying:

1st act was great!
2nd act sucked!
3rd act wasn't very good either!

But overall, the episode was great!

How can be great if only 1/3 of it was great?

[Tomacco]

Guess what everyone?
After a THIRD viewing, my review is now 4/5!

First of all, the "Send in the Clones" storyline was just as pleasing as the third time as the first. So many great one-liners, and background gags. The Gil joke really worked IMO. On the commercial, they had his skeleton whip down his hat after he's eaten. I thought the little sad groan in the actual episode was much more effective and funny. The whole first scene in the backyard was great, with Homer saying he wanted to spend quality time..away from his family. If that segment aired in a past THOH, by now it would likely be known as a classic. Grampa was in classic form too, telling his story about FDR racing Superman around the world (and falling asleep during the story!).The baseball scene with Bart and Lisa was golden:

Homer: Me good dad.
Lisa: Is it me, or does dad seem a little..dumber than usual.
(cut to Homer mindlessly smashing the crap out of the car with baseball bat :LOL: )
Bart: Eh. Me not notice.

The second segment improved in my eyes too upon a third viewing. The genitals joke was a bit crude, but all things considered, it was the best and cleanest way to make the joke. Of course, they're playing on the old notion that people who buy guns are compensating for something they "fall short" on down below, if you catch my drift. I'm surprised they didn't reference this in "The Cartridge Family", but it was nice to finally see a joke made out of it here. The cash for guns scene with Snake punching Wiggum, Maggie's guns, and Homer's "you'll be shooting angels in heaven" line were all good. Freezeframe fun in the episode too - the signs people were holding were fantastic: "Conceal love, not guns", "Let's murder gun usage", and my fave, "Fire Gil, not guns". I loved Frink's egg-beater hand after Homer seemingly screws up the space-tim continuum. The story was still pretty random, and all over the place, but the jokes were pretty decent.

The "Island of Dr. Hibbert" was pretty quick, and the visuals were the biggest treat. The dinner table scene, minus Frink's overplayed screaming, was pretty funny. The ending was lacking though.

Kang and Kodos were wasted yes, but after "Gump Roast", I honestly am not that hungry to see them again, since they took up all of act 3 in that episode.

Overall, this likely was a better THOH than last year's after all. If you didn't like it, watch it a couple more times. This is one of those episodes that grows on you.

[BangBangBart]

it was pretty funny. loved send in the clones and the way it ended with marge not caring much that homer had died and had been left with the massaging clone. i could not stop laughing in island of dr hibbert when lisa as a bird of prey snatched up maggie and said "they were playing" when you know she was gonna eat her, heheh funny stuff

[King Lear]

This year's treehouse of horror episode marks a mediocre beginning to season 14.

Attack of the clones: 2/5---too much homer not enough humour
Guns (forget name): 2/5
The Island of Dr. Hibbert: 3/5---a lot of original humour and a great parody. Homer milking Flanders was eerie though....scary thought!

[Burnsie]

1) Excellent
2) Meh
3) Meh

Did anyone else find "Send in the Clones" to be similar to an old "Calvin & Hobbes" story line? Calvin duplicated himself to get his room cleaned. The duplicates duplicated themselves, and Calvin had a hard time getting rid of them.

[Disco Shrew]

Clones was awesome...the other two were so-so. They definetly need to get back to a horror theme. AN air it on or before Halloween

[melZets]

Originally posted by Burnsie
Did anyone else find "Send in the Clones" to be similar to an old "Calvin & Hobbes" story line? Calvin duplicated himself to get his room cleaned. The duplicates duplicated themselves, and Calvin had a hard time getting rid of them. [/B]

Ooh, good call! Calvin rules!! ...but I'm pretty sure he didn't spit out a line like:
Shuttle's in the hangar!
:LOL:

[America: Fuck Yea!]

CLones was mediocre compared to past THOHs...the rest was absolutely horrible!!! I have watched this episode 3 times and I really can't say it got any better... I just felt the plots were weak and Homer is "still" a dumbass... Although I did snicker a few times (only in Clones). My plea to Al Jean: please study Seasons 2-9...I hope this episode wasn't the sign of the season..I can't wait till next week :)

[Forbidden Donut]

I hate to say it, but overall THOH 13 merited a hearty "meh!" (M-E-H, meh).

"Clones" -- The one bright spot. A very funny concept, especially when Homer ain't too bright to begin with. I don't know why, but I loved the scene in the cornfield ("who remembers the way home?"

"Fright" -- TERRIBLE. I don't even think I smiled during the whole segment.

"Island" -- Mediocre. Should have at least been more thought put into which characters were which animals -- there were some opportunities for humor there that went wasted.

I hope this isn't a sign of things to come for Season 14 -- high hopes for the "real" season premiere this Sunday.

[Lance_Murdock]

I thought the episode was above average and got some good chuckles out of this one. I won't go into a detailed review, but had a question. In "Send in the Clones" - the landscape shot where all of the Homers were lined up:

Were the glasses Homer was wearing supposed to be Kissinger's or was it a spoof on Hank Hill (since his glasses are square too)? The group we were watching with was divided on this.

[Urban Lenny]

does anyone know where i can download thoh 13 ?

[Mafia]

man... i am still laughing at Peter Griffen and the fact that the show thinks he is a copy of Homer, as many people have called Family Guy a clone of the Simpsons. I was a little slow and got it at second viewing that Peter Griffen was a jab for the fans who think Family Guy is a copy of the Simpsons and that Peter is pretty much a clone of Homer in different animation.

[forgetaboutme]

I seem to be in line with most people here: 'Clones' was pretty funny -- I'll agree that the best part of the ep was the Ullman-era Homer -- but the rest of it just dragged and dragged.

Frankly, though, I haven't really liked the Treehouse of Horror eps for years now. I dunno, I still laugh when I watch 'The Shinning' from V or 'Homer3' from VI. These last few years they've just been bad.

I sure hope this isn't an indicator for the whole season. I was hoping maybe this year things would start turning around again.

[Gagnonsux]

A lot of people are bagging on "Fright TO Scare Harms", I must admit its not great, but its better than the worst segments in the past two or three THOHs. Season 11 had the terribly pointless "LIfes A Glitch, THen You DIe", season 12 had the awful "Night Of THe Dolphin", and season 13 had "Whiz KIds" which was at least on level of "Scare HArms". My point is this, the Halloweens haven't been great the last 3 or 4 years, and THOH 13 is a slight improvement over them. We haven't had something as good as "Send In The CLones" in years.

[|RABiD|]

There ya go tomacco. I had the same initial opinion when i first viewed the episode the first time also. After multiple viewings I really don't find "The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms" all that bad and "The Island of Dr. Hibbert is very cool and funny. And there is enough praise for "Send in the Clones" already.....ah well. IT WAS THE BEST THOH SEGMENT SINCE THE SHINNING! I'm sticking with a 8.5/10 mark. Excellent start for season 14.

[brianf01]

Are you all mad? That episode sucked! The simpsons have gone steadily downhill over the past 3 years. Just compair any season 2 episode with what we have now, and its horrible! The show is just 1 bad gag after another, with bad story lines.

To me it went down hill after Family guy started, it seems like they tried to make it more like that show.

The Clones part was funny, but the rest was just horrible. The Simpsons has lost all the heart and cleaverness that it used to have. The re-runs are far superior to any of the newer episodes. It seeme they just rely on guest stars and bad gags to get through the season. Dont get me wrong, I laugh a lot when I watch it still, there are definantly funny parts, but the stories just dont have the quality writing they used to. Just compare it to older episodes and you will see what I mean, it seems like its lost all its heart and cleaver humor and now its just bad writing and slap stick antics.

[Tomacco]

If it's still funny and entertaining, what good does it do to always compare it to old episodes? We all know old episodes are better, so it makes more sense to judge new ones by the standards of new ones.
I give THOH XIII a 4/5 by season 10+ standards. Obviously it's a 1/5 compared to THOH IV.

[DotheBartman]

Even after a second viewing and enjoying a few gags more, its still a 2/5 by any standard to me. Clones was the only good segment. Period. The ending was awful, the Hibbert thing was practically joke-less, and the Zombie thing had a few good gags but disgusted more then it made me laugh. I think I actually laughed at the "enormous genitals" thing simply because I couldn't believe they'd sunk so low. Its almost comical now, and not in the good way.

Honestly, they should stop doing THOH. They past four have all been pretty much busts with enough good stuff to make it watchable (as with XI and XII) or absolutely abysymal (this one and X). All four reek of "we're only doing this to keep up tradition. We don't really care either way". Its just painful watching them, particularly when we could be watching normal episodes that could possibly be a lot better.

[Jake]

After watching it a second time, my grades still stand:

Clones: A-
Harms: Crap
Hibbert: Meh +

I won't be watching this one again for a while.

Jake

[Hans Barber]

very suprised on how highly over reated the episode was. id give it a 2\5.

[Koolguy2006]

I thought it was good ,but not great. I expected more. 4/5

[mintjellyonthelam]

Just a plain good episode. It wasn't great it wasn't bad. Clones was the best with the best part being the Ullman era Homer. I thought there should have been Homer in all of his job uniforms.

The next 2 were just there. the second wasn't as bad as You all say!

1st:A-
2nd:C+
3rd:B

Oh I gave it a 3/5