Rate & Review: "Treehouse Of Horror XIV" (EABF21)

[Cole]

"Reaper Madness" - Death becomes H(om)er and our hero must learn to reap what he sews (and pull a fast one on the almighty).

"Frinkenstein" - Soon to be Nobel-prize winning Professor Frink reanimates Professor Frink Senior (played by Jerry Lewis) for some gruesome body parts-swapping.

"Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off" - Clockstoppers spoof, starring Bart and Milhouse.
You know the drill. Thread will open after the episode airs.

Mods: feel free to edit the poll with clever voting options.

[Blinky]

This space for rent.

I enjoyed it!

[used]

charlie brown costumes = genius

ok, the first semgent is great and all, but holy fucking family guy ripoff batman. I guess it was meant as a ripoff of that tim allen santa claus movie, but family guy did the exact same plot. I suck at voices, was that maggie roswell as mrs. hoover? Homer getting chased again was dumb, and by god no less
3.5/5
second segment penis joke was stupid. Jerry Lewis was excellent. Skinners mom getting mad at him for losing his spine was nice. Jennifer Garner was a pointless guest star, but it was short enough to forgive. Though the guy disagreeing with her was funny. reference to first segment is cool.
4/5
the third segment - evil kenivel joke was funny. This segment is the best one. The segment with homer at work was genius. Milhouse wanting to play naked basketball wasn't funny. I like thats barts hair is the same as the future ep. Making martin the scapegoat was genius. ending was kinda stupid, ruined it a bit.
4.5/5
overall very good. solid 4/5 episode, best treehouse of horror ep in a while.

edit: got in right before the rush
edit2: fixed spelling, added word batman to first segment review for humour.

[perfectlycromulent]

very meh
the only part i really dug was the clockstoppers parody

[Eggy]

It was pretty good. A lot better than last years train reck (minus Send in the Clones).

The intro was decent, and Kang and Kodos were great.

Reaper Madness was probably the best of the three. Frinkenstein didn't really do it for me, but it wasn't bad, and I rather enjoyed Stop the World.

Here's how I'd rate them:

Reaper Madness - 4/5
Frinkenstein - 2.5/5
STWIWTGO - 3.5/5

I'll give it a 4/5 overall.

AND THE SCARY NAMES ARE BACK!!! But stupid Fox had to push over the ending credits.

[IdRathaHavaBeer]

Reaper Madness: 4/5
Frinkenstein: 2/5
Stop the World, I want to Goof Off: 4.5/5 (Just because I've always dreamed off having time stopping power exactly like that)

[Necromancer]

Pretty damn meh, and I'm being generous. Oscar Delahoya and Jennifer Garner guest stars were wholely unnecessary. Jerry Lewis's performance was sub-par.

Reaper Madness was the only good segment. The other two were only half decent.

[skittlebrau]

Anybody who saves their own space at the beginning (or anywhere else) of this thread just so they can be "1 of teh furst posts in teh thred!!1", that particular post will get deleted and you will wear some fresh warning points, got it?

[Datoupee]

As much as I like Oscar why was he needed for this episode along with Jennifer Garner ?

With that said... 4/5. A new rating system from me this season. Tomacco will be pleased.

[brazilian812]

not great, but i enjoyed it nonetheless. favorite joke was when Homer took Death out to the curb WITHOUT enthusiasm. but Stop the World was best out of the three.

[magus7000]

intro:
4/5
great kang/kodos moment with november and xmas

reaper madness:
3/5
even though it was a lot like family guy, it still had its moments.

frinkinstein:
2/5
jerry lewis was funny, but the whole ep wasnt that scray/funny

clock stoppers:
5/5
very much enjoyed it. when they were messin with homer and quimby were great. the part with martin was great too.

[Zero the Hero]

Heh, batman and rhoda.

The clockstoopper thing was awesome!

I give it a 4/5 because the first was just wasnt enough. It wasnt bad I just mean it was short and stuff.

Im gonna play naked basketball!

[eddie]

All the segments were very clever, interesting, and well-animated. But, unfortunately, they were only mildly amusing, most of the guest stars were used poorly, and the pacing was too abrupt. (Though I did love the return of the Halloween names.)

"Reaper Madness": 6/10
"Frinkenstein": 6/10
"Stop the World, I want to Goof Off": 7/10

Overall: 6/10

[Mr.Bunny]

I thought it was a pretty good episode overall. Great jokes, good lines, thoughtout segment. The costumes/Christmas scene was great.

The beginning segment(Reaper Madness) was pretty good. It had several good jokes such as:
The "wind" part, british humor gag, "I liked Doug", the 3 Stooges bit, the train/God scene.

Frinkenstein: I thought this segment of the show was better than the Reaper Madness one. The jokes that stand out:
Frinks invention, his fathers schedule, the shower bit, the Skinner scene was great, I thought ever joke past the Nobel Prize speech to the the end wrapped up very nice. It had great jokes and catchy lines to remember.

Stop the World, I want to goof off: The jokes I liked:
Milhouse gags, his family part, the Homer donut scene, Martin scene, and the last family scene.

Besides Jerry Lewis, the guest stars were not much use. But I liked this episode. 4/5


Edit: What was the deal with the naked traffic cop?

Also what is with hate for the Frinkenstein. It wasn't much like a halloween episode, but it was a good skit.

[conor.]

I loved it all.

reaper madness: 4.5/5
Frinkenstien:3/5 not the greatest, but some good history on frink which we really don't know too much about.
Stop the World, I want to goof off:5/5 AWESOME probaly one of my favorite treehouse of horror segments.

Favorite quotes:
"Milhouse do you still have your change purse?"
"This isn't marge, it's her sister selma" "That's Patty!"
"Don't take me, take Milhouse, we all know there's no happy ending there."

Also, is this the first time, the word "Penis" has been said on the simpsons? I'm Sure Jonah will know the answer or some other huge fan, it seems like its the first time they have said it, possibly the censors are letting off?

[Cole]

"Reaper Madness" 3/5
"Frinkenstein" 2/5
"StopStop the World, I Want to Goof Off" 4/5

Pretty dissapointing start to the season. There were some decent jokes and bits but so many more that made me want to cringe. I'll be generous and give this episode a 3/5.

[Andy]

Quite good for a THOH; in fact, probably better than THOH XIII. Had some clever storylines.

Reaper Madness: Clever... I know it's a FG retread but still very Simpsony-original.
Frinkenstein: I love Jerry Lewis. Great to hear him, and his performance was decent at worst.
Stop The World...: Probably the best one, as it was pretty nifty.

Opener: Go Kang and Kodos! And the scary names are BACK. Not an EXCELLENT THOH, but still not horribly unwatchable.

Next week looks awesome. Can't wait.

Also, to answer the penis question: Homer the Moe was the first episode. "After Chernobyl, my penis fall off..."

[used]

no, i remember kent brokmen said penis once, to prove that his newscast was live

edit: look three posts up. damn fast replies.

[Tomacco]

Might surprise many of you, but I thought each segment got better after the other. I wasn't as impressed with "Reaper Madness" as others seemed to have been.

[magus7000]

the ending was very similar to THoH V where it was part of the last segment, but somewhat disjointed. i loved the ending. "...Goof off" was one of the best THoH segments ive seen in a long time.

[Hapablap]

If this is an example of what is to come this season, I say bring it on. I really enjoyed the whole episode, nothing too crazy, just good stuff, overall. I'd like to think they've toned down the insane whacky shit and are getting back to the "subtlety" that I've grown to love from the show. I give er' a 4/5. Especially compared to the last few thoh's - spectacular!!

[brentmoney]

Am I the only one who thought that was the best THOH in 5 years? God, that was great! Each segment was incredibly clever and witty. 5/5!

[bmac]

Intro: 9/10. Although it kind of shocked me when they started hurting each other i loved it. Loved how Homer shot Marge and the blood splattered on the wall. Also enjoyed Kang & Kodos' annual appearance, thought it was funny that they made light of the fact that it's November.

Reaper Madness: 7/10. This segment (the beginning especially) reminded me of the Family Guy ep "Death Is A Bitch". Still pretty enjoyable up until it's revealed that Homer killed Patty instead of Marge and taped her hair on. Thought "God" chasing Homer was pretty stupid as well. Liked the enjoy though, simplistic and enjoyable.

Frinkenstein: 6/10. Pretty subpar segment, didn't find it all that funny and was kind of a little weird for my tastes. Jerry Lewis' guest starring appearance wasn't all that special either. Still had a few redeeming qualities though. Neat to see Prof. Frink have his own THOH segment

Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off: 8/10. Best and funniest segment of the episode. Good premise and pulled it off pretty well. I laughed the most during this segment. Thought it was kind of far fetched when it took Bart and Milhouse fifteen years to read the stop watch fixing book, but that's probably one of my only gripes from this segment.

Overall: 7/10. Maybe a 7.5 generously. Had some good moments but fairly average overall, nothing special.

[SpongeBob No Pants]

Reaper madness - very good, although it was a clear rip off of family guy 3.5/5

Frinkenstein - this one just sucked, frink is not funny and jerry lewis seemed like he didn't know he was supposed to act funny - 2/4

Stop the world... - this is a classic THOH segment, simply the best of the show, all the jokes were dead on and the plot was interesting - 5/5

overall i'd give the ep a 4/5

[Sam]

More in depth review with my old pro's/con's next week, plus a NEW RATING SYSTEM FOR ME.

But for this week, I liked it alot.

Reaper Madness: 4/5
Second One: 3.5/5
Third One: 5/5

They all had good parts. Alot of references to pop culture...typical post-Scully era. Third one was a great idea with some well executed jokes and an awesome ending.

(Beep)

[Toxic Monkey]

loved it. intro was great. nice to see the name thing being brought back.

loved the first segment, especially when homer tricks god. that was gold. "im too weak and rich for this." also the be benny hill skit, awesome. :LOL:

the second segment was sorda weak though. did not like it, too boring and produced very few laughs.

third segment was gold as well. cbg with a lightsaber, awesomeness.

overall a 4/5. :thumbsup:

[Jolly Bengali]

Just awful. Very Family Guy-esque.

[or_smth]

Very meh. Not much to say about the THOH, other then to hope that this doesn't represent the rest of the season. Great concepts spoiled by bad implementation (with noticeble exception of frinkenstein, which was a pretty bad concept).

That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the clockstoppers segment and most of the intro (though I don't like the openings where they don't show a version of the main intro). Good to see that scary names are back. At least they are trying :)

[Crotis Jivefunk]

Opening-4/5
Reaper Madness-4/5
Frinkenstein-4/5
Stop the World, I Wanna Goof Off-5/5

An improvement over last year, no question. I'll call it a day and give it a 4/5.

[NoOneFamous]

Ah yes, its that time again, for me, one of NHC's more cynical reviewers to um... start reviewing... once again.. yes that'll do. On with the episode review!

Opening: The Charlie Brown costumes were funny, but then the family kills each other for no reason. Stupid and confusing? Yes. Writers not trying at all? Yes. But Kang and Kodus saying that its now November made up for it... at least for tonight. That won't make sense the next time this airs.

First segment:
The first segment, overall, was pretty good, except it started and ended so abruptly. Also, what an obvious ripoff of the Family Guy episode "Death is a Bitch." Whats also funny is that Family Guy did it 10 times better, and it was a regular episode for them. C+

Second Segment:
Just plain weird and confusing like "...huh?". It felt like Mike Scully was behind this segment. The ending was very much like the ending of Bye Bye, Nerdie and strong arms of the ma, where for some odd reason a bunch of voilence erupts out of nowhere. I call these "WTF" moments. The dialogue in this segment was pretty bad, too. Too many annoying pop culture references (which they think are witty stabs and you can just hear the writers thinking "zing!" but theyre really just bad dialogue that will show its age way too fast), and I hate when they say penis on the show. I don't know why. Finally, this was yet another segment that had absolutely no "Halloween/horror" feel to it. D+

Third segment:
Wow! Classic THOH material! This is what THOH is supposed to be! Not only was it a parody of a classic horror thing, it was imaginative and creative.. not just a bunch of wacky, gory "stuff" happening, like the previous 2 segments. I loved this segment. I've also always thought it would be awesome to be able to stop time, too, which made this even better. A+!

Conclusion: If all the segments could be like the 3rd one, I'd have loved this, but sadly the first 2 segments reflect all the reasons why the THOHs arent that funny or entertaining anymore (and havent really been for awhile) and I almost wish they would stop making them.

Overall episode grade: 3.5/5, or a C+ - very "meh" indeed, but a big improvement over last year's THOH.

~ NoOneFamous

[Handsome Pete]

Well, I have to start out by saying that this THoH is certainly better than the ones in previous years. Although I still disaprove of practically useless cameos (Oscar De La Hoya? Nah...though Garner and that one scientist together made me laugh), there were actually some good jokes for once, including some of Bart and Milhouse's pranks and Grandpa's "I'm still cold" bit at the beginning. Nothing really turned me off from this episode, and I did like some of the jokes this time around, so...3/5. Still room for improvement, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Any else feel like the slight continuity between two of the segments (Homer wishing he was still Death) was odd? I certainly wasn't expecting it.

[JonMDavis]

As someone who has been optimistic in the past, this was one of the worst stinkers I've seen. I'm quickly realizing that their tendancy to replace actual comedy with gratuitous violence is not a temporary adjustment. Homer becoming death? Wow, I've never seen that before...except for the Family Guy and most likely shows before that. Was there a reason to reuse the Benny Hill chase sequence after less than a year? The last segment made it at least watchable, but at least with the THOH episodes, violence has become their main focus. I can watch...well...Fox if I wanted that. But I want smart comedy, damnit.

[mayo]

Somewhat decent. I thought Reaper Madness was too short. Frinkenstein had some good moments. Stop the World was kind of lame.

Gotta love a show that lets Jennifer Garner co-host the Nobel Peace Prize awards.

3/5

[Wavy Gravy]

I've waited six long months for this. Six long, lonely months whiling away the time, anticipating the start of Season 15. And I must say, I was not disappointed tonight! This was one of the funniest THOHs I've seen in years. I do agree with Jonah that the segments got better as they went. The opening sequence was kinda random (reminded me of the "Family Guy" sequence where the Griffins beat each other up) but still good, especially Kang and Kodos' bit. "Reaper Madness" seemed awfully short but had some pretty good lines ("We don't want any", "I'm too old and rich for this", etc.) "Frinkenstein" was incredibly funny, and I must say Jerry Lewis was quite possibly the best choice for guest voice "The Simpsons" has made in years. But "Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off" was the cream of the crop, and I can't believe FOX didn't feature it in any promotions. This was the funniest Bart/Milhouse plot I've seen in I don't know how long ("I'm gonna play naked basketball!""No you're not"). And the best part of the episode - HALLOWEEN CREDITS ARE BACK! I was rolling when I saw "Produced by Everybody Loves Mike Scully". All in all, a very well-done (albeit belated) Halloween special - and with any luck, next year's THOHXV ought to air on October 31!

4/5

[Maddog53]

For me, this was easily the best THOH in the last four years. Opening segment was good and set the mood. Reaper Madness was an alright segment, some good jokes, and the ending was very well done (God chasing Homer). Frinkenstein I thought was the weakest segment. It just seemed to run on too long for my tastes. I liked the Jennifer Garner and the other guy bit...yes it was pointless, but it was funny. Stop... was the best segment of the bunch, almost near perfection in my eyes except for the ending which seemed to just end abruptly. That being said, I would rate this a 3.5/5 which I round down to a three to vote in the poll. An alright episode, better than the THOH in the past few years, but not great.

Maddog.

[squishee lady]

I definatly felt like all of the segments were rushed, I would rather have just seen two (preferably "Reeper Madness" and "Stop the world...") and have them expanded on. The only stuff I really laughed at was some segments during "reeper Madness" and the part in Frinkenstien that referred to "RM". Still, even though it wasn't ROTFL tye of funny, "Stop the World" was extremly clever.

Intro: Missed it :(
Reaper Madness: B
Frinkenstein: C
Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off: B+
Overall: B-

[Stitchface]

Great Episode. I can't wait for this season. 4/5

[eddie]

Originally posted by used
no, i remember kent brokmen said penis once, to prove that his newscast was live

Also, at the end of "Barting Over": "Possible side-effects: loss of scalp and penis." :(

[Moose of Doom!]

It was better than last years, but it really seemed like they didn't bother trying this year.

Opening was ok.

Reaper was somewhat good, although a Family Guy ripoff with a painfully bad cut-off ending. And was that an Akira reference?

Frinkenstein was the longest, or felt like the longest, and Jerry Lewis got annoying when his lines ended being a variation on "With the _________, and the _____, and the ____ _____ _____".

Goof Off was the funniest.

And I know this may start a controversy, but did any one else not only have problems with the lines, but with the way they were delivered?

Many of the lines could be summed up as the following:
"Pop culture reference?"
"WACKY PUNCHLINE!"

[bmac]

Also, is anyone else with many in thinking that next week's ep looks like it's going to be great? Very stoked for next sunday.

[Charmy]

D'oh! Didn't notice this thread so I posted my review somewhere else. Oh well. I copied it and put it here.

Rest assured, in minutes I was on the internet regestering my disgust with the world!

I'm just joking. I just always wanted to say that.

The opening scene was pretty much an excuse to watch the Simpsons beat each other up. Not very entertaining. Kang and Kodos had another tacked on appearance, but it was actually pretty good, quite possibly saving the opening. Still, watch for those loveable space freaks to be cut in syndication.

The critics were right, Reaper Madness was the best. It beats my predicted rating of B- and earns a B+. It had some failed jokes, but it managed to be pretty funny. The plot was nicely done most of the time, and it was much less 'wacky antics' than I expected (although there were still quite a few). It was also the creepiest of the three.

Frinkenstein failed to live up to my expectations. It didn't capture the creepy feel I was hoping for at all. The conflict was set up decently but took up too much screentime. There was never a reason given for Frink Sr.'s murderous rampage, and it was done too ridiculously. It also had more failed jokes than Reaper Madness and the final scene was completely pointless: It wasn't funny and added nothing to the story. Still, it was decent. B-, which is a lot less than my predicted A.

Stop The World I Want to Goof Off was pretty meh. It was fun watching Bart and Milhouse pull pranks, but the segment got pretty pointless after that stopped. The 'After-Prank' scenes weren't all that funny, and the final scene was even more pointless than Frinkenstein's finale. It get's a C+.

Overall it was a marked improvement over the last years THoH, and possibly the best in years, but nothing special. Gone are the days when THoH's were in the top five of the season, and managed to give off a creepy, distinctly Halloweeny feel. Still, the new ones are good for a few laughs. Looks like that's all were getting for a while.

Official THoH XIV Rating: B

One last note: Anyone get a chuckle at the 'Everybody Loves Mike Scully' Halloween credit?

[drekk]

"except you have no penis."
i don't want to start any discussions, but that's the worst line in the show. wtd?

[Rob G]

Anyone notice how Bart became 10 again with Lisa clicking the watch? Also thought it was funny how Homer referenced the first act in the second.

[Tomacco]

To tell you the truth, my biggest problem was that I didn't laugh enough, and groaned a couple times. For example, I knew a Curb Your Enthusiam line was coming a mile away.

[Firewalker]

The best THOH in years. I had a good feeling about this one and was pleased with the results. We've been waiting for a good THOH for along time, and we got one. You know it's gonna be good when the scary names return.

"Reaper Madness": Very good! Loved the Three Stooges gag. I figured it'd be a FG rip-off when I saw the promo, but I quickly forgot about it.

"Frinkenstein": Meh. It could have been done a lot better. No real laughs, and some of them made me cringe. But Lewis' performance is fine, and saves it from being a total trainwreck. Homer's comment about being in the last segment was pretty bad.

"Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off": The high point of the episode. Very funny and very clever.

4/5

[tim]

Reaper Madness: parts of it were funny; the ending was terrible (Except the motorcycle chase)

Frinkinstein: some more funny stuff (frink's dad, homer's reference to the last episode, BALSAC!). not even a bad ending

Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off: Very funny episode, especially Martin getting beat up.

Overall, if the rest of the season is like this episode... they're back!

[squishee lady]

Originally posted by Tomacco
To tell you the truth, my biggest problem was that I didn't laugh enough, and groaned a couple times. For example, I knew a Curb Your Enthusiam line was coming a mile away.

My feelings exactly. I did however just remember that I laughed out loud during the Homer/Nelson Moment in "Stop the world..." so I guess there WAS some LOL humor in that one.

[Bartman3010]

Nice episode. Better than last years, but not by much...

Looking foward to the next episode.

[nathan]

One of my favorite THOH intros. "Puny humans do they know there having a halloween special in novemember?"
As far as the skits go Reaper Madness was pretty meh, Frinkinstein was god awfull and Stop the World, I want to Goof Off was amazing plain and simple. Although the first 2 segments (especially the second)really lacked they did have some fairly memorable quotes. All in all it was a decent episode, about the same as last years THOH (only minus a great cameo)

Intro-9/10
Reaper Madness - 6/10
Frinkinstein - 4/10
Stop the World, I want to Goof Off - 10/10

Overall - 7/10

[VeggtaGrrl]

it is ok, to much hype, not enough stuff.

[Tomacco]

Originally posted by squishee lady
My feelings exactly. I did however just remember that I laughed out loud during the Homer/Nelson Moment in "Stop the world..." so I guess there WAS some LOL humor in that one.

Agreed. Best part of the episode.

[NoOneFamous]

Edit: What was the deal with the naked traffic cop?
It was in Sweden, right? Sweden is stereotypiclaly associated with nude, hot blonde girls, and in Europe, public nudity is OK.


Many of the lines could be summed up as the following:
"Pop culture reference?"
"WACKY PUNCHLINE!"
My thoughts exactly. Like I said in my review, I hate when they load episodes with this kind of dialogue. It just gives the episode a very throw-away, SNL-ish humor feel to it. Why can't they just work on memnorable lines instead of throwaway "zing!" one-liners?

[HomertheGreat]

Intro: Loved the Costumes, and I loved the Kang and Kudos bit. But I found it pretty disturbing for Homer to be beating up his kids, Halloween episode or not. B

Reaper Madness: Yeah it was an obvious rip-off of Family Guy, but the Simpsons still did it well and it made me laugh, so I was fine with it. I loved the ending also with Homer killing Patty and running from God. B

Frinkenstein: Ok I'll start with the positives. I liked the flashbacks and I liked the body part swapping, but other than that this segment wasn't very good. I wondered early on how they were going to fit all that information into an 8 minute short, and I was right to be concerned. Very clunky dialogue and unfunny jokes. C-

Stop the World...- Best segment, awesome. They took an idea that's been done millions of times and they made it funny. Bravo John. Nearly all of the pranks were hilarious and the jokes were good too (the exception would be Milhouse's naked basketball line, but that's just one joke) A

OVERALL: B-/B... One of the better THOH's of the double-digit seasons. Definately better than last years, and better than the year before that.

[The Master Con]

Hard to judge the season based on this episode. Since it is quite understandable that the short amount of time to explain the stories, amount of ideas that have already been used, and the fact that many of the writers dread the episode makes it an already bad experience. However the overall presentation of the episode and the jokes is a good sign of this season. Each segment ended "too soon" but at least there were fewer "cringe jokes" that in recent years. Only in the Frink's segment fell under the lines of a joke unsaid, is better than a bad one.

[jesle]

I've got to disagree with most of the people on here. I thought that tonight's THOH was one of the best in years. The opening sequence was hilarious and the nod to Peanuts always wins my approval (I'm a huge Peanuts fan and, in fact, am wearing a "Speak Softly and Carry a Beagle" t-shirt). Anyway, I guess my ratings would be:

Opening sequence: 5/5 Loved the line "I'm still cold" from Abe. Classic Simpsons.

Reaper Madness: 5/5 Although I expected this one to fall short of my expectations, I found it to be much funnier than the FG ep and had some classic Simpsons moments. I particularly loved the fact that "Marge" was Patty with Marge's hair attached! Great first act.

Frinkenstein: 3/5 This was the weakest act, IMHO, and Jerry Lewis did not salvage it. Some funny parts tho, like Frink's dad taking people's organs. I also enjoyed the continuity w/ Homer (a rare thing on the show nowadays). I actually didn't mind the use of Jennifer Garner. I thought they used her well and the other scientist was hilarious (I disagree.)

STWIWTGO: 5/5 A fantastic ending segment. Lots of great parts in this: Homer at the Power Plant (and Nelson naked!), the hilarious 70s comics, and I personally really liked the ending w/Lisa changing the family into different characters. Kind of a nod to older THOHs and I appreciate that.

All in all, a 4.5/5. This was a great episode with classic Simpsons appeal and if this is the way the season is progressing, I'm sure to enjoy it more than I have these past few years (tho last season wasn't that terrible).

[Tomacco]

Everyone I've spoken to about the episode, friends and people at other non-Simpsons boards, were unimpressed with this episode, unfortunately. In retrospect, it did kind of seem like that was a chore of an episode. Nothing seemed really inspired or brilliant. I'll elaborate later on.

[skittlebrau]

Reaper ended abruptly, Frink went on a little too long, Goof Off was greatness.

4/5 for Goof Off, which was the only good story. Other two, 2/5.

[joe]

it felt "forced" and "rushed"... with that said... I really enjoyed the entire segment 3 that was a parody of The Twilight Zone, "A Kind of Stop-Watch"...

[Kefka]

Wow.. that fucking sucked.

[lance]

hmm... i thought clockstoppers was the worst of the three when i watched it, then i came on here and everyone thought it was the best one. this will require a repeated viewing. but, at face value, my scores are:

Reaper Madness: 8/10
Frinkenstein: 8/10
Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off: 7/10

Overall: 8/10 ; 4/5 ; B+

[Tibor]

Best since THOH IX. Reaper Madness (A-) was awesome, the payoff at the end with Selma disguised as Marge was hilarious, but the funniest bit was Jasper and Homer/Death. I was, however, expecting Homer to paraphrase Oppenheimer when he put the robes on, and bemused that he didn't. It also had awesome direction and Clausen's music was great. Frinkenstein (C) was bland, uninspired. Jerry Lewis did a pretty good spot, though. Stop The World (B+) was great, as I predicted. Nice silly ending. The intro was... weird, and unfunny. The Kang and Kodos comments were funny though. All of the shorts seemed kind of meandering and the Frinkenstein segment was quite thin laughwise, but all in all, it was quite enjoyable.

B overall

And the promos (My Mother The Carjacker) were good for a change.

[Woogie31]

Jerry Lewis's guest spot made the first skit. And the Clockstoppers spoof was a classic, especially the part with Homer and Nelson being naked. The second one was rather dull. All in all...

4/5

[DotheBartman]

Guess its time to review again...

Opening: OUCH. At least at first. I realize this is a halloween episode but...do we really need to watch Homer beating up on the kids with a baseball bat, Bart stabbing Homer, and Marge blowing Homer's guts out? It was just disturbing, not funny, and the dialogue was horrible. Conversely, Kang and Kodos cracked me up (especcially their Christmas decorations :LOL: ). But this going back and forth between stupid and hilarious seems to be the theme for the rest of the episode. At least they finally added the spooky names in again (or were they in the last one? I don't remember now).

Reaper Madness: Geez, what a mixed segment. I liked the chase scene. I liked the revelation that he'd actually killed Patty instead. There were some other nice little touches. But there was also a lot of horrible dialogue and jokes that just didn't make sense, and the pacing still seemed too fast, even for a THOH. Plus, while I tried to go into this with an open mind, it started reminding me of the "Family Guy" episode way too quickly. Hey, didn't they accuse FG of being a rip of in the last THOH?....
C/C+

Frinkenstein: I repeat...what a mixed segment. Again, the pacing is hard to follow and overly strange even for a THOH, and some things just seem to fail. There's even an unneeded (and horribly unfunny) guest appearance. Then again, there's a lot to like. Frink's mannerisms (same with his father's for the most part, particulary his first lines when he wakes up), Lisa's explanation of the 21st century, Ned's death, Skinner's spine loss...too bad its all buried under such a mess.
Again, C/C+

Stop the World: Probaby the best one, though I'm not sure what that amounts to. It started off very well, and I loved watching Bart and Milhouse's initial hijinks. Basically everything up until Homer's head falls off was good. But it did deteriorate after that, and I don't think that's anymore evident anywhere else then it is in the ending with Lisa switching the versions of the family around. It just felt so...out of place, again even for a THOH.
B-

Overall: I'm not really sure what to say. Its just such a mixed bag, every sketch, nearly every moment. The whole thing just never seemed to stay particularly bad or particularly good for more then a minute or so. It seemed to hop back and forth between the hilarious and horribly unfunny. Its really very odd how mixed the whole thing was. I do need to give props to the animation direction, but the pacing was terrible.

C/C+ and I think I'm being kind of generious. I really hate to say this, but, maybe they should just stop doing THOH?

[newhook_1]

Opening 3/5: Kang, Kodos and Grandpa where funny but the rest seemed a bit blah.

Reaper Maddness 4/5: Thought it was very funny, but the story was terribly disjointed.

Frinkenstein 3/5: eh, it was ok I thought the whole noble prize bit at the end was overdone.

Stop The World I Want To Goof Off
5/5: One of my favorite THOH segments ever.

Overall 4/5 Great start to Season 15

[Tomacco]

Originally posted by DotheBartman
Guess its time to review again...

Opening: OUCH. At least at first. I realize this is a halloween episode but...do we really need to watch Homer beating up on the kids with a baseball bat, Bart stabbing Homer, and Marge blowing Homer's guts out? It was just disturbing, not funny, and the dialogue was horrible. Conversely, Kang and Kodos cracked me up (especcially their Christmas decorations :LOL: ). But this going back and forth between stupid and hilarious seems to be the theme for the rest of the episode. At least they finally added the spooky names in again (or were they in the last one? I don't remember now).

Reaper Madness: Geez, what a mixed segment. I liked the chase scene. I liked the revelation that he'd actually killed Patty instead. There were some other nice little touches. But there was also a lot of horrible dialogue and jokes that just didn't make sense, and the pacing still seemed too fast, even for a THOH. Plus, while I tried to go into this with an open mind, it started reminding me of the "Family Guy" episode way too quickly. Hey, didn't they accuse FG of being a rip of in the last THOH?....
C/C+

Frinkenstein: I repeat...what a mixed segment. Again, the pacing is hard to follow and overly strange even for a THOH, and some things just seem to fail. There's even an unneeded (and horribly unfunny) guest appearance. Then again, there's a lot to like. Frink's mannerisms (same with his father's for the most part, particulary his first lines when he wakes up), Lisa's explanation of the 21st century, Ned's death, Skinner's spine loss...too bad its all buried under such a mess.
Again, C/C+

Stop the World: Probaby the best one, though I'm not sure what that amounts to. It started off very well, and I loved watching Bart and Milhouse's initial hijinks. Basically everything up until Homer's head falls off was good. But it did deteriorate after that, and I don't think that's anymore evident anywhere else then it is in the ending with Lisa switching the versions of the family around. It just felt so...out of place, again even for a THOH.
B-

Overall: I'm not really sure what to say. Its just such a mixed bag, every sketch, nearly every moment. The whole thing just never seemed to stay particularly bad or particularly good for more then a minute or so. It seemed to hop back and forth between the hilarious and horribly unfunny. Its really very odd how mixed the whole thing was. I do need to give props to the animation direction, but the pacing was terrible.

C/C+ and I think I'm being kind of generious. I really hate to say this, but, maybe they should just stop doing THOH?

You just made my life really easy by writing my review word for word.
Dammit, I hope this is one of the last times I agree with DTBM because last season, I was praising, and he was bashing.

[MacGyver 666]

The intro wasn't really that great but Kang and Kodos were hilarious.

Reaper Madness: Good first segment, (a lot of people say this is a Family Guy rip-off, but I don't think that is the case necessarily, people becoming death wasn't exactly invented by Family Guy) probably the most amusing part would have to be Jasper's interaction with Homer. If this was a Family Guy rip-off, the Simpsons pulled it off much better in my opinion; B+/B

Frinkenstein: Not much to say about this one, I was excepting a lot from it, but it left me disappointed; C

Stop The World I Want to Goof Off: I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I was laughing almost the whole way through. I think this segment was helped by it not giving away some of it's jokes in any of the commercials. Overall I would have to say this may be the best TOH segment it years; A

Overall; B+

[eric]

"Stop the World, I want to Goof Off" was by far the funniest act, especially the very end of it. Awesome way to end an otherwise mediocre THOH. I was expecting much more out of "Frinkenstein" .... the majority of the jokes in that act fell flat for me.. which is weird since Frink's one of my favorite characters. "Reaper Madness" had some amusing moments but wasn't anything special IMO. Great opening with Kang & Kodos though.

Reaper Madness: B-
Frinkenstein: D
Stop the World: A
Overall: C+/B-

[Icedragon]

meh meh meh

Opening - The Charlie Brown Costumes were great (Bart should have gotten a rock...) the voilence seemed similar to the fight in the FG ep "Lethal Weapons", but it was different enough for me to not care that much.

Kang and Kodos - Being I love Monty Python more than I love the Simpsons, the metacomment from those two was great. I always wondered why the hell they put the THOH after the first Sunday after or on Halloween.

Rreaper Madness - total meh. I love the FG episode "Death is a Bitch", and as some people here think, FG did the plot 10 times better than this one. The motorcyle bit seemed deja vu-ish (thought I saw something like that last season or so).

Frinkenstien - I hate senseless celebrity cameos. It shows that a plot is thin, and writers are not putting enough effort into it. Jennifer Garner was not needed. The plot was thin, and the segment was long. The only redeeming quality was Homer wishing he was still Death. Worst segment.

Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off - Best segment out of the bunch. Not really creepy as I would think THOH segments would be, but funny anyway. See above comment about Garner for thoughts on De La Hoya cameo.

I am anxious for next week's ep, though.

[Kefka]

Rreaper Madness - total meh. I love the FG episode "Death is a Bitch", and as some people here think, FG did the plot 10 times better than this one. The motorcyle bit seemed deja vu-ish (thought I saw something like that last season or so).

and that chasing bit... yea I haven't seen THAT before.

[DotheBartman]

Originally posted by Tomacco
You just made my life really easy by writing my review word for word.
Dammit, I hope this is one of the last times I agree with DTBM because last season, I was praising, and he was bashing.

Well, remember that I started to agree with you more towards the end, and was actually enjoying most episodes in the last two or three months of the season.

Still, yeah, I really hope this THOH doesn't indicate the quality of the rest of the season. They can obviously write some really good jokes, but there seems to be a pretty severe quality control issue, at least for this episode, in terms of which jokes go in and which don't. I almost wonder if they need some outside sources at this point to come in and give advice about which jokes work and which don't.

[Tibor]

How was Reaper Madness episode similar to "Death is a Bitch" in any way other than the basic concept that Death is put out of commission- trouble ensues? From the synopsis Spooner posted in the spec thread, they don't sound that similar at all.

[Le Jake]

Well, it's hard to be really excited when the best joke was in the credits: "Everybody Loves Mike Scully." Even so, the whole episode was a 3/5 across the board with each short having their moments. The only real complaint was the "Frinkenstein" seemed to drag on really, really, long.

[Stackhouse]

I think Robin said it best: Holy negative reviews, Batman!

Opening: Pretty meh, actually... Kang and Kodos were great, but everyone trying to kill everyone seemed.. odd. C-

Reaper Madness: Awesome. Myself never had seen the Family Guy episode, it didn't bother me at all. Great jokes. Top-notch stuff. B+

Frinkenstein: Ouch. Worst of the Bunch. It really wasn't that great, and I even kinda wanted it to end. Lewis did a great job guest-starring, and I liked a couple of jokes ("I wish I was death again.. that was cool") but alot of stuff bogged it down. And "penis" should never be used in the simpsons. D+

Stop the World, I want to goof off: Classic THOH material. Ties with Send in the Clones for the best THOH segment since the classic era. Very fun to watch, and had great jokes... A

Overall: Well, better than last years. Surely. I enjoyed it, and I thought it would be doing better on here. B-

On another note, next week is set to rock.

[vox]

Tonight’s episode was the best THOH in a while. The intro was funny, but Kang and Kodos seemed tacked on, and OFF killing each other was random. “Reaper Madness”, while not as good as I expected, was entertaining nonetheless. The Three Stooges bit was among the funnier parts. “Reaper Madness” gets an 8/10. “Frinkenstein” also failed to live up to expectations. It went on for a bit too long and it featured an absolutely pointless celebrity cameo. The penis joke was pretty tasteless as well. There were some funny parts, including Agnes’ comment to Seymour about his spine and Jerry Lewis was hilarious, but even he couldn’t save this segment from a 5.5/10. “Stop the World...” definitely takes the cake this year. It surpassed my expectations by a lot and there was barely a dull moment. Bart and Milhouse’s antics had me ROFL, and the Homer/Nelson scene was the best part of the whole episode. “Stop the World...” gets 9.5/10. THOH as a whole gets an 8/10.

[JonMDavis]

Originally posted by Tibor
How was Reaper Madness episode similar to "Death is a Bitch" in any way other than the basic concept that Death is put out of commission- trouble ensues? From the synopsis Spooner posted in the spec thread, they don't sound that similar at all.
Death visits the family, he's injured at their house, there's a period where nobody can die so there are scenes of people shooting and trying to kill each other but nothing is happening, the father takes over his job, the father abuses his power, and so on. It was a rip off, if you ask me, and a poorly done one at that.

[Icedragon]

1)Death comes after one of the members of the family

2)Death is unable to do his duties, so the father has to take on the role.

3)Both kill people instantly by merely touching them.

4)Peter can't go through with his killing the kids from Dawson's Creek. Homer cant go through with killing Marge. Both are also told to do it or they themselves will die.

[JMS]

There have been better Treehouse of Horror's episodes. This one was no "Shinning" though.

Opening was good. First part was alot like the Family Guy episode "Death is a Bitch", but it was still good. The whole Marge's hair on Patty at the end was funny. I didn't like the Frakenstein one too much, it had it moments though like with Principal Skinner. The time stopping one was ok. Kinda funny, especially when they implemented the future Bart and Millhouse and used Martin as a scapegoat.

[Spooner]

Friggin parents with their friggin HBO and their friggin Carnivale...

I missed it. Anyone knwo where I can illegally DL it?

[DotheBartman]

Tibor: well, aside from the basic concept itself, the "feeling" was very similar....way to Peter Griffin/"captain wacky". Plus, there were little things like Death tripping (thus instigating Homer/Peter to become Death) and both characters being reluctant to have to kill someone. Personally, I'm not sure it was so much of a rip-off as it was a case of "been there, done that". Which is still pretty sad given that Family Guy always was a little derivative of other programs to begin with.

[Icedragon]

Originally posted by Spooner
Friggin parents with their friggin HBO and their friggin Carnivale...

I missed it. Anyone knwo where I can illegally DL it?

Kazaa, try that in about 24 hours. Doubt any are up right now, but you never know.

[Tibor]

The thing is, somehow I doubt John Swartzwelder watches Family Guy.

[JMS]

Originally posted by Tibor
How was Reaper Madness episode similar to "Death is a Bitch" in any way other than the basic concept that Death is put out of commission- trouble ensues? From the synopsis Spooner posted in the spec thread, they don't sound that similar at all.

There were a few lines that were almost identical to the FG episode like the "You've created a world without death" quote. There was another that was strikingly similar when they mention that there cannot be death if death is not there, or something like that. The whole shooting of the mobster scene was alot like the barfight scene too.

But I'm not complaining. It was an ok episode.

[Tibor]

Those situations/gags would be bound to come up, even with the concept developed independently. They're gimmees.

[Rekart]

Ehh, 3/5. The shorts weren't all that good, the best getting a B+ and the worst a D+. Here they are:

Reaper Madness: Not the best short I've ever seen, but not especially bad. No really good jokes, although a few ok ones. I see where it can be compared to Death is a Bitch, though. Peter becomes Daeth, Homer becomes Death. Peter is supposed to kill someone, doesn't. Homer is supposed to kill someone, doesn't. But other than those similarities, two different things. Death is a Bitch was also better. B-

Frinkenstein: SUCKS. No good jokes, and it just wasn't funny. Frink didn't have any good lines, so the others didn't. D+

Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off: Best one, with a few good jokes. Homer & the donut thing, Nelson laughing at Homer naked, becomes naked too, it taking Milhouse and Bart 15 years to read that easy book, etc. But, these weren't hilarious. Entertaining short, but not spectacuarly so. B+

[Spooner]

Ha, it's so fun to see the excuses we've used to defend Family Guy employed by Simpsons fans.


Sound like near duplicates, but I won't judge until I illegally download and watch it for myself.

[pat]

You and me both Spooner. I had to set the timer on the VCR to tape it because of work...and the football game runs late. I'm forced to download too, and I still don't know what to expect. I've seen mixed reviews so far.

[jesse]

Reaper Madness would've been good, but it's waaaaaay too Family Guy. Some good jokes but overall mediocre. The classic door segment was hilarious even though it's been done to death before and saved it. The plot wasridiculously condensed. 7.5/13 or a weak B-

As much as I love Frink, "Frinkenstein" was stupid and pointless. Devoid of humour except for a few chuckles at the Nobel Prize awards.
C-

Stop the World was great, chock full of laughs. Many actually funny popculture refs and a strong plot line and tons of WTF-LOL's. A-

Total: B-

[HundredGears]

I gave it an extra point for cleverly using two character's catchphrases;

Bart's "aye-carumba!" in the opening, and Nelsons "Haw! Haw?!" in Goof Off.

Reaper Madness Great hook. Disguising Selma (or was it Patty?) for Marge, and then God chasing Homer but relinquishing the chase at the tracks. ("I'm too old and rich for this.") Solid comedy gold. And another thing; Family Guy "borrowed" so much from the Simpsons that I think the the Simpsons "borrowing" back is more than acceptable.

Frinkenstein The only redeeming joke in this mess was Homer's allusion to the first segment. Ho-hum. Pointless gore. Blah. Although Garner was on later at 8, and the guest spot reminded me to tape Alias. Yowza.

Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off Excellent story telling. Milhouse is still the dork we want him to be, and the ending was goof-tacular. Maybe not the best, but laughable.

4/5

[Spark Moon]

First Segment: Yah, it was very similiar to the 'Family Guy' episode, but I like both shows, so no big deal. Afew good laughs here and there.
B

'Frinkenstein': I got so bored with this within the first 2 minutes, I decided to watch something else, so I can't really comment. (But thank God for a TV that'll let you watch two things at once, heh)
D-

'Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off': LMFAO! This has to be one of the funniest THOH segments yet. So I pretty much echo the sentiments of everyone else. :)
A-

Over all, a 4/5 sans 'Frinkenstein', and a 3/5 with 'Frinkenstein'. :)

[Channel Surfer]

My Review (http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/EpisodeReviewPage/showid-146/epid-223790/blockid-79455/)

Sort of agree with the board in that "Stop the World" was the best, but I think it's a bit of a stretch to call it a classic though. Conversely, I don't think "Frinkenstein" was as trashy as others make it out to be. It really wasn't any worse than "Reaper Madness". All three segments could've worked on their endings, and the writers probably should've expanded "Reaper Madness" and condensed "Frinkenstein".

Actually, DotheBartman more or less summed up my feelings already, though I'm about a grade higher with all segments. All the complaints about pacing aside, all three segments still generally entertained, which is all I really ask. And none of these segments are worse than "The Fright" and "Island of" in last year's Halloween Special either.

Grade: B-

[Tibor]

Reaper Madness was too much of a sketch row. But a hilarious sketch row.

[C. Grant]

this was a great episode...

Reaper Madness - 4.5/5
overall it was the funniest one, if it hadnt been on Family Guy an was actually an original idea it woulda been a perfect 5...
Best part - when Homer was going thru the crowd and tried to poke the guy in the eyes and he blocks it, an then after he cant make up his mind just smacks him dead...

Frinkenstein - meh....3/5, what more can i say?... average, but it was funny when Homer said "i wish i was Death again, that was sweet" (or somethin like that)

Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off - 4/5 i suppose, it was overall funny and a good idea, and pretty entertaining......it was cool as hell when they were chaning in to all that different shit at the end when Lisa was hittin the red button..

even tho the math doesnt equal out, i give it a 4.5/5 for total entertainment value, plus the intro kicked ass

[Eggy]

Ok, I've watched this episode a couple more times (4, to be exact), and here's my final word:

Intro - The fact that OFF were basically killing eachother didn't really bother me at first, and didn't bother me on repeat viewings, and Kang and Kodos were great. Much better than last year's terrible intro.

Reaper Madness - I don't care if it was a blatant rip-off of Family Guy. I enjoyed it. And unlike many here, I liked how it ended. 8/10

Frinkenstein - I got a few good laughs from it, but the whole concept could have been executed a lot better. But it's still 10x better than most of THOH XIII (Fright.., and Island.., to be specific). 5/10

Stop the World - Best of the three. Lots of laughs, and very entertaining to watch. I liked the ending, as well. 9/10

Overall - 7.5/10

[Icedragon]

Originally posted by JMS
There have been better Treehouse of Horror's episodes. This one was no "Shinning" though.


I seriously doubt anything could ever live up to that, the best THOH segment ever IMHO

[tomisapenguin]

the best part was when homer said "i wish i was death again , it was cool"

[Clarence]

Worst Hallowe'en episode ever!

[bovine_university]

Halloween specials have not been a forte of the past few years of the Simpsons, and this one was about in the same ballpark. The first story was pretty good, but that chase with Death at the beginning has been done twice already in the last year. I wasn’t expecting the plot point where Homer has to take Marge, and it was handled fairly well, but the ending seemed a little sudden. This was my favorite of the three stories, but it was too short. The second story had the best and worst points of this episode, Jerry Lewis and Jennifer Garner. Jerry Lewis was terrific, but Jennifer Garner was unnecessary. This was also probably my least favorite segment because it ran too long. There were few glaring weaknesses or strengths in the last story (except for Oscar De La Hoya’s unneeded appearance). A few strengths, a few weaknesses, and a very enjoyable appearance by Kang and Kodos gives this episode a 3/5.

[Max Power]

Excellent way to start off the season.

Intro: 9/10. The Peanuts costumes were pretty good, not to mention the way the family was beating the crap out of each other.

Reaper Madness: 7/10. I hoped this one was a little better than the promos suggested. Still, excellent Benny Hill opening.

Frinkenstein: 6/10. Three words: Needed more Garner. Although Lewis saved the episode as he was the only person who could play Frink Sr.

Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off: 8/10. The best segement of the night. Couldn't stop laughing...still can't.

Overall: 8/10. And that's the end of that chapter.

[Moleman...Hans]

Pretty good! 4/5 episode and a lot better than last years! WAYYYYYY better than Season 13's THOH 12. I loved Kang and Kodos BTW.

Reaper Madness 4/5

Finkenstien 2/5-What was up with the other guest star?!

Stop 4/5

[BaronKrusha]

Reaper Madness - The fact that it was a ripoff didn't bother me much. Decent segment, but the ending was hilarious.

Frinkenstein - Very boring. It had promise, but the story went nowhere.

Stop the World - Easily the best segment in this episode. Poor Homer never got to eat those donuts.

[ryan o]

Intro: Kang and Kodos will get the axe come syndication. But, it was pretty good. The Christmas stockings joke had me laughing until the second commercial. 4/5

Reaper Madness: Fast. Very fast. And very Family Guy. Fat Tony not being able to kill Frankie = Family Guy. I like how Homer tricked god into thinking Marge was Selma...I mean Patty. Okay. 3/5

Frinkenstein: Heheheh. Funny. I just can't believe I laughed at the penis joke. I should be ashamed. Homer mentioning the first segment was gold. Oh, and Flanders being decieved by heaven was THE BEST PART of the episode. Seriously. 4/5

Stop the World, I Wanna Goof Off: BEST segment of the episode. I laughed at Bart and Milhouse's prank aganist Homer at SNPP. A true laugh-out-loud moment. Greatness. 5/5

Overall, a pretty good THOH. SO much better than last year's, but it would never touch being the best. 4/5...

[Simpfan28]

Intro (Candy): 2.5/5
Intro (Kang & Kodos) 5/5
Reaper Madness: 3/5 (Something was lacking. And they hyped it too much. Otherwise it was great.)
Frinkenstein: 3/5 (It delivered what I expected. And I was looking forward to this ever since I heard about it from my sister last year after she heard it from Mike Riess.)
Stop the World, I want to Goof Off: 4.5/5 (I have one word. Excellent!)

Extra Credit: Scary Names

Final Score: 4.5/5

Final Statement:

It brought back things we haven't seen in years. And it certainly made up for last year's disgrace (Excluding "Send in the Clones." It may not be the best, but it's definately a boost in the show's quality. Ladies and Gentlemen, the effects of the Scully reign have finally worn off. :D

[Icedragon]

Originally posted by Simpfan28
Ladies and Gentlemen, the effects of the Scully reign have finally worn off. :D

Maude is still dead...

[Magnum]

I for one liked it.

Opening: Violence for the sake of violence? Probablly. Absurdity for the sake of humor? Yes. Not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination for a THOH. B

Reaper Madness: Saying this is a rip off of Family Guy is just as fucktarded as saying the Simpsons is copying Family Guy! I shouldn't have had to point out something so obvious. Was it too similar? Maybe but don't spend your time comparing the two shows. Did I like it? Yes very much so even though it was perhaps a little sick minded. :devil: A-

Frinkenstien: Well we have problems here. It drags on too long, the story was weak (I thought), not even that funny, pointless guests, female bare ass...wait scratch that complaint. C

Stop the World: Beautiful. My favourite and my most anticipated. Time travel is a hard plot to screw up I told others that this wouldn't be fucked up by any Clockstoppers spoof and it wasn't. Surreal, hillarious and I'm sure there are other words to describe it that I do not know of yet. How bout scrumtruelescent? A

Now I could tell off random friends and enemies but it wouldn't make much of a difference unless I sat at home with them and went into deep rate & review on each individual joke. And even then it probablly wouldn't make much of a difference. So all I'm left to say is get jokes.
But please stop one line reviews containing nothing but baseless statements and single syllable words

I'm done.

[DaSimpsons]

Intro: Missed it unfortunately. From all the praise, I will try downloading it soon.

Reaper Madness: Been done, but still enjoyed it. B-.

Frinkenstein: Biggest disappointment for me. Sounded like a great premise but i thought it was rather poorly done except for a couple parts. C-

...Goof off: Huge suprise! Didn't think it would be good from its synopsis, but this was pure Simpsons Gold. Great job guys. A+

Overall: B

[Tibor]

Al "The Halloween Names Are Back" Jean

hahaha.

Who the hell was "crab noodle" supposed to be in the end spooky credits?

And I figured that nerds would like Homer's Snowball I comment. I did.

[PhthaloType]

4/5
2/5
5/5

[Glumplich]

Intro: Kang+Kodos was the best part!
Reaper Madness: Homer replacing Marge with one of her sisters was the best scene here. Grade: B.
Frinkenstein: This was too gross for my liking, with an unnecessary penis joke, of course. Grade: D+.
Stop the World: This was the best of the three, especially since I also watched the movie "Clockstoppers." Grade: A-.

Overall grade: B-. A slight improvement from last year.

[Le Jake]

Originally posted by homer5000
Overall, a pretty good THOH. SO much better than last year's, but it would never touch being the best. 4/5...

Out of the Six shorts between last year's and this year's THoHs, I'd say 'Send in the clones' was the best of the six, however "Frinkinstein" and "Stop the..." were better than the suckier pair from last year's THoH.

[Simpfan28]

Originally posted by Icedragon
Maude is still dead...

Well I didn't say it entirely wore off. Those things can never be fixed. And just to set things clear with Reaper Madness, it wasn't a ripoff of the Family Guy episode. The Family Guy episode was a ripoff of the movie "Reaper Madness" released somewhere from Late 50's-Early 60's. I just wanted to make a point. There. That's one less thing to complain about. :p And we can't get those problems with Frinkenstein get in the way too much. There were some good points. I won't list them. Why? Because I want YOU to realize them. Now start thinking.

[Icedragon]

I quick Dallas spoof can undo Maude's death...

[King Homer]

I think it was good. Not in the worst THOH's ever, but not one of the best either. Frinkenstein had some moments, like the spine joke and when Frink's father strolled the street wearing other people's body parts ala Saturday Night Fever. Overall, I was hapy with it. Better than last year overall for sure.

[ryan o]

Uh...Maude dying was because of the Maggie Roswell going-away-but-returning-in-fourteenth-season thing. Not really Scully...

[Rowdy]

First two segments had one good joke between them if that.......opening was funny in two places.....the only real saving grace was the excellent Clockstoppers parody that I received quite a few laughs out of....2/5 and the worst THOH yet. Didn't really anger me too much though as I wasn't really expecting anything great.

[unnecessarily hot]

Reaper Madness: Good start, liked most of it up until the end where I think it ended abruptly. Granted, it's only given about a 7 minute time slot with commercials, but it still could have finished better (I missed the last 20 seconds after they're on the top of that mountain but I don't think it'd make much a difference.)

Frinkenstein: This was a waste of time. I didn't really get why this was made into a THOH segment, they already did a Frankenstein segment in season 3. Plus, that one didn't make absolutely no sense like this one. Frink just finding his dad in the ocean with a shark bite was random, and his dad just grabbing organs didn't exactly have much reason.

Clockstopping segment (I can't name episodes very well, let alone THOH segments):

Good episode, good story with a funny problem (the clock breaking and them having to fix it.) I didn't expect much from the THOH episode since I didn't really watch most of last season (Did I miss anything, guys?) and I got more than I really predicted. Not that bad, but did not some of these sketches didn't last and got a little old before the end.

[DAntae]

i try to judge the all it all together as opposed to breaking it down into its seperate segments. i loved kang and kodos as usual, also the fight early on and granpa ending up on fire amuesed me. i was just thrilled to see some new stuff so maybe i am being genrous but overall i give the entire show a 4/5. milhouse living on gummi worms equals gold.

[Matty]

I wasn't too impressed on my first watch at all, but I'll give it a rewatch tonight... Kang and Kodos got my hardest laugh, and I thought Frinkenstein was rather long and dull

One thing I would like to point out though, so it will stop once and for all:
This was NOT A FAMILY GUY RIPOFF

Maybe you should try to expand your cultural knowledge beyond the Family Guy and read the book 'On a Pale Horse' by Pierce Anthony

[prince jafar allah]

originally posted by tibor
Who the hell was "crab noodle" supposed to be in the end spooky
credits?


It was supposed to be Yeardley Smith, but I don't get it either.

hey, people complaining about the intro, stop saying things like "for no reason" and "unexplained" and "violence". It was supposed to be like that, so what you're saying hardly amounts to criticism.

anyway, I never got particularly stoked about TOHs in the old days, and still don't, but I enjoyed this overall, even though it wasn't especially good. Have to agree with the general consensus in that I felt it was definitely in the "not bad"/"mixed bag" category. There was a huge problem in the pacing in the first segment - having watched the promo scene (Homer killing the crowd) before it felt like I had seen half of it already. Extremely abrupt, clunky pacing, not helped by the fact it was basically a sketch show. And, this problem was...uh, not exacerbated, but developed upon maybe in the second segment, which seemed to drag on for quite a bit. Perhaps more time devoted to Reaper Madness and less to Frinkenstein would have been a good idea. And if they have too little time these days with all the commercials to make TOHs have coherent plots and buildups of tension/drama etc, perhaps they should consider switching to just two segments. Anyway, I digress. Didn't care for the whole Captain Wacky feel of Reaper Madness, and it wasn't exactly memorable, but it provided some great laughs occasionally (Moe, Jasper) and it was better than the vast majority of post-S10 TOH segments, but still not great. B- Frinkenstein, as I mentioned, seemed to drag quite a bit with no real big laughs (though I loved the "haven't you stopped to realise who you're hurting?" exchange). I was astounded by how unfunny Frink was - with Frink, you always expect him to start sentences normally then end them with some insane ramble and some wild facial contortions, but here it just seemed to be fairly banal "normal" dialogue. Jerry Lewis was a bit of a disappointment too, he wasn't exactly bad but he wasn't exactly energetic or funny or anything. And given that the Frinks had most of the lines in this segment, it gave the whole thing a very mundane feel. Really, by the middle of it was just hoping for it to hurry up and end so the next one could start. C Which didn't disappoint. Really funny stuff, with some wonderful Bart/Milhouse exchanges ("yeeaah....but..you say it first") and fairly creative usage of the concept. Little to complain about really. Solid (if a bit predictable) plot and well-handled - this was the only segment here that seemed paced properly (Reaper was too fast, Frinkenstein too slow, as I said). the ending was anticlimatic in an odd way, but little more so than the ending of TOH 5 when they all turn outside-in and start dancing. And it was funny anyway, so what am I talking about. B+

What was with the guest stars? Now, I'm not saying I want the guest stars to have MORE of a role, if this is Al and co's way of pleasing the real fans while still pleasing the "OMG, THAT BOXER GUY" casual viewers and the Fox promoters, then fine, definitely keep it like that please. Give them one or two lines and that's it. But nevertheless, why would Jennifer Garner and Oscar De La Hoya (who wasn't even funny - at least they got a good joke out of Garner's bit) waste time coming in just to record a single short line? Weird.

Overall, a B-, or 3/5, which compares like this to recent TOHs.

TOH 10 B+
TOH 14 B-
TOH 12 B-
TOH 13 C+
TOH 11 C
TOH 10 C

[necrulez]

I really enjoyed the first and the third segment, the second felt quite forced to me. The guest stars were imo useless, again. Anywayz, loads of fun moments made this for me one of the best THOH's of the last couple o'years. 4/5

[HoyvinGlavin64]

Intro: Hillarious! For the first time since IX, Kang and Kodos actually contributed to the episode (well, the intro, but they were still funny!). 5/5

Reaper Madness: I know it was a Family Guy rip-off. Then again, Family Guy, while the whole show was a Simpsons rip-off, it was a good show, and this is a great vice-versa (as opposed to their Family Guy rip-off attempts from the late Scully era). 4/5

Frinkenstien: I wasn't expecting much from the episode. I was pleasantly surprised. While not that great, and had some pointless guest stars, there were some funny one-liners from the supporting cast (Flanders, Agnes, etc.) and Jerry Lewis's preformance was classic! 3.5/5

Stop the World: Not the funniest segment (that was Reaper Madness), but had the best plot, and it had some funny scenes. 4/5

Overall: 4/5. Best TOH since IX.

[MaxpowerAK79]

Intro was really funny "Beat the lumps...beat the lumps..." I liked that

1. Jimmy the Squealer not dyinig "If I knew I'd tell you!" that was good...the rest was a FG ripoff with some funny parts....Somewhat Meh...
TOO MANY topical things (Belishi, Curb Your Enthusiasm)

2. Frink Ep. was not that great...somewhat stupid if you ask me..

3. This one was good. the "clockstoppers" stuff was hilarious. The fingers up noses, etc. was great. And the part w/ Homer and Nelson and the donuts was REALLY funny.
Also, the old bart and millhouse was funny too. I liked it.

Overall, a bit of a Meh, but not bad. Better than last year's.

[prince jafar allah]

Originally posted by MaxpowerAK79
And the part w/ Homer and Nelson and the donuts was REALLY funny.


yeah, i forgot to mention that, it was inspired. had me rollin'.

[I'M A BRICK]

A good episode after waiting 6 months for it, I gave it a 4/5 over all

First segment, was OK, the weakest of them all, I did not see the Family Guy this is a rip of but it just wasn't that funny. Best part is when Homer kills Patty instead of Marge, but pretty Meh.

Frinkenstein: Was very good but we could have used Jerry when he was a few years younger. He actually brought the segment down and this could have been done beter with Hank doing both voices. Its sad when the impersonator sounds more like the character then the original.
But You got to love an entire segment devoted to Frink!

Clock Stoppers was classic Simpson's and cartoons in general, quick cuts and funny situations, this had me LOL, The Mayor in the French maid outfit. Plus the end when Bart and Millhouse are grown up. I think that was thrown in there to show what it would be like if Bart did age since the start of the OFF.

[Tomacco]

Just so you all know, I don't think it was intended to be a Clockstoppers parody, but rather a satire of an old Twilight Zone episode.

I mean, who would want to parody a practically unsuccessful kids movie like Clockstoppers.

[prince jafar allah]

yeah, I expect it was just promoted as a Clockstoppers parody as that would capture more viewer attention than a parody of that old show with that creepy guy.

[Tomacco]

Originally posted by Mohammed Jafar
yeah, I expect it was just promoted as a Clockstoppers parody as that would capture more viewer attention than a parody of that old show with that creepy guy.

It was never even promoted that way, I don't think. Seemed like the fans or those who read the script in advance just billed it that way.

[Mr. S]

Originally posted by Matty

One thing I would like to point out though, so it will stop once and for all:
This was NOT A FAMILY GUY RIPOFF

Maybe you should try to expand your cultural knowledge beyond the Family Guy and read the book 'On a Pale Horse' by Pierce Anthony

That giant print ain't going to convince me buddy. Anyway you slice it, the Family Guy already did this.

[Jessfrogger88]

I thought it was pretty good overall a solid 4.

Reaper was pretty cool but I hated two of the opening jokes and I thought it would get worse but it got better. I thought the "wind" joke was terrible and the benny hill thing was not bad I was just a little turned off that they used that again when they just used it last season. 8/10

Frinkenstien-I thought it was ok I like the "Jabba the Butt" joke I particularly don't enjoy Frink's antics but it wasn't that bad 6.5/10

Stop The World I Want To Goof Off- I thought it was pretty damn cool. "Milhouse you got your change purse" "If your a fan of space in the atic" "Batman and Rhoda" Milhouses parents back together, the simpsons hula hooping, "Ok lisa you can stop now"


I mean, who would want to parody a practically unsuccessful kids movie like Clockstoppers.

Hey,I saw that at the dollar theater.

[used]

Originally posted by Matty

This was NOT A FAMILY GUY RIPOFF


even though family guy was paradying something else, simpsons shouldn't have done the same parady in almost the exact same way. They could have thought of a better idea for the segment, anyway.

[bbf2]

even though family guy was paradying something else, simpsons shouldn't have done the same parady in almost the exact same way. They could have thought of a better idea for the segment, anyway.

Yeah, but they didn't have a chance of improving it. You can't beat Norm Macdonald as Death.

[Pete Sector 8]

GREATEST SEGMANT EVER #3 "Stop the world i want to goof off"

#2 reminds me of byebye nerdie where Lisa's bully attacks the NERDS @ the Convention

#1 was kind of funny but to short the jokes where there

[Hans Barber]

I didn't get to write my review last night, so I wont have asmuch to say as I usually would...yea...anyway...
Intro: 3\5...I liked the Charlie Brown costumes, how Homer's blood splattered on the wall reading Treehouse og Horror XIV, and Kang and Kodos' part in the intro.
REaper Madness: 2.5\5...Had a few funny parts, some what creative...but I would have to watch the Family Guy episode to determine that, but it also seemed a bit rushed at times.
FRinkenstein: 1\5...Bad episode, rushed, stupid cameo's, lame jokes, characters just thrown into the episode...it was pretty sad to watch.
Stop the Clock I want to Goof Off: WAS it necessary that I type the whole titles?....4\5...best of this THOH, original, funnier jokes, and did not seem as rushed. I liked it...good way to end the episode.

I am still optimistic for this season, and can't wait for next weeks episode.

[shyner]

Plus the end when Bart and Millhouse are grown up. I think that was thrown in there to show what it would be like if Bart did age since the start of the OFF. never even thought of that, you might be right
Getting my review in late, my internet wasn't working at all last night.

Intro: Not really any complaints here. The Charlie Brown contumes were pretty cool(have they used Charlie Brown reference at all besides this one and THOH II? cant recall..). The Kang and Kodos bit was real funny, had me lol. I didn't really like, or see the point to them killing each other. B

Reaper Madness: Wasn't the greatest, but did have its moments. The part with Jimmy the Squealer I thought was very good, and how Homer killed all the people in the stands to get better seats. About you people comaplaining about the FG parody, who cares? Simpons has parodied(?) tons of things, as have all shows. B

Frinkenstein: Eh, didn't really enjoy it at all. I thought Frink could have been funnier, and it seemed to drag on too much with no real laugh out loud moments. The guest voices were okay, you have to like anything that lets Jennifer Garner host a Noble Prize ceremony :LOL:.D+

Stop The World I Want To Goof Off: Now this one I thought was very good and well executed. None of the jokes seemed forced, all put in at the right time. lol naked basketball. The doughnut part with Homer and Nelson was really good. Also liked the ending with them framing Martin.A

Overall, not a bad THOH, although it seemed to be too fast paced at times, like the beginning of Reaper Madness. The amination I thought was very good. Overall:B-

[Tman]

I got here on the 4th page, but i give it 5/5, it's the SIMPSONS!!!!!!!

[ShadowBun]

Well guys, 'tis the Fifteenth Season, and it's back to reviewing episodes each week.

I think this THOH was rather good as a whole, much better than last year's disappointment and more on par with the solid THOH 12.

Intro: Fairly entertaining, with a good Grandpa line. I thought Homer attacking the kids was a little disturbing, but it was done somewhat tastefully since they were lumps under the rug (and it doesn't look like Homer actually hit them). Marge's line was funny, when it pans out to show her cocking a large rifle, and Kang and Kodos actually contributed some laughs to this episode! (Can't say the same thing about THOH XIII and Gump Roast)

Reaper Madness: The Benny Hill parody felt a little done before, but it was handled well, with Maggie holding a scythe, chasing after Death, and the bicycle. For some reason, I really liked the animation of Death slowly floating towards the camera (Bart's perspective). Lots of good gags in this one (Three Stooges, haha), and Selma being offered up was a nice surprise. Terrific animation here as well, but it could've been longer and done more with its plot...too short. 8.5/10

Frinkenstein: Slow. Not terrible, but rather slow. There was too much...I dunno, dialogue about the plots and not enough jokes mixed in.

"...except, you have no penis. Well, not in the traditional sense."

What is with the writers and the use of the word "penis" in the show!? This started in S13's Homer the Moe and it doesn't look like it'll stop. It's not that it's offensive "in the traditional sense"...I mean, the Simpsons has always had mild swearing and "penis" isn't even a bad word. It is, however, pandering and just in their for shock value. The above line isn't even a JOKE. It's just that they HAD to put in some reference to Frink Sr.'s privates, didn't they? Nonsense, cut that crud out.

Anyway, this segment had some good jokes, but they were too spaced out. They should've taken some time from this one and given it to the other two segments. The science convention felt very remniscent of Bye Bye, Nerdie. 6.5/10

Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off: Now that's what I'm talking about! Clever premise with great opportunity and funny, rapid-fire jokes. I still think there was some untapped potential here (I was waiting for them to replace Homer's donut with something else, rather than make it disappear), but overall it was great. There really should've been more time to this one as it was entertaining through and through. One more minute of pranks would've been the icing on the cake. I really enjoyed it. Thanks for the credits, Al "Scary Names Are Back" Jean. 9/10

King of the Hill was good too...liked it much better than the original Dang Ol' Love. Boomhauer's character was pretty interesting in this one, and it had some funny jokes ("Does this suit smell like embalming fluid to you?"). 4/5

So we're off to a good start with a B+ 4/5 Halloween episode. My Mother the Carjacker looks very good as well. Bring on Season Fifteen!

[Icedragon]

Originally posted by bbf2
Yeah, but they didn't have a chance of improving it. You can't beat Norm Macdonald as Death.

"I'm Colista Flockhart. Who the hell do you think I am, I'm DEATH!"

Norm was great in that episode...

I find it ironic that many Simpson fans bashed FG because it was a "ripoff" of the Simpsons on the FG vs. Simpsons board. Now when the tables have turned, you sing a different tune, saying it is not a FG ripoff. Right, and Peter Griffin being in the crowd of Homer clones is a "homage" to FG...

[The General]

The Opening: Besides the Kang and Kodos part, the ending was boring and pointless

Reaper Madness: The whole "Benny Hill" running around joke has already been done on the show TWICE!!, so its tired and borring. Homer's dialogue was fake and boring as well.

Frinkenstein: I liked the whole Frink dialogue. The Jennifer Garner role was stupid and non-sensical, just a stupid ploy of putting a trendy hollywood celebrity to boost ratings. Using catchy topics such as Halle Berry's acceptance speech, the hip hop awards and Ned Flanders hate of homosexuality are cheap and will have no effect in a few months when we see the episode in re-runs. Also the use of words like ballsack and penis for shock value is extremely annoying"

Stop the world I want to goof off: I like the "Clockstoppers" esque plot. I thaught the comic books they were looking at were pretty clever. The naked Homer and Nelson bit kinda wierded me out. The Homer line about how he had army men stuck up his nose was a direct copy off of a joke from "Family Guy". And the ending was totally not funny and idiotic.

All in all I give this episode a 2/5. Worst THOH ever!

[Citizen Kang]

The intro was interesting but silly, Kang and Kodos saved it.

I barely laughed during the first act and it barely had an ending.

The second act was better than the first act but it wasn't great. Jerry Lewis didn't need to guest star for it at all, he didn't add anything and wasn't funny. Marge's Hip Hop Award joke was horrendous(enough with the pop culture referrences!).

The Third act pick up a lot of slack for the episode. Good gags and good plot but didn't have anything to do with Halloween.

Overall I'd give it a C.

[prince jafar allah]

Originally posted by Icedragon

I find it ironic that many Simpson fans bashed FG because it was a "ripoff" of the Simpsons on the FG vs. Simpsons board.

FG as a WHOLE SHOW being very much a "ripoff" of The Simpsons. This is a single episode.


Originally posted by Icedragon
Now when the tables have turned, you sing a different tune, saying it is not a FG ripoff.

It's not a "ripoff" in terms of its concept, it's just a parody of the same thing. It's a ripoff in the way that it follows much the same method in its execution of said parody. But I agree fully, for a show whose showrunner has been bashing FG recently for ripping off their jokes, it's ironic to see them do a storyline so suspiciously similar. Though I did feel Reaper Madness was much better, even though Death Is A Bitch is one of the better FG episodes (which isn't saying much, I know, but whatever).

[NoOneFamous]

Originally posted by Tomacco
Just so you all know, I don't think it was intended to be a Clockstoppers parody, but rather a satire of an old Twilight Zone episode.

I mean, who would want to parody a practically unsuccessful kids movie like Clockstoppers. Yeah, I've never even heard of Clockstoppers! Guys, this was clearly a parody of the classic Twilight Zone episode. Why do you think the watch broke? (or did that happen in "Clockstoppers" too?)


Originally posted by Tman
I got here on the 4th page, but i give it 5/5, it's the SIMPSONS!!!!!!! Yeah, because the Simpsons could do 22 minutes of Homer on the toilet and it would still be better than everything else on TV because its THE SIMPSONS!!! right? Come on, dude, I hate reviews like this. If you're going to take the time to post, at least give some reasons for your grade. This goes for everyone that just says "It was great!" or "It was Terrible! Worst episode ever!"


Originally posted by Mohammed Jafar
FG as a WHOLE SHOW being very much a "ripoff" of The Simpsons. This is a single episode. If Family Guy is a ripoff of the Simpsons simply becuase its an animated sitcom about a dysfunctional family with a stupid, fat father, then every single live action sitcom on TV is a ripoff of I Love Lucy. This is a stupid arguement. You might as well say that King of the Hill is a Simpsons ripoff as well, since its an animated sitcom.

[Icedragon]

Because of the cult popularity FG has gotten recently, I predict that this is not the last time a Simpsons episode will have a similar episode storyline to a FG that was earlier.

I think "Reaper Madness" was a statement that the writers tried to make that they were better than FG's writers, and they thought that this would show that the Simpsons can do a better Spoof than FG. I think they were mistaken this round.

I think Death is a Bitch is better than Reaper Madness for a couple reasons:

FG used an enitre episode, while Simpsons used 8 minutes. If the Simpsons had done this one segment as an entire episode, that would be better. I thought death just coming for Bart was not that great of an opening for "Reaper Madness". FG had a better opening, and Death coming for Peter could be explained (why did Death come for Bart? Who knows).

Repition of jokes in "Reaper Madness". The Benny Hill bit was done a couple of times last season. That is never good. That shows that the writers are not trying and becoming repetitive. It never helps with a great episode, I think it always hinders.

[prince jafar allah]

Originally posted by NoOneFamous

If Family Guy is a ripoff of the Simpsons simply becuase its an animated sitcom about a dysfunctional family with a stupid, fat father, then every single live action sitcom on TV is a ripoff of I Love Lucy. This is a stupid arguement. You might as well say that King of the Hill is a Simpsons ripoff as well, since its an animated sitcom.

first of all, quit trying to be a smartass. it's not working very well.

second of all, i wasn't claiming myself it was a ripoff, which is why i put it in speech marks. that argument, as you said, is stupid. There's a difference between "rip-off" and "influenced by".

third of all, i wouldn't say the dysfunctional family setup was what FG "ripped off" from the Simpsons, as you said it's a sitcom standard, but their approach to humor, plus much of Peter's characterisation, and much of their particular take on the dysfunctional family setup, was definitely DERIVED from stuff on The Simpsons, if not blatantly ripped off. But it's not as if the entire show is a Simpsons derivative, as many detractors make it out to be. And yes, KOTH is influenced by The Simpsons also, much of its approach to humor is derived at least in part from early and O&W Simpsons. But again, it's hardly identical to OFF - KOTH has very individual characters who are completely different from OFF, however, and the dynamic of the characters is very different too.

[Icedragon]

True. Nobody can argue that FG wasn't influenced by the Simpsons. Hell, Seth MacFarlane said it was.

[jesle]

Originally posted by shyner
never even thought of that, you might be right
Getting my review in late, my internet wasn't working at all last night.

Intro: Not really any complaints here. The Charlie Brown contumes were pretty cool(have they used Charlie Brown reference at all besides this one and THOH II? cant recall..). The Kang and Kodos bit was real funny, had me lol. I didn't really like, or see the point to them killing each other. B

Reaper Madness: Wasn't the greatest, but did have its moments. The part with Jimmy the Squealer I thought was very good, and how Homer killed all the people in the stands to get better seats. About you people comaplaining about the FG parody, who cares? Simpons has parodied(?) tons of things, as have all shows. B

Frinkenstein: Eh, didn't really enjoy it at all. I thought Frink could have been funnier, and it seemed to drag on too much with no real laugh out loud moments. The guest voices were okay, you have to like anything that lets Jennifer Garner host a Noble Prize ceremony :LOL:.D+

Stop The World I Want To Goof Off: Now this one I thought was very good and well executed. None of the jokes seemed forced, all put in at the right time. lol naked basketball. The doughnut part with Homer and Nelson was really good. Also liked the ending with them framing Martin.A

Overall, not a bad THOH, although it seemed to be too fast paced at times, like the beginning of Reaper Madness. The amination I thought was very good. Overall:B-

To answer your question about Charlie Brown references, there have been many made on the Simpsons. But if you are asking particularly about THOHs, then there are two except for this one: THOH II (where the peanuts gang are outside trick-or-treating) and the end of THOH IV is exactly like the end of a Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown (complete w/ SLH as snoopy!!)

Also, to go back to what someone else posted, the fact that it took 15 years for Bart and Milhouse to fix the watch could indeed be a reference to the fifteenth season. I never thought of it that way, but it makes a lot of sense. Thanks for pointing that out!

[doyle]

I did not read through the entire thread so I don't know if this has all been said or not.
I taped this episode and got around to watching it for the first time around 10:30 last night. I watched it once more this afternoone for good measure. I actually enjoyed it more the second time.

The Opening: Well, this needed work to say the least. One of those just a bunch of stuff that happened things, but luckily, this only lasted for acouple minutes. The Peanuts spoof was clever, and the Kang and Kodos moment was genius, but little else was offered, and it wasn't creative on the whole. C

Reaper Madness: Well, I was disappointed the first time watching this but I noticed some good things the second time. The story was developed pretty early on, and would have been even better if not for another one of those Benny Hill scenes. You could see Homer's character fit well with the character of death, and there were plenty of amusing jokes to keep the viewer entertained. My main gripe was the last few minutes. The main conflict was recognized and resolved all within about 2 minutes, with a wasted chance for emotion and a very abrupt ending. I really liked the animation in this one, especially Homer's hand changing from normal to skeleton, and Marge's name bulging on his hit list, showing some good emphasis. B/B+

Frinkenstein: I've seen worse shorts, but not many, as this was pretty terrible. It was a disturbingly unfunny Frankenstein spoof, gone terribly wrong. There were many groan-inducing jokes. The ending was one of the worst things I've ever seen, with no real feeling or emotion. Frankenstein's story is supposed to be more solemn than it was here, as we saw only needless gore from Frink Sr. Frink's feelings were never expressed well, and we never see any reaction from him after the monster runs away. Frink's decision to reanimate his father was ridiculous (his invention eliminates the annoying task of putting down a hammer and picking up a screwdriver) and written conveniently to make it seem like the plot flow was ok. The only real laugh I got from this short was the flaskback. D

Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off: What can I say? This was excellent. One of the best shorts in a while. I laughed long after watching the episode at the many humorous moments, and great minor character use. Bart and Milhouse's characterization was very good, and once again, animation was excellent. There was little horror involved, but it was so entertaining that it wasn't a problem at all. A

Overall, this was a bit of a mixed bag, with a few more ups than downs. I was pleased overall, and thought this was the best THOH in the last few years. I was most impressed with the excellent animation, which is a good sign going inot the new season. My final grade is a B-.

[Magnum]

Who here thought the music and imagery in Reaper Madness was quite stunning? By imagery I mean Homer casting a dark shadow as he becomes death and carrying Marges supposed corpse up the mountain to God.

That's also a good theory on Springfield being frozen in time for fifteen years as being a metaphor.

[Mr. Plow]

"Reaper Madness" - 3/5 An ok first act but thoughts of FG kept clogging my mind. The chase sequence between the light of God was hilarious. The Benny Hill thing has been done before so it wasn't very funny this time around.

"Frinkenstein" - 2/5 very dissapointing and all 3 guest voices were wasted.

"Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off" - 4/5 Funniest of the 3. Best scene of the episode was when Bart and Milhouse used the clock stopper on Homer when he was eating donuts. I laughed my ass off when that happend.

Overall a 3/5, so the episode was so so. Not bad considering this is the 15th season.

[eddie]

Originally posted by Icedragon
FG used an enitre episode, while Simpsons used 8 minutes.

What the hell does that mean?! Is Space Jam better than the Merry Melodies shorts because it's longer?


Originally posted by Icedragon
If the Simpsons had done this one segment as an entire episode, that would be better.

What? How many Simpsons episodes have you seen? That would make no sense on a logical, reality-based cartoon. A full "Reaper Madness" would sink into "Saddlesore Galactica" and "Simpson Safari" territory.

[huh?]

Best THOH in several years. Breaking it down:
Intro: Too much senseless violence, but saved by Kang & Kodos.3.5/5
Reaper Madness: Best short of the episode. Chase scene was hilarious. 4.5/5
Frinkinstein: Meh. Had high hopes for this one, but while Lewis was good in it, it struggled with Lisa pushing the plotline forward too much, and with a pointless cameo with Garner. 3/5
Stop the World...: Very good, especially with the Nelson/Homer scene. De La Hoya was also pointless, but his only line was pretty funny. 4/5
Overall:4/5

[Homer908]

Opening:B
Reaper Madness:A
Frinkenstein:B
Stop The World, I want to goof Off: A-
Overall:B+

[kevin]

decent

B (8.5)

[Eart]

Opening: 5/5
Very funny opening, especially the Kang and Kodos bit. I found that part extra-funny because earlier that day, my mother put up the Christmas decorations and we were making fun of her for doing it so early.

Reaper Madness: 3.5/5
It was an ok part, but the segment where he has to kill Marge and up until the Motorcycle chase, seemed a bit odd.

Frinkistein: 2/5
I didn't really like this one. Prof. Frink isn't that good of a character to devote even 8 minutes of an episode to him.

Stop The World, I Want To Goof Off: 4.5/5
Pretty good segment, although the ending seemed a bit weird for me.

[DotheBartman]

Originally posted by Mohammed Jafar
[b]


hey, people complaining about the intro, stop saying things like "for no reason" and "unexplained" and "violence". It was supposed to be like that, so what you're saying hardly amounts to criticism.



"Simpsons Safari" is supposed to be wacky and crazy but that doesn't neccasarily means that it worked. A lot of people don't like excessive violence on the show (including THOH for some) and personally I found a couple things in that intro to be more disturbing then funny myself. Also, as for "no reason", I think that argument mostly comes down to some of the jokes not even really making sense as fully coherent jokes. This isn't related to the intro, but why did the writers think Lisa switching the clock around (yes, for "no reason") and turning the family into different random versions of themselves would be funny at all?

As for the "Clockstoppers" thing, I don't think it was a Clockstoppers parody, but I actually have to disagree with it being a Twilight Zone parody as well. I've seen that episode, and the only thing remotely similar, other then the basic concept of stopping time with a watch (which is just a basic sci-fi concept that's been in everything, including "Ducktales" for godsakes) is the watch breaking. If it was intended as a parody, it wasn't a very good one.

Anyways, the more I look back at this one, the more I think it might be one of the most forgettable episodes ever. I told a couple friends of mine (one of which loves nearly every episode but asked me "what the hell was that?") today that it was one of the most uneven episodes I've ever seen. I told them it wasn't really good or even bad, just there. It certainly wasn't "Simpsons Safari" bad or even bad at all neccasarily. But, unlike the very good or very bad episodes that are commonly referenced for those reasons, I think this one may go the way of "Bart vs. Lisa and the Third Grade" and some of the less offensive Scully "Adventures of Homer" episodes. Doomed to obscurity.

[HomertheGreat]

THOH's in general over the past few year's have been pretty forgettable, and I was thinking this after watching it. There's never a really true standout short. Many of you will argue that "Stop the World..." would be the standout short, but IMO falls short of classic segments of recent THOH. (Send in the Clones, House of Whacks). Now yes I know in my review it says "A" next to it. I've rewatched the episode and realized that I may have been a little too excited and I really wanted the episode to be good. New rankings...

Intro- C
Reaper- B-
Frinkensteirn- C-
Stop the World...- A-/B+

OVERALL: B- (very low B-)

[prince jafar allah]

Originally posted by DotheBartman
"Simpsons Safari" is supposed to be wacky and crazy but that doesn't neccasarily means that it worked.

Not my point at all. My point was, many criticisms seemed to give me the impression that viewers thought it was intended to be a touching, realistic family moment.

And I thought it was amusing, and I didn't find it in the slighest bit disturbing because, as I said, it was intended to be crazy, over the-top, out-of-character craziness, and it worked as that. Unless you just get disturbed at the sight of ANY cartoon character being subjected to violence....


Originally posted by DotheBartman
This isn't related to the intro, but why did the writers think Lisa switching the clock around (yes, for "no reason") and turning the family into different random versions of themselves would be funny at all?

for the same reason they thought having inside-out gas seep in and turning the family inside out and having them do a dance number was funny in TOH 5, or have the story suddenly stop for a Peanuts parody in TOH 4. Because it's krayzee. The only thing wrong with it was that you didn't find it funny, there wasn't anything fundamentally wrong with the execution, it's been done so many times in TOHs (and in normal episodes) over the years.


Originally posted by DotheBartman
As for the "Clockstoppers" thing, I don't think it was a Clockstoppers parody, but I actually have to disagree with it being a Twilight Zone parody as well. I've seen that episode, and the only thing remotely similar, other then the basic concept of stopping time with a watch (which is just a basic sci-fi concept that's been in everything, including "Ducktales" for godsakes) is the watch breaking. If it was intended as a parody, it wasn't a very good one.

Nah, I don't think it was intended as a parody per se, just a utilisation of the same concept.

[lance]

it's got to be hard to come up with three brand new halloween concepts every year, anyways, so parodies/rip-offs/utilizations are bound to pop up.

[Icedragon]

Next year better have a parody of the "Ring"

[Dennis]

Intro: 5/5. I thought it was a really good way to start the show.
Reaper Madness: 2/5. The fact that it was a blatant rip off of the Family Guy episode "Death is a Bitch" gives it a 1/5. But it was pretty funny, but really short so I'll raise it to 2/5.
Frinkenstein: 2/5. Pretty boring and not very funny. Jennifer Garner was pointless but she didn't bother me much. I just didn't find this segment funny.
Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off: 4/5. The best segment. Really interesting plot and I thought it was really funny. Oscar Delahoya was another pointless guest star but it didn't bother me that much. I don't see why they have to actually get these actors to come on the show. Are their voices really that hard to do?
Overall: 3/5. Better than last year's.

[DotheBartman]

Jafar: Good points there. Regarding the family beating each other up, I guess I'm not entirely sure why I thought it was so disturbing, given that this IS a THOH, but somehow I just did. Partially, I do somehow become more disturbed by family members dying or getting seriously hurt then I do with minor characters. I'm not really sure what it is, but somehow Homer getting his guts blown out somehow doesn't work the same with me as Willie getting the axe or even Moe hanging himself or Lenny and Carl getting crushed by a helicopter. It might be that I've made more of an attachment to OFF then to the minor characters, so somehow it bugs me to see them seriously hurt like that, even if its in a THOH context.

Regarding the clock switching, another good point. But I think my basic point is that I was wondering why that thought that specific craziness was funny. The random crazy stuff doesn't seem to be a major strength for the writers right now, which may be why the THOHs have been so consistantly on the mediocre (or worse) side for a while now.

My comments on the "Family Guy" arguments: (not adressed specifically to Jafar or anyone else, just my two cents on the discussion in general) Again, I will repeat what I said earlier. I don't think Reaper Madness was neccasarily a "Family Guy" rip off, maybe just more of a "been there, done that" situation where another comedy show happens to have parodied the same basic thing in recent years. However, I really did find the execution to be very FGish. Honestly, that isn't just for Reaper Madness and its odd similarities, as it is for the episode as a whole. I really felt like I was watching FG with yellow skin. All the random shit that we're supposed to laugh at simply because its random shit, the basic pacing and "plot" development. Again, I realize this is THOH, but it really didn't feel like a THOH as much as it did a FG episode to me. Notice that Family Guy is even being mentioned in other contexts (someone pointed out a "Frinkenstein" gag that was apparently ripped from FG in their eyes, and Wavy Gravy even compared the opening to a specific FG scene).

[Tibor]

Originally posted by Mohammed Jafar
Not my point at all. My point was, many criticisms seemed to give me the impression that viewers thought it was intended to be a touching, realistic family moment.

And I thought it was amusing, and I didn't find it in the slighest bit disturbing because, as I said, it was intended to be crazy, over the-top, out-of-character craziness, and it worked as that. Unless you just get disturbed at the sight of ANY cartoon character being subjected to violence....

I can see it catching some off guard. It did start out as a realistic family moment (like the opening to THOH II) and then the family abruptly breaks into violence. My complaint is that it's weird, (not in the way that inside-out-fog is weird) that I was expecting a point to it, and it felt as if I had missed something.

[•ºMikè~Stẕ]

I thought it was pretty good, clock stoppers was the best one out of them all
"Hmmm says here it will take 8 hours..... 15 years later.."
And another funny part was when Homer walked down killing everybody, and then that guy put up his arm, and Homer couldent poke him, so he just slaps him.

[Icedragon]

Originally posted by DotheBartman
My comments on the "Family Guy" arguments: (not adressed specifically to Jafar or anyone else, just my two cents on the discussion in general) Again, I will repeat what I said earlier. I don't think Reaper Madness was neccasarily a "Family Guy" rip off, maybe just more of a "been there, done that" situation where another comedy show happens to have parodied the same basic thing in recent years. However, I really did find the execution to be very FGish. Honestly, that isn't just for Reaper Madness and its odd similarities, as it is for the episode as a whole. I really felt like I was watching FG with yellow skin. All the random shit that we're supposed to laugh at simply because its random shit, the basic pacing and "plot" development. Again, I realize this is THOH, but it really didn't feel like a THOH as much as it did a FG episode to me. Notice that Family Guy is even being mentioned in other contexts (someone pointed out a "Frinkenstein" gag that was apparently ripped from FG in their eyes, and Wavy Gravy even compared the opening to a specific FG scene).

I will state my prediction again, We will see more simialrities to FG this and next season. Anyway, I heard Matt Groening does not mind FG, do the other writers like loath it or what?

[DotheBartman]

Originally posted by Tibor
I can see it catching some off guard. It did start out as a realistic family moment (like the opening to THOH II) and then the family abruptly breaks into violence. My complaint is that it's weird, (not in the way that inside-out-fog is weird) that I was expecting a point to it, and it felt as if I had missed something.

Exactly. It just somehow didn't even make sense comedically. I was wondering what they were even trying to get at in terms of humor.

[prince jafar allah]

Originally posted by DotheBartman
Jafar: Good points there. Regarding the family beating each other up, I guess I'm not entirely sure why I thought it was so disturbing, given that this IS a THOH, but somehow I just did. Partially, I do somehow become more disturbed by family members dying or getting seriously hurt then I do with minor characters. I'm not really sure what it is, but somehow Homer getting his guts blown out somehow doesn't work the same with me as Willie getting the axe or even Moe hanging himself or Lenny and Carl getting crushed by a helicopter. It might be that I've made more of an attachment to OFF then to the minor characters, so somehow it bugs me to see them seriously hurt like that, even if its in a THOH context.

true, but i think the family turning outside in, doing a dance routine in which blood splatters everywhere, and Bart being mauled by SLH is, in principle, at least as potentially disturbing as last night's intro. how did you find that?


Originally posted by DotheBartman
The random crazy stuff doesn't seem to be a major strength for the writers right now, which may be why the THOHs have been so consistantly on the mediocre (or worse) side for a while now.

true.

[Spooner]

This is what I'm gonna say about SImpsoins copying FG and possible future copying of Family Guy:

I don't really care, just as long as it's funny.

[FlamingMeaux]

I rewatched it today. It still sucked.

Intro - 3/5. The costumes were cute (though I didn't understand why Lisa's candy would have been so much better than the stuff Bart got). Also, I think the Kang and Kodos bit was the highlight of the episode. The thing about it being November (more proof that the writers can read my mind) and the alien foot christmas stockings were extremely nice details.
The violence - eh. Senseless or not, it just wasn't funny, creepy, imaginative, or anything really.

Reaper Madness - 2/5
The Benny Hill thing made me think...if they are already trying to take up time now, this doesn't bode well for the episode.
I loved the title and was hoping for a "marijuana hysteria" spoof.
Margie's hair on the Patty/Selma corpse was the only funny thing in this section. Umm, perhaps this is pedantic/unnecessary, but wouldn't the Grip Reaper be immortal? Is that supposed to be the humor?
Why would Homer be able to outrun god?
And did Lisa say (something like) "Do you know what this means?!?" in every segment?

Frinkenstein - I'm gonna go out on a limb here - 0/5
I laughed at the penis joke. Nothing else in this segment made me even crack a smile. Lisa's explaining the 21st century as like the 20th century, only everybody's scared was a great line in one way, but also like, thanks for ruining the half an hour of the day when I'm not thinking about how f*cked as a planet we are.
There was so much in here that could have lead to something better. I was really interested in Frink's young adulthood, and then they ripped that away to get on with their ridiculous Nobel plot, if it can be rightfully called a plot.

Stop the World, I wanna Goof Off - 2.75/5
I liked that the title appeared (to me, at least) to be a Vanilla Ice rip off. Guess the Beastie Boys did a song titled something like that, too.
Homer & Nelson naked together -- just creepy. What were the writers thinking? Milhouse's lines were all lamentably predictable.
Why did Homer's head keep falling off?
With this premise *anything* could have happened. And nothing really did. What a waste.

total - 2ish/5

[DotheBartman]

Originally posted by Mohammed Jafar
true, but i think the family turning outside in, doing a dance routine in which blood splatters everywhere, and Bart being mauled by SLH is, in principle, at least as potentially disturbing as last night's intro. how did you find that?



Heh, you got me there I guess. I guess it helped that the joke itself was funny to me, so my laughter kind of overruled whatever problems I might have had with it. Sort of like how a comedy and a horror movie can both have similar sorts of body mutations, etc, happen to thier characters, but to completely different effect in terms of audience reaction. Of course it was meant to be funny in this intro's case, but that the fact that I just didn't find it funny problem helped to make it disturbing instead.

Also, I should add that even in the "inside out" musical number no one dies (well, maybe Bart dies, but we don't explicitely see it), plus its the fog (rather then the other family members) hurting them. Something about Homer trying to beat his kids with a bat, and Marge blowing Homer's guts out, again just seemed to cross that line a little, even more then fog could. Even in the THOH context, it was just kind of hard to watch these characters that I have come to love so much trying to literally kill each other.

[prince jafar allah]

Originally posted by FlamingMeaux
Homer & Nelson naked together -- just creepy. What were the writers thinking?

you're an idiot.


Originally posted by FlamingMeaux
Milhouse's lines were all lamentably predictable.

incorrect. try again.

[TheSageBean]

Originally posted by Icedragon
"I'm Colista Flockhart. Who the hell do you think I am, I'm DEATH!"

Norm was great in that episode...

I find it ironic that many Simpson fans bashed FG because it was a "ripoff" of the Simpsons on the FG vs. Simpsons board. Now when the tables have turned, you sing a different tune, saying it is not a FG ripoff. Right, and Peter Griffin being in the crowd of Homer clones is a "homage" to FG...

I've never gone to a Family Guy versus Simpsons message board and never saw people here saying Family Guy was a ripoff until the whole wave of FG fanboys came. The only people saying FG is a ripoff are the Simpsons producers. Either that or I have a very bad memory... Which could be very true.

And everything about this episode has already been said.... Stop the World was best, then reaper madness, then frinkenstein.

[perfectlycromulent]

why must every thread become a simpsons vs FG thread?

and i hope they start doing more parodies of horror movies & twilight zone episodes

or at least make them have something to do with haloween

[FlamingMeaux]

"you're an idiot."

Oh, I'm sorry. My mistake. Naked Homer and Naked Nelson very funny!
Milhouse's change purse - height of hilarity!
Naked basketball - hohoho.

[ryan o]

Even people who didn't like this episode HAVE to agree on one thing:

Milhouse: I'm going to play naked basketball!
Bart: NO you're not.

So. Freaking. Hilarious. Best line in AGES...

[Magnum]

Originally posted by FlamingMeaux
"you're an idiot."

Oh, I'm sorry. My mistake. Naked Homer and Naked Nelson very funny!
Milhouse's change purse - height of hilarity!
Naked basketball - hohoho. You lost your penis - ROFL OMG!!!

[FlamingMeaux]

Wow, maybe you should see if they're looking for more show writers.
Idiot.

[shyner]

To answer your question about Charlie Brown references, there have been many made on the Simpsons. But if you are asking particularly about THOHs, then there are two except for this one: THOH II (where the peanuts gang are outside trick-or-treating) and the end of THOH IV is exactly like the end of a Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown (complete w/ SLH as snoopy!!) yes I meant specifically THOH's :D I should have said that. I cant believe I forgot about the THOH IV Christmas thing, thanks for pointing that out

[J.Re*]

How did Lisa know that Professor Frink had won the Nobel Prize when she took the phone off of Homer?
I really think the dialogue was poorly written throughout... I'm giving the episode a second watch to sort it out.

[Mafia]

Reaper Madness
Kinda plain and boring. I got a few laughs, but I pretty much knew what was going to happen. I had some laughs though... 2/5

Frinkenstein
Pretty boring... Jerry Lewis was not used in the right way... I just didn't laugh. 2/5

Stop the World
Awesome. Back to the Twilight Zone parodies for once.... I have never seen Clockstoppers, but this was of course a parody of the Twilight Zone episode, as mentioned before. 5/5

3.25/5 overall... next week looks so much better

[lance]

Originally posted by J.Re*
How did Lisa know that Professor Frink had won the Nobel Prize when she took the phone off of Homer?
I really think the dialogue was poorly written throughout... I'm giving the episode a second watch to sort it out. maybe the nobel prize guy talks really loud. but i agree that the dialogue was very cheesy at times. i hated the 21st century line.

[Simpfan28]

One thing I would like to point out though, so it will stop once and for all:
This was NOT A FAMILY GUY RIPOFF

[/B]

Thanks for repeating me.

[J.Re*]

After 2nd viewing, I realized that the crummy dialogue was only in the 2nd act ("the way he said it, it sounded like he's going to take organs from living people" no shit, Lisa) and the 3rd was quite excellent. Only real problem with the first was it got off to a really fast start, but ended up being good.

[Moose of Doom!]

Did anyone else have a problem with some of the voice acting for certain lines?

[NoOneFamous]

The only redeeming aspect of the penis joke in this episode, was that it came after Frink Sr. was asking if hes still even a man. Frink Jr. replied "of course you are!... except you now have no penis"... which is pretty much the most manly thing you can lose.

[Magnum]

Originally posted by NoOneFamous
The only redeeming aspect of the penis joke in this episode, was that it came after Frink Sr. was asking if hes still even a man. Frink Jr. replied "of course you are!... except you now have no penis"... which is pretty much the most manly thing you can lose. But even then you could still see it coming.

[Cletus Del Roy]

Frinkenstein was only so-so, in my opinion, but overall the episode was top-notch. Definitely a good way to start off the new season.

[Charmy]

I'm amazed by the reaction to 'Stop the World'. After sleeping on it I decided my grade of C+ was cruel and upgraded it to a B-, I still don't think it's anywhere as good as people say. I should watch it again, maybe it will grow on me. After all, I didn't think 'Scuse Me While I Miss the Sky' was great until the second viewing?

Jafar: My main problem with the intro is that I don't like seeing the family killing each other. Strangling Bart is funny because you know Homer doesn't mean much by it, and he certainly doesn't want to kill Bart. Hitting him with a bat(?) isn't funny because he wanted Bart dead. So the family can get hurt in weird ways, such as the inside-out fog, and it by funny, but it isn't they're hurting each other.

[Spooner]

Charmy, when the Griffins kicked the crrap outta each other in Lethal Weapons, it was hilarious. SO why doesn't that translate well to the simpsons, especially for a Halloween ep?

I, myself, have yet to see it. >=(

[mintjellyonthelam]

Opening 4/5
Reaper-4/5
Frinkenstein - 3/5
Clock - 4.5/5

4/5
Also, very annoying to have to deal with "That was a Family Guy rip-off!" The whole series Family Guy is a rip off of the simpsons.

[Icedragon]

No, it was influenced by the Simpsons. The style of humor is not close enough to call it a rip off

[Charmy]

Originally posted by Spooner
Charmy, when the Griffins kicked the crap outta each other in Lethal Weapons, it was hilarious. SO why doesn't that translate well to the simpsons, especially for a Halloween ep?

Because, quite frankly, the Griffins don't really care about each other. The Simpsons do. It's easy to watch a group of people with no paticular alliegance to each other beat each other up, it's much harder to watch a family that loves each other do it for the sake of cheap laughs.

Just so I don't start another FG/Simpsons, I want to say I know I'm generalizing. The Griffins have shown a few times in the past that they cared about each other. However, it's not shown as often or convincingly in most cases to give you that impression. In fact, a lot of the time they're downright spiteful to each other.

[JMS]

For the most part your right. But the Griffins weren't created to necessarily get along with each other. That's kind of the joke of their whole relationship. And in the commentary for "Brian Wallows and Peter Swallows", Seth actually jokes about how they were going to implicate "human emotion". It was kind of funny to hear them talk about it, since this particular episode was one of the few that were meant to be taken seriously.

But anyways... Back on topic.

[Tibor]

Originally posted by Spooner
Charmy, when the Griffins kicked the crrap outta each other in Lethal Weapons, it was hilarious. SO why doesn't that translate well to the simpsons, especially for a Halloween ep?

1) You're stating that "the Griffins [kicking] the crrap outta each other in Lethal Weapons" being hilarious is an objective fact. Charmy might not have liked it all. I didn't think it was hilarious, in either instance (EDIT: Charmy already answered as I was typing response)

2) See DtB's comments concerning attachment to the characters.

[Tomacco]

Damn, DTBM, you're stealing my thunder! Heh, you've said everything that I itended to say, but never got around to it.

As for the intro, Homer beating the kids with the bat is where it crossed the line for me. There was just no point. Just because it's a THOH, it doesn't mean the characters have to act out of character for no apparent reason whatsoever.

[Channel Surfer]

I dunno. Intentional out-of-character behavior in a couple second Halloween opening really doesn't bother me as much as, say, consistently redefined, annoying characterizations found in lesser "Simpsons" episode that were meant to be their true personalities. Maybe if I was supposed to take this the least bit seriously, I might have been a bit freaked or annoyed. But that wasn't the case here.

My only issue with OFF beating the shit out of one another is that it ran too long, in a rather predictable display of increasingly surreal or gruesome ways to obliterate one another. The Kang and Kodos sequence was a nice twist though, I guess, and at least didn't feel as contrived as their appearances in XII and XIII. Still fairly meh though, and as a whole weaker than any of the segments.

[Tibor]

"Can somebody tell me what the hell's going on? Midge, help me out here."

That was my biggest problem with the beginning. Grampa's line was funny though.

It looks like I'm in the minority about Reaper Madness being a great segment. Frinkenstein should have been shortened, and given more time to Reaper.

[lance]

Originally posted by Tibor
It looks like I'm in the minority about Reaper Madness being a great segment. Frinkenstein should have been shortened, and given more time to Reaper. Well, I'm the minority with you. I thought it was the best segment. Though it was disjointed, yes, and short, whatever, it had nonstop hilarious jokes throughout. It made me laugh out loud the most out of the three segments, and I watch the Simpsons to laugh.

[OctoberBride]

I think the clock stopping one was the best of the three.
The Reaper had me laughing at moments. Frinkenstein moved to fast for my taste.
But the clock one had me laughing so hard I was crying. Maybe it was just the mood I was in, but it struck me as hilarious.

[prince jafar allah]

when Lisa smacked Bart on the head with the vase, I must admit I thought "what the...?", but when the fire poker went into Homer's chest, I realised this was some other shit. I actually think its appeal was intended to be because it was disturbing - yet so over-the-top it wasn't TRULY disturbing, just disturbing in its principle. Disturbing in a funny way. If Bart had just stepped on Homer's toe or something causing Homer to beat the kids with a baseball bat before Marge came in and started beating Homer with the bat or something, then yeah, it probably would have disturbed me. But with all the stabbings and fire and shotguns and things, and the family's nonchalant attitude to inflicting violence on each other, it was so clearly out-of-character and over-the-top I don't see how it could have bothered anyone.

[Icedragon]

Originally posted by Tibor
"Can somebody tell me what the hell's going on? Midge, help me out here."

That was my biggest problem with the beginning. Grampa's line was funny though.

It looks like I'm in the minority about Reaper Madness being a great segment. Frinkenstein should have been shortened, and given more time to Reaper.

Hell, why not get rid of Frinkinstien and make both segments longer. I think then both would be better, especally Reaper Madness

[squishee lady]

Originally posted by Icedragon
Hell, why not get rid of Frinkinstien and make both segments longer. I think then both would be better, especally Reaper Madness

That's wha I suggested earlier. We don't NEED 3 segments, I much rather see 2 good segments expanded upon instead of having a third crappy one tossed in.

[whisman]

I laughed maybe twice during this episode. Very, very bad episode, even for a Treehouse of Horror. The Death/Bart chase scene was used last season, and I didnt find it funny there. So its even less funny the second time. Marge: Bart, run like the wînd. What kind of weak writing was this? D-

[SpongeBob No Pants]

Originally posted by squishee lady
That's wha I suggested earlier. We don't NEED 3 segments, I much rather see 2 good segments expanded upon instead of having a third crappy one tossed in.

actually i wouldn't mind seing only one story

i know its become tradition to have 3 segments, but i think it would be neat next year to just see one 22 minute long story

the reason i say this is because the last few years have seen one excellent segment(stop the world...), one that was ok (reaper madness) and one that just sucked (frinkenstien), why not just make the really excellent one the entire show

[joe h]

I have to give the most abrupt ending in a holloween segment ever award to Reaper Madness. In fact, what I saw in that episode was an idea for a funny episode, but nothing to back it up. They simply ran out in two minutes.

Frinkenstein was about as coherent as a french drama.

And clockstopper was the best of the three.

I say there is a 50% chance this episode is a chilling look at things to come.

[whisman]

The opening segment was a little too violent. Even for a THOH.

[Icedragon]

Not scary or creepy, just un-Simpsony

[I'm David Croket!]

Possibly the best THOH since season 9 or 10. "Reaper Madness" was funny , "Stop The World, I Want To Goof Off" was very witty and creative, with a great characterization of Bart and Milhouse. "Frinkenstein" was, err.... a bit dull, it went too long, but Jerry Lewis interpretation was IMO great, especially at the Nobel ceremony when he gets mad and attacks the audience.
I agree with the good use of guest stars. Yeah, they only said a few lines, but why they've to speak more if it is not necessary?

Good work also by Steven Dean Moore for the great animation and creepy atmosphere he created.

[SpongeBob No Pants]

anyone else think that "Stop the world, i want to goof off", is perhaps one of the 10 best THOH segments

[Magnum]

Hmmm. I don't think so there's alot of good competition.

[Friz]

Quiet everybody, Friz is talking. He downloaded the episode last night, and has stuff to say...

Intro: Weird to say this least. I was in a state of "why are they doing that?" to "Holy fuck, that's funny!". Grampa's line was classic, as well as both of Marge's. This was a great opening, but it left me feeling a little scared.. but it was Halloween..
Cut to, the best Kodos and Kang since THOH 9. The christmas decorations (http://www.simpsons.nl/matty/kkristmas.jpg) were some funny shit. Shame I heard their 'Halloween ep in November' line before then, otherwise that would have made me laugh out so much.

Reaper Madness: Benny Hill always makes me smile, what with me being from Britland. But then... ow. This got boring quite quickly. It was jo=ust jokes repeatedly about Homer being Death. I did like the "My Dad's Job" scene, but it got a little weird after the tramp. Some more stuff happened. Then some beautiful animation on the mountain. Shame the plot got weird.

Boringstein: The less said about this the better. Some cool deaths though. Jerry Lewis was fantastic. No need for that girl from Alias and Mister "I disagree". Moving on..

Stop the World I Want to Goof Off: Umm.. I think it would have been better if Bart had found the watch somewhere, rather than having to order from it. This seemed like something out of season 4/5. But not halloween-y. If there was an episode in season 5 where they told short stories to each other, this would be in it. Stupid Bart to the Future reference.

Aaand we have another mediocre Halloween. Thank you Kodos and Kang for a fantastic appearance. I'm off to put up my Christmas decorations.

[ShadowBun]

Hahah, I just noticed the many legs of the aliens' stockings! Very clever.

[Tomacco]

I think the "run like the wind" line by Marge was one the weirdest "jokes" I've ever seen. It just wasn't funny.

Also, from Fox's episode description:
Finally in “Stop The World, I want to Get Off,” Bart and Milhouse discover a watch that can stop time. They use their new ability to play a variety of pranks on the residents of Springfield. When one of their pranks backfires, Bart and Milhouse find that they are the only two people left on earth and their repair manual is written is German.

Looks like there was a last-minute rewrite to the episode...?

[Magnum]

Seems like there have been a lot of jokes like "Run like wind" in the Jean era although I think there fewer between than before take a look at The Fright to Creep etc.

[Charmy]

Originally posted by Tomacco
Looks like there was a last-minute rewrite to the episode...?

That could explain why I disliked the second half of 'Stop the World' so much. Last minute rewrites are usually a bad idea.

[Friz]

I think what would have been a weirder, say, better ending, would be if the second button reversed time to the beginning of the segment- heck, even the beginning of the episode. To reverse to Kang and Kodos saying "Stupid Humans.. they're showing a Halloween Episode in November!", and then comment that the Halloween episode is just over, then the end credit run-

Oh Nooo! I'm Mike Scullyyy!!!

[NoOneFamous]

I was hoping that Stop the World, I Want to Get Off would end with them not being able to repair the watch. Now only becuase thats how the Twilight Zone episode goes, but it would give the ending a slightly disturbing feel to it like a lot of previous THOH endings did. I think the actual ending to this segment is what keeps it from joining the ranks of classic THOH segments.

[Charmy]

Stop the World would have to be completely reworked if they wanted a disturbing ending. The whole point of the segment was for it to be a lighthearted romp.

[Friz]

But.. hulahooping circus Simpsons?

[DotheBartman]

Originally posted by NoOneFamous
I was hoping that Stop the World, I Want to Get Off would end with them not being able to repair the watch. Now only becuase thats how the Twilight Zone episode goes, but it would give the ending a slightly disturbing feel to it like a lot of previous THOH endings did. I think the actual ending to this segment is what keeps it from joining the ranks of classic THOH segments.

I think I agree with this. Even if we just saw them trying to live as the only people on earth for a while, that would be more interesting then what we got.

Tibor: I see your point about the idea of a full length THOH. However, the only problem, other then the breaking of tradition (which, as evidenced by my "maybe they should just stop doing THOH?" comment, is obviously something I'm able to let slide at this point) that I see with that would be that it might be hard to sustain a full 21-23 minutes of one story. The last couple minutes of "Stop the World" to me are evidence that they can't even sustain one full act anymore. The two stories instead of three suggestion that's been brought up might work, though it would be hard to work around the set number of commercial breaks the show has.

[HomertheGreat]

I think if they did some kind of murder mystery, like Agatha Christie or the board game Clue, they could sustain a 22 minute long episode.

[Tomacco]

Wow the poll's had way more votes than episodes last year.

[doyle]

HomertheGreat has presented a very good idea, IMO. A parody of Clue or And Then There Were None would be a great Halloween episode. It opens the door for horror, great character use, and humor in many different forms.

[Magnum]

It could be a little similar to Leelas segment in Anthology of Intrest 1 though couldn't it?

[JonMDavis]

Originally posted by NoOneFamous
I was hoping that Stop the World, I Want to Get Off would end with them not being able to repair the watch. Now only becuase thats how the Twilight Zone episode goes, but it would give the ending a slightly disturbing feel to it like a lot of previous THOH endings did. I think the actual ending to this segment is what keeps it from joining the ranks of classic THOH segments.
I don't think I can stand another ending where OFF breaks into a dance. The ghostbusters' theme had me running for the bathroom. Can't they find a creative and/or funny way to end something? And how about finding a creative and/or funny way to start the show? Gratuitous violence = brainless filler material.

[Channel Surfer]

Originally posted by JonMDavis
I don't think I can stand another ending where OFF breaks into a dance.

Like in "Treehouse of Horror V"?


The ghostbusters' theme had me running for the bathroom. Can't they find a creative and/or funny way to end something?

As I said on another thread, that ending works best if you try to watch Maggie imitate the other "Simpson" characters dancing than watching their looping actions. Pretty much any ending really could've worked considering they had nothing to conclude. Just as long as it's funny.

Don't see what that has to do with this episode though.


And how about finding a creative and/or funny way to start the show? Gratuitous violence = brainless filler material.

The point of the joke was supposed to be the increasing surrealism of the whole growing violence. I didn't particularly care for it mostly because I didn't find it funny, but I wouldn't go out and state that gratuitous violence is brainless filler material. Especially when considering how gory some of these "Treehouse of Horrors" (like V) have been.

[JonMDavis]

The violence has to be done in moderation and shouldn't be as graphic as the 2nd segment (I don't think I can bring myself to say its name). The opening violence just didn't have much of a point to it and I didn't find it funny, as well. The writers have been using violence more and more as a crutch. It's fine if you throw in some actual witty humor every now and then, but violence alone isn't why I tune in every week.

I think the same can be said for the breaking into dance. Once or twice, fine. Just stop doing it already, though. Even if it was used well, I think it would have been annoying. I was extremely disappointed that the Benny Hill chase scene wasn't just for the promos. After rewatching it, it was actually done pretty well, but I had already lost interest in it from the beginning because they had already done it just months before.

There's 22 minutes to fill every show. 10 seconds of violence can easily be replaced by 5 seconds of violence and some actual jokes.

Oh, and regarding watching Maggie, I do love to watch her, but mainly in the earlier seasons when they still had her falling down. It's surprising how much effort the animators put into her at times.


On another note, I just remembered another reason to dislike the 2nd segment. The ending was very much the same sequence used in Bye Bye Nerdy. In an auditorium filled with scientists/academic-types, the speaker brings in someone who was previously uncontrollable, now controlled, then breaks out in a highly predictable rampage aimed at the audience.

[Channel Surfer]

Originally posted by JonMDavis
The violence has to be done in moderation and shouldn't be as graphic as the 2nd segment (I don't think I can bring myself to say its name). The opening violence just didn't have much of a point to it and I didn't find it funny, as well. The writers have been using violence more and more as a crutch. It's fine if you throw in some actual witty humor every now and then, but violence alone isn't why I tune in every week.

Well, there have been gorier Halloween specials than this one (V and XI). And I don't see how the writers are consistently using violence as a crutch, especially if we're talking non-Halloween episodes.


I think the same can be said for the breaking into dance. Once or twice, fine. Just stop doing it already, though. Even if it was used well, I think it would have been annoying. I was extremely disappointed that the Benny Hill chase scene wasn't just for the promos. After rewatching it, it was actually done pretty well, but I had already lost interest in it from the beginning because they had already done it just months before.

If it was done every week, I might agree. But in all honesty, how often do they really break out into dance (or music) at the end of an episode? Just talking Halloween Specials, there's only been three (counting this), and the other two being from the famed Mirkin Halloween Specials.

The recycled "Benny Hill" gag I think is a nitpick, even if a fair one. There have always been recycled gags, even within a short span of episodes.


There's 22 minutes to fill every show. 10 seconds of violence can easily be replaced by 5 seconds of violence and some actual jokes.

True, but you're complaint isn't really the violence, but the quality of its usage in the episode I think.


Oh, and regarding watching Maggie, I do love to watch her, but mainly in the earlier seasons when they still had her falling down. It's surprising how much effort the animators put into her at times.

Just going back to seasons three and four, Maggie's done far wilder things than trying to imitate the family dancing. Running away from home to search for Marge. Leading a baby revolt to retrieve the stolen pacifiers. Driving a car. For the most part, her usage is no different than older years really.


On another note, I just remembered another reason to dislike the 2nd segment. The ending was very much the same sequence used in Bye Bye Nerdy. In an auditorium filled with scientists/academic-types, the speaker brings in someone who was previously uncontrollable, now controlled, then breaks out in a highly predictable rampage aimed at the audience.

NoOneFamous already mentioned it, and I agree, it was a lot like that and I didn't care much for it. But even then, it still fits better in a Halloween episode than a normal one, even if still not particularly good.

[Maddog53]

I guess I'll throw my hat into the use of violence debate. Because it is a Halloween special, I have no problem with the family acting violent towards one another. When it comes to Halloween, I see continuity thrown out the window, and I'm OK with this. It's a chance to put the characters into situations, and have them do things that are completely out of character, and I can stand it. If it were in a normal episode, I'd be raising Hell. Sure they may have gone into excess, but I still didn't care, because it was meant for humour. I guess it's sort of like how movies, if you have a comedy and a drama and have the exact same scene, one can be comic, and the other one horrific. I found it funny because it was so over the top, that it couldn't be taken seriously. At least that is how I see it.

Maddog.

[Icedragon]

A parody of Clue or And Then There Were None would be a great Halloween episode. It opens the door for horror, great character use, and humor in many different forms.

That and a parody of some newer, good horror movies like "The Ring" and "28 Days Later".

as for the voilence, I thikn Bart getting choked and then Bart's neck snaps, or something like that would be good. A parody of themselves. I do not think Marge just shooting Homer is that funny.

[Magnum]

Nothing in this episode was any more disturbing than the couch gag where OFF comes down on nooses.

[Channel Surfer]

Originally posted by Icedragon
as for the voilence, I thikn Bart getting choked and then Bart's neck snaps, or something like that would be good. A parody of themselves.

Kind of sorta already done that in "Hex and the City" when Bart's neck is stretched to an insane degree by Homer's choking.

[simplysimpsons]

Opening
Funny! Ok, maybe I wasn't keen at all on the family beating each other up, but Kang and Kodos' appearance was one of their funniest yet. A-

Reaper Madness

Hmm....it all seemed a little short...they should have cut out some of Frinkenstein for more of Homer's killing people antics. It was great all the same though, I loved the baseball scene and Jasper's appearance. The ending could have been better though- A-

Frinkenstein

Definitely the weakest segment of the 3. Frink did have some funny lines, but the taking out of brains and body parts was a little gory for me (except Skinner's which was funny). Guest stars weren't all that much use, and the ending was lame. B-

Stop The World, I want to Goof off

The best! It would be better if there wasn't so much of a crappy ending, I'm sure they just did this to show off their new digital animation skills! :) but the rest of the segment was excellent. Plenty of great lines and a very decent storyline. A

Animation (for all segments): A(+)

Overall: A-, 4/5

Very impressive, best THOH for a few years! The problem was the ending in all 3 segments was pretty stupid, but the first and last segment's story made up for it. And the scary names are back! I'm Looking forward to the next ep this season!

Mayors....have....been...repeatedly....humiliated!

[NoOneFamous]

Theres really no point to debating or trying to justify the opening with the family beating each other up. No matter how you look at it, it was stupid, disturbing, and lazy effort on the writers' part. Thank God for the Kang and Kodos part.

[whisman]

This whole episode had to be a joke. Didnt enjoy it at all. I really dont see how so many people are loving it this much.

[prince jafar allah]

Originally posted by NoOneFamous
Theres really no point to debating or trying to justify the opening with the family beating each other up. No matter how you look at it, it was stupid, disturbing, and lazy effort on the writers' part.

No point to debating it because your opinion is automatically correct I suppose?

How was it "stupid"? Because it's violent? ;-/

It wasn't disturbing to me, and to other people in this thread.

And how exactly was it "lazy"? I could see why someone could be justified in calling writing "lazy" if it happens to be a contrived deus ex machina device stuck in to force a plot along, or if it's a plot full of huge holes, or if the story doesn't make sense, but I fail to see how you could call it "lazy". I don't just disagree, I can't see how "lazy" could possibly be attributed to it even if you hated it with a passion. It seems to me, in your desperation to criticise it, you've just pulled out your ass the first vague, generic throwaway criticism you could come up with.

[whisman]

I think the writers could have come up with something a little bit better than what they did.

[prince jafar allah]

in other words, you didn't like it. thanks for that.

[simplysimpsons]

Well, what was wrong with it?

Yes, the endings were a problem in all 3 segments, and Frinkenstein left something to be desired, but the other two segments and Kang & Kodos were good enough to overcome that imo. I disliked the ending in "Stop the World" as much as I disliked the family turning inside out then dancing in THOHV, which I felt was similar. I'm pretty sure the rest of S15 won't be done in this style anyway.

[NoOneFamous]

Originally posted by Mohammed Jafar
No point to debating it because your opinion is automatically correct I suppose?I'm not saying my opinion is automatically correct, but I *am* saying that justifying the first half of this opening is pointless, becuase no matter how you look at it, its far from being great material.


How was it "stupid"? Because it's violent? ;-/

It wasn't disturbing to me, and to other people in this thread.Its "stupid" and disturbing, in a way, becuase it was just unexplained, senseless violence. Yeah, I know, that was pretty much the point, but just becuase its a THOH doesn't mean the characters should act completely different than they normally would.


And how exactly was it "lazy"?
And its "lazy" becuase they didn't even attempt to come up with something even remotely clever or entertaining to watch(until the Kang and Kodos thing was thrown in), and apparently wrote whatever idea popped into their head first. Sorry to act like I know what the writers did, becuase I don't, but can you honestly see them thouroughly thinking this opening out? I can't. Its more along the lines of "Hey! Senseless violence and shock humor is funny! Lets have Marge kill Homer for no reason!" Shock humor and senseless violence is easy enough to write as it is, and this wasn't even good or funny violence or shock humor, it was just lame. Comparable to Homer gushing blood all over after smashing the jukebox.

I'm not just dissing this becuase its something new, either. If I was, I wouldn't have given the 3rd segment an "A" grade. Compare this opening to the one from season 13, (Just two years ago), which was a very clever setup (burns and "the decoration") and even if you didn't like it, its very clear that they at least put an ounce of thought into it.

Another thing, I don't understand why they feel the need to do these openings for the THOHs anyway. They only mattered when the THOHs had actual plots and weren't just a string of stories (in other words, the first four THOHs). Ever since then they would just do quick little openings, like Homer lighting a pumpkin and his hand catching on fire. These long openings are just eating up precious time that could have been used to not make the first segment so rushed.

[whisman]

I was just expressing my opinion. Thats the reason for a thread, not everyone is gonna have the same opinion. I thought the episode sucked. And thats the end of that.

[prince jafar allah]

Originally posted by NoOneFamous
I'm not saying my opinion is automatically correct, but I *am* saying that justifying the first half of this opening is pointless, becuase no matter how you look at it, its far from being great material.

I wouldn't say it's bad material either. Certainly not so bad as to be undisputable.


Originally posted by NoOneFamous
Its "stupid" and disturbing, in a way, becuase it was just unexplained, senseless violence.

I didn't find it disturbing, many other people here didn't either.

It's no more "stupid...senseless violence" than the family dancing inside-out and Bart being mauled by SLH at the end of TOH 4, is it? Or Bart & Lisa being processed seconds before that?


Originally posted by NoOneFamous
Yeah, I know, that was pretty much the point, but just becuase its a THOH doesn't mean the characters should act completely different than they normally would.

I expect you have a list of clauses here, though, like "it's OK if it's a parody", "it's OK if it's funny", "it's OK if it's OK" and so on. Am i right?


Originally posted by NoOneFamous

And its "lazy" becuase they didn't even attempt to come up with something even remotely clever or entertaining to watch(until the Kang and Kodos thing was thrown in), and apparently wrote whatever idea popped into their head first.

In other words, they didn't come up with something that you liked. In other words, you didn't like it.


Originally posted by NoOneFamous
along the lines of "Hey! Senseless violence and shock humor is funny! Lets have Marge kill Homer for no reason!"

that's dumb. it was fairly obviously self-parodical over-the-top violence. That was the joke. did you actually watch the thing?


Originally posted by NoOneFamous
Comparable to Homer gushing blood all over after smashing the jukebox.

Sigh. Good job on pulling just any old infamous incident out the past to try and make some comparison or something. Sadly it doesn't work. That scene wasn't even particularly violent, it was just Homer cutting his hand. if he had reacted like he did to getting his thumb chopped off in Trilogy Of Error (i.e. naturally), noone would have complained. I fail to see how a scene where the problem is just stupidly overdone blood splatterage, is comparable with a scene where the (supposed) problem is too many acts of unexplained over-the-top violence.


Originally posted by NoOneFamous
its very clear that they at least put an ounce of thought into it.

It's good to know we have a psychic at the board.


Originally posted by NoOneFamous
Ever since then they would just do quick little openings, like Homer lighting a pumpkin and his hand catching on fire. These long openings are just eating up precious time that could have been used to not make the first segment so rushed.

first thing we agree on.

[NoOneFamous]

Meh... I don't feel like discussing this anymore. I'll just leave it at this: *I feel* it was a stupid opening that was saved by the Kang and Kodos part, although that will be cut in syndication and if its not it'll seem dated.

[prince jafar allah]

well that's what i was looking for - you didn't like the opening. that's fine. no need for all the random hypocritical bullshittin' though, just say you don't like it.

[Sloppy Jimbo LXIX]

But Jafar, wouldn't you then complain that he hadn't justified his opinion?

[Eggy]

Originally posted by Robbie Whisman
This whole episode had to be a joke. Didnt enjoy it at all. I really dont see how so many people are loving it this much.

Compared to anything before season 10, this episode gets an instant F. But I have to judge episodes differently now.

Personally, I think this THOH is getting more praise than it deserves. Particularly "Stop the World", which will most likely turn out to be one of the most overrated THOH segments ever.

[SpongeBob No Pants]

why can't they make them scary anymore

i know that they are never the scariest things ever, but the first few has some terror in them

now its just funny things with in sci-fi twist

[Tibor]

what i did miss was that the segments almost always have a creepy twist- none of them did here. bleh.

[simplysimpsons]

I agree with the THOHs not being creepy anymore. Instead of the Benny Hill (or whatever it was) parody in "Reaper", they could have done a better, much more creepy chase scene.

[tramopoline]

I loved the opening..."beat the lumps, beat the lumps..." and the Kang and Kodos rip on airing the Holloween episode in November.

Reaper madness:
The fact that it was the same basic plot line that the family guy used and the use benny hill chasing thing again took away from the funny parts for me in this one. There were some good parts but I don't think that I laughed at them until I watched it again. One I liked is when Bart offered Milhouse to death because "we all know there's no happy ending there".

Frinkinstien
This one was pretty good with the Lisa's predictive assumptions, and the killing, and the jokes that make ya wanta laugh out loud in short umehy.

Stop The World, I want to Goof off

Pretty good. I liked the fact that Bart looked like he did in the episode where the indian casino gives him a vision of the future. I also thought it was funny that Milhouse ended up just as bald as his father by the time he was ...i guess that would have made them 25. Using Martin as a scapegoat was good too.

Overall, better than last year but not up to tree house average.

[Le Jake]

Originally posted by NoOneFamous
Yeah, I know, that was pretty much the point, but just becuase its a THOH doesn't mean the characters should act completely different than they normally would.
[/B]

The characters can take LONG steps out of being themselves since there is no rules in a THoH episode. It's when they act unlike themselves in normal episodes is when there's problems.

[pat]

Well, I finally finished downloading the episode, since the episode started late on Sunday and, of course, I had to work and the timer on my VCR didn't tape it...and now Glayvin is going to talk.

Reaper Madness: First of all, the Benny Hill homage, although used in an episode last year, is still funny. It was just a time filler though. Like was said before, it was pretty predictable what was going to happen and the ending just seemed like it came suddenly, like the segment was too short. I thought Bart offering Milhouse to Death was pretty funny too; "we all know there's no happy ending there". Grade: 3/5

Frinkenstein: As a Professor Frink fan, I had high hopes for this one, as well as hearing Jerry Lewis, who of course Professor Frink is based from (Nutty Professor), do the voice of Frink's father. But the good parts were few and far between. The segment just seemed to drag on and the humor just wasn't there, I thought it would be the best of the 3, but it was actually the worst. Jerry Lewis was good though in his guest appearance. As I said, it dragged on and on, while Reaper Madness seemed to be too short and rushed. And Marge, please stop with the stupid pop culture references. Grade: 2/5

Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off: Basically, all that has been said before. It was the best segment of the 3, as well as the funniest. Seeing Mayor Quimby turned into a sandwich was very funny. Not really much to say about it other than, Grade: 4/5

Overall: 3/5. A nice improvement from last year's halloween shitfest, I think the best THOH since possibly XI, but it was still rather average, with its funny parts and its stupid parts. I'm glad they kept Garner and de la Hoya's pointless cameos down to a minimum, unlike THOH X's cameo extravaganza.

[whisman]

Originally posted by Eggy
Compared to anything before season 10, this episode gets an instant F. But I have to judge episodes differently now.

Personally, I think this THOH is getting more praise than it deserves. Particularly "Stop the World", which will most likely turn out to be one of the most overrated THOH segments ever.

Finally, someone who agrees. Ill admit, this ep made me laugh maybe 1 time more than say The Lastest Gun in the West, but I still give it an F. I think its getting too overated in this thread.