Reviews - "Treehouse of Horror XII"

How would you rate this episode?


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    14
some thoughts on this ep

hex and the city: it's a mid segment. it's not astonishing. it's an adequate representation of a THOH segment. I can fathom it, but it's nothing special or something I look forward to. feels like a tolerable scully episode. it feels like they didn't excogitate this segment that much. just felt like they built on anything they could to the story. We haven't really had a splendiferous THOH since say... VII. so I didn't expect anything, but this just felt unsavoury. certainly not the worst, but not a THOH I would come back to. it doesn't really feel like a distinguishable THOH it can really just lump in with any season. if I had to describe this segment it would be "suitable' suitable as in it feels like a THOH just nothing astounding or worth coming back for. despite my negative thoughts on this segment. it had me laughing a few times, but overall it's just not memorable. my favorite THOH's are the elastic ones. not an uninspired slothful THOH. stupid title for a THOH too.

house of whacks: as I think most people know, I have a delight for scully episodes that can make me laugh constantly. this is certainly one of them. I won't certainly glorify this segment as it still has it's fair share of problems that I will dispute later on, but let's focus on the positives right now. this feels like a eloquent portrayal of a THOH segment done well in the later seasons. the pacing is congenial, and feels thought out unlike hex and the city which has groggy pacing. it didn't actually bother me with their guest stars they certainly could've done worse. the episode starts off weirdly than most THOH's. I really like homer in this segment. he really feels like a big goofy oaf that I can just laugh at without having to cerebrate about it. maybe I was just in a good mood for this segment, but it is the most quotable and memorable segment of this THOH.

wiz kids: the worst of this THOH. this just felt prosaic. unimaginative I wonder how they can make a segment of something so uneventful that I feel that none of the writer's read any of the books. there's like 1 or 2 jokes that I chuckled at. why did bart's character just change so sudden. it feels like a 2 minute segment that just builds on a pile of nothing. I really don't have much to say about this segment. just if your going to do a parody like this. at least try to make something of it.

next review will be the parent rap, and then maybe all of s13.
 
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I generally concur with your ranking of the segments here, particularly in regards to "House of Whacks" - whereas I harbour a mild disdain for the nonchalance and disinterest with which "Hex and the City" blows through the most potentially compelling aspects of its concept in favour of a malaise cartoon in which the writers almost appear to assume that showcasing the barest skeleton of the concept (yes, Bart has an elongated neck, but how does this reflect or accentuate any aspects of his characters beyond the obvious one-trick twist on the ye olde Homer strangulation gag) is substitution for legitimate narrative and atmospheric realization (essentially marginalizing the plot into a gimmick as opposed to the perversely unique distortions of OFF offered by the Halloween spectacles of old), alongside the sheer sloth of "Wiz Kids" (in which the focal 'parody' in question scarcely resembles or subverts the source material to the extent of effectively masquerading as 'Harry Potter' via only the flimsiest cosmetic pretenses), "Whacks" is arguably the sole segment of XII to actively pursue a focal concept and approach resembling (to some extent) the most effective 1990s segments: in essence, the concept of a silkily coercive HAL ersatz is actually implemented into an aspect of the show's normalized template (in this case, the garishly-coloured yet persistently stable mundanity of the Simpson household and the extent to which Marge is anchored to it) in a unique and (if inconsistently-written) eerie manner, resultantly enabling the segment to collide its abnormal elements with Marge's established role to yield a more atmospheric and investing disruption of the show's typical narrative and conceptual rhythms than merely lackadaisically inserting the equivalent of a Harry Potter logo onto the barest pretense of the show's typical comic routines.

The THoH 'approach', at least in its most optimal and effective (pre-Scully) format, tends to reach its greatest heights through presenting unearthly or satirically eerie disruptions of a specific idiom governing the show's structure (with the bristling oddness of the juxtaposition often catalyzing that unique perturbing tone held by the likes of "Time and Punishment" and "Bad Dream House") and tonality before subsequently accentuating the perversity and consequences of its presence and impacts upon the characters in such a way to amplify and malleate the resultant distortion in the manner of an escalating macabre and anarchic nightmare - in essence, the greatest THoHs are essentially creatures of atmosphere and concept more than (necessarily) raw plotting, deliberately and pragmatically tainting the typical flippant discord of the show's setting and comedic tonality to present a form of unique Gothic caricature of the unnerving aspects underlying the mundanity of both the Simpson universe and the viewer's (thereby displaying the show's once-towering ability to mirror and scrutinize social reality, albeit in a different form from the typical 'classic' OFF episode), and, while "House of Whacks" falls short of these heights owing to its more glaring narrative faults (chiefly a mild overreliance on scatological/sexual gags and Homer's role eclipsing that of Marge during the climax to the effect of weakening her stakes in the narrative), it's certainly closer to this template than the dead air surrounding its runtime.

On a related note, looking forward to your critique of the Jean era, particularly the much-maligned likes of "Brawl in the Family", otherwise an ominous trend-setter to an interminable run.
 
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This is clearly Scully's weakest Halloween special. The only good segment is House of Whacks.
Wiz Kids is simply horrible, certainly Scully's worst Halloween segment and it actually feels like a late Jean Halloween special of how bad it is.
I'm 100% sure the writers hadn't read or even watched any of the movies when they made this segment. They just thought "Harry Potter is popular so let's make a segment about it".
 
First question: where is the voting???:confused:

  1. Opening (setting) - Effective, but not really:oops:
  2. Hex and the City - Lame of jokes. The "horror" was mediocre. In short, 63/100
  3. House of Wacks - Pretty nice segment. I loved the "Homer lost some brain" joke. Beside, it's obvious rehash of... well, you know what... and too many robots in the start. 67/100
  4. Wiz Kids - I loved this fairy tale atmosphere, with less of horror, but great story, and really funny jokes. 79/100

TOTAL (in average) 69.67/100 (strong 3/5, with rounding, or C+). DECENT!
 
So, I'm going to rewatch it wirh LIVE comments here (story/horror/absurd/comedy/originality out of 20 each). Good luck

  1. Opening - Really crappy creepy, - good to said
  2. Hex and the City - The story with hecked all Homer's environment is good for scary story. But in thevsame time some lines (and jokes) were pourly written. Maggie the ladybug was cute🥰 12/13/16/8/17 66/100
  3. House of Wacks - Good futuristic segment, good animated. Collection of all prime guest stars (even for one line) and Pirs Brosnan were great. Though the harrassments robot is too much. Favourite joke: I was cut half of brain! Can I have a concession, or not? The ending is probably the best non-canon use of Patty and Selma😂 15/14/18/9/17 73/100
  4. Wiz Kids - Too much magic. Understand, it's just a parody on Harry Potter, based just on books, but still - too kiddish. Frog Prince, though being iconic character, but really is mediocre. The credits scene was so/so. 8/5/16/9/16 54/100

SO in average 64.3/100 (or 2/5, downtaken from strong 2.5 with rounding, or C) MEDIOCRE!
 
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While I haven't started with Season 12 yet, I thought I would start with rewatching Season 13.

Hex and the City Segment: 6/10 - Meh
Don't really care for this segment, its pretty meh.

House of Whacks Segment: 7/10 - Okay
I do find this segment somewhat funny, and I did find Pierce Brosnan's performance pretty great, he is perfect as the antagonistic house, don't have much else to say about it other than that.

Wiz Kids: 4/10 - Dislike
I use to like this segment a lot more, but I have explained my opinion on the segment in a previous thread, that having to do with my opinion on the franchise its parodying (although, it was parodying the books) & its author diminishing.

As I have said, there was a point I did like the segment, and at one point, I did find it inspirational when it coms of fanfic writing (I did find the franchise it was parodying as a whole inspirational during my childhood and teen years). There is a part of me that wants to do a fanfic inspired by Wiz Kids, but I won't.

Overall, I'd probably give this THOH a 7/10.
 
House of Whacks is one of my favourite segments from a post-classic THOH.

I didn't hate the rest.. I wasn't really a Harry Potter fan at the time so the last segment didn't do much for me.
 
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