Treehouse of Horror IV

Rating: 4.1 (174 votes)

Memorable quotes

Bart: Paintings: lifeless images rendered in colorful goop. But at night, they take on a life of their own. They become portals to hell, so scary and horrible and gruesome that--
Marge: Bart! You should warn people this episode is very frightening. And maybe they'd rather listen to that old "War of the Worlds" broadcast on NPR, hmm?
Bart: Yes, mother.

Homer: (reading note) "Dear Homer, I. O. U. one emergency donut. Signed, Homer." Bastard! He's always one step ahead!

Homer: Mmm... forbidden donut.

Lionel Hutz: Mr. Simpson, don't you worry. I watched Matlock in a bar last night. The sound wasn't on, but I think I got the gist of it.

Lionel Hutz: That was a right-pretty speech, sir. But I ask you, what is a contract? Webster's defines it as "an agreement under the law which is unbreakable." Which is unbreakable!

Blackbeard: This chair be high, says I!

Blackbeard: (trying to read) 'Tis some kind of treasure map.
Benedict Arnold: You idiot, you can't read!
Blackbeard: Aye, 'tis true. My debauchery was my way of compensating.

Marge: Homer, stop picking at it!
Homer: Oh, but I'm so sweet and tasty!

Skinner: Hello, Simpson. I'm riding the bus today because Mother hid my car keys to punish me for talking to a woman on the phone. She was right to do it.

Bart: We come now to the final and most terrifying painting of the evening. To even gaze upon it is to go mad.
Homer: Aah! They're dogs... and they're playing poker! Aah! (screams hysterically then runs off)
Bart: We had a story to go with this painting, but it was far too intense. So we just threw something together with vampires. Enjoy!

Kent Brockman: Another local peasant has been found dead, drained of his blood with two teeth marks on his throat. This black cape was found on the scene. (It is labeled "Dracula.") Police are baffled.
Wiggum: We think we're dealing with a supernatural being, most likely a mummy. As a precaution, I've ordered the Egyptian wing of the Springfield museum destroyed.

Marge: Lisa, stop being so suspicious. Did everyone wash their necks like Mr. Burns asked?

Lisa: Ew! Dad, this is blood!
Homer: Correction - free blood.

Homer: Oh, Lisa, you and your stories: "Bart is a vampire, beer kills brain cells." Now let's go back to that... building... thingy... where our beds and TV... is.

Homer: Kill my boss? Do I dare to live out the American dream?

Willy: Me mule wouldn't walk in the mud. So I had to put seventeen bullets in 'im!

Notes

• Gravestones in the opening sequence read: "Elvis - Accept It," "A Balanced Budget," "Subtle Political Satire," and "TV Violence" (which gets riddled by bullets and bleeds).
• The creature that serves Homer the donut has an apron labelled "Hell's Kitchen."
• Bart's test, with an F+ grade, is attached to the fridge.
• Lionel Hutz combs his hair with a fork.
• Homer and Marge got married out of state somewhere, not in an emergency room.
• In the last story, the painting of dogs playing poker (that was too scary to make a story about) appears above the couch.
• Eddie the cop tosses the Mona Lisa into the fire at the museum.
• The foreword of Burns' book is by Steve Allen.

References

• The set up for this episode (the paintings) parodies Night Gallery.
• The title for the first segment comes from Steven Vincent Benet's "The Devil and Daniel Webster."
• The second segment gets its title from, and parodies, the Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet."
• The title and general plot for the third segement are taken from Bram Stoker's "Dracula"
• The music over the opening credits is a combination of The Addams Family theme and the regular Simpsons theme music.
• The family singing at the end, with Milhouse on piano and Santa's Little Helper dancing, parodies "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown".