Treehouse of Horror VIII

] The censors also had issues with Homer dancing naked on the altar in the church, so it was changed so that he was just dancing on the floor.

This episode was the only Treehouse of Horror episode that was directed by Mark Kirkland. It was also the last episode that was worked on by Brad Bird, who left the show to direct "The Iron Giant". "Easy-Bake Coven" was storyboarded by Kirkland and the backgrounds were designed by Lance Wilder. Although Kang and Kodos make brief appearances in every Treehouse of Horror episode, their brief appearance in this one was nearly cut. David X. Cohen managed to persuade the producers to leave the scene in.

Cultural references

As with the majority of the "Treehouse of Horror" episodes, numerous cultural references are made throughout the episode. "The HΩmega Man" is an extended homage to film "The Omega Man", which was one of Mike Scully's favorite movies as a child. In the same segment, Homer runs over Johnny and Edgar Winter while fleeing the mutants pursuing him, crying: "Die, you chalk-faced goons!" as the Winter brothers are both albino.. In the rocket can see the Intel Inside logo.The title "Fly vs. Fly" is a reference to the "Mad" magazine comic strip "Spy vs. Spy", while the segment itself is based on the film "The Fly". In "Easy-Bake Coven", the animators referenced the film "The Crucible" for many of their designs, and Edna Krabappel is wearing a Scarlet A, which is a reference to the novel "The Scarlet Letter". The plot of the segment is loosely based on the Salem witch trials, while the title is a reference to the children's toy called an Easy-Bake Oven. The story also contains a brief reference to the "Looney Tunes" character Witch Hazel when Marge, Patty and Selma click their heels before flying away on their brooms. Patty's line of, " So you finally left Derwood." is a reference to Samantha's mother Endora on Bewitched always calling Samantha's mortal husband 'Derwood' instead of his real name, 'Darrin'.

Reception

"Treehouse of Horror VIII" won a Golden Reel Award in 1998 for "Best Sound Editing - Television Animated Specials" for Robert Mackston, Travis Powers, Norm MacLeod and Terry Greene.cite news|url=http://www.mpse.org/goldenreels/pastawards.html|title=Past Golden Reel Awards|accessdate=2007-10-17|publisher=MPSE.org] Alf Clausen received an Emmy Award nomination for "Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)" for this episode, which he ultimately lost. [cite web|url=http://www.emmys.org/awards/awardsearch.php |title=Primetime Emmy Awards Advanced Search|publisher=Emmys.org|accessdate=2007-10-24]

"The A.V. Club" named Comic Book Guy's line "Ohhh. I've wasted my life" as one of the quotes from "The Simpsons" that can be used in everyday situations. [cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/content/node/47756/2|title=Beyond "D'oh!": Simpsons Quotes For Everyday Use|author=Bahn, Christopher; Donna Bowman, Josh Modell, Noel Murray, Nathan Rabin, Tasha Robinson, Kyle Ryan, Scott Tobias|date=2006-04-26|accessdate=2008-08-02|work=The A.V. Club]

References

External links

* [http://www.thesimpsons.com/episode_guide/0904.htm "Treehouse of Horror VIII"] at The Simpsons.com
*Snpp capsule|5F02
*imdb episode|id=0779679|episode=Treehouse of Horror VIII
* [http://www.tv.com/the-simpsons/treehouse-of-horror-viii/episode/1467/summary.html "Treehouse of Horror VIII"] at TV.com