Treehouse of horror XI

Episode 1 of season 12 is our special number eleven, you can watch it on http://watchtvlinks.sx/episode/the_simpsons_s12_e1.

The introduction to this episode shows us that Halloween is not something Americans remember only on October 31^st , but a celebration that is remembered throughout the year and that has even inspired the creation of series based on this topic. No wonder that the opening of this special is a parody to The Munsters, the famous television series.

 We have talked about monsters, costumes, food, vampires, evil spirits and so on but, have we talked about heaven and hell? Well, in this episode our dear and beloved Homer doesn’t believe that according to his horoscope he’ll be dying that day! He avoids crashes and all sorts of dangerous situations that could end his life and ends up dying when eating a tiny vegetable. He chokes and dies. Any guess on what that cursed vegetable was? Hint: It’s green and looks like a tree.

What happens to Mr Simpson after he dies? His sol stays on Earth because according to St. Peter he hasn’t done any good actions in his life so he could have a place in heaven. Homer realizes that he needs to work on that if he wants to go to heaven instead of hell. After trying and trying he finally manages to make one good action but since St. Peter misses it and sends him to hell.

So why do you think that heaven and hell are linked to Halloween?

Do you believe in heaven and hell? Why do you think people are afraid of hell and think they’ll be much better in hell?

Another story from this special is an adaptation of “Hansel and Gretel” and other Grimm tales.

Homer and Marge are very poor and have difficulties feeding their children and themselves so Homer decides to put them on the forest by themselves waiting for them to die or get lost. Since Lisa is always carrying and reading her “Grimm Fairy Tales” book she’s always one step ahead from the dangers of the forest. She mentions the story about the goblin and the bridge, Goldilocks, Rapunzel, etc.

What other Grimm tales do you know? Are you in the mood for some fun reading? Click on this link and you can find some fun ways to learn while reading: http://www.grimmfairytales.com/en/stories.

Hey! Those could be excellent Halloween stories!

Treehouse of horror X

Here we are with the tenth Simpsons Halloween episode which you will be able to watch it

on this site.

The first story of the episode shows us a werewolf whose name is... Flanders?

He was attacked by a werewolf, so he became one. Now he is cursed and turns into an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature when there is full moon.

According to folklore, one person becomes a werewolfs if their blood is infected from the bite of a werewolf, by means of witchcraft or the Lycaeonia curse, which is placed on people when they have harmed others and occult worshiping.

  

This is a good option to design your next Halloween disguise because werewolves have stood the course of time and everyone recognises them thanks to popular culture.

By the way, you shoud read this werewolf story, we hope it will be scarier that the Simpsosn episode: http://www.wolfcountry.net/information/myth_stories/werewolves2.html.

  

The second segment of this episode tarts with an image that might not be familiar to us.

What is a Halloween candy inspection? Some people intend to hurt children by giving them candies or fruits containing needles, strange chemicals and other dangerous objects, so inspecting candies after trick-or-treating has become kind of a tradition in the United States.

Next Halloween do the same as Bart and Lisa and have your candies checked before eating them. Here are some suggestions to ensure your safety.

•  Don't eat any Candy until you have checked them.
• Don't eat the fruit unless you know where it comes from.
• Eating unwrapped candies is not a good idea unless you know the person who gave them to you.
• If you have the chance, approach a police detection service.
• Remember When in doubt, throw it out!

You can check more suggestions by clicking on: http://www.childrensdmc.org/upload/docs/HALLOWEEN_TIPS.pdf.

Remember, Halloween is fun but you must be careful to keep it that way. 

Treehouse of horror VIII

Here we are agin to talk about the eighth Simpsons Halloween episode which you can watch if you visit this site.

The must obvious reference to Halloween in this episode is its third segment, set in 1649, a period when witch-burning was the norm.

Actually, the famous Salem trials did not take place until 1692 when  town girls began having fits nobody was able to explain. More girls began to have the same symptoms and finally the doctor who saw them diagnosed bewitchment, in fact, the girls supported this statement!

Three people were accused at first, but then one woman confessed being a witch and even denounced other women. This trend continued for years and many died just because somebody else had said they were witches! Here we can see an example of how these accusations were made:

No proofs were needed, you only had to name somebody to send them to a bonfire! If you want more information about Salem trials, visit this site: http://www.history.com/topics/salem-witch-trials.

 In the episode, Marge speaks up against accussations based on no evidence, unfortunately for her, people start thinking she is a witch.

Not that they were mistaken but let's face it, it was just a coincidence.

As you can see, the witches potrayed in The simpsons follow the stereotype, they fly on broomsticks and brew potions in cauldrons and even have warts!

People in the episode are afraid of witches because they are thought to attack children in order to eat them, a possibility that Marge and her sisters had not considered but which they decided to try anyway.

To avoid witches taking the children away, the town inhabitants gave candies to the witches in exchange. The witches accepted the gifts and allowed the children to stay with their parents.

Some of the typical American Halloween candies are shown in the episode, such as candy Apple or caramel cods!

The witches realise that scaring people into giving them treats is fun, so they decide to do it every year.

This yearly custom became an annual tradition and people has continued trick-or-tricking since then.

Well, this is the explanation The Simpsons offer us about the origings of Halloween and probably many American children consider that the celebration started this way. What about dressing yourself up as a witch at the next Halloween party? If you do it, don't forget to put a wart on your nose!

Treehouse of horror VII

Hello! We have here the seventh Halloween episode of this blog. Watch it here, You will will probably like it!

There not much material about Halloween in this episode, only a Jack-O'Lantern that Homer lights at the begining. Anyway, we will be commentating on a horror story included.

The special brings back our old outer-space creatures: the green octopus! In this episode they are actually mean and creepy and kidnap President Clinton and his contender. Our two intergalactic friends select their Halloween costumes: the two presidents, only they intend to wear their costumes longer than Halloween night! They arrive to Springfield, well to the USA and try to control the world while Homer tries to stop them. Do you think Homer succeeds?  Let's see how he does.

This episodes helps us remember that one of the common practices in Halloween is to tell Horror stories.. so we encourage you to read some or invent them and tell them to your friends. By the way, don't forget to light your Jack-O'Lantern.

Treehouse of horror VI

Hello! If you were waiting for the sixth Halloween episode of the Simpsons, here it is! Click here to watch it.

Once more, we don't have much tradition in the Simpsons episode, however, there is a story that can make us familiar with one of the most famous Halloween characters in history: Freddy Krueger, famous for the film 'A nightmare on Elm Street' and its sequels. Have you ever watched this film?

This individual is no other than Willy the groundkeeper! He died in an awful accident caused by Homer (who else?) and has sworn to kill children in revenge for not being helped by anybody.

It is no wonder that Freddy Krueger got a role in The Simpsons because its influence in American culture has been huge. Actually, it seems that all American children know who he is 'along with Santa Claus or King Kong' (http://www.retrojunk.com/article/show/3173/the-sociology-of-freddy). As a result, one of the favourite disguises for Halloween is Freddy!

Next time you go to a Halloween party if you have no idea how to disguise yourself, choose a classical costume and dress yourself up as Freddy Krueger!

Treehouse of horror V

Here’s the fifth Halloween Special which you can watch on this site

This episode takes us to a familiar story that we all know: The Shining, but with the Simpsons style. Homer and his family go to Mr Burns house for a couple of days because he’s going on a trip and they will be responsible for the house. Mr Burns decides to take two of the most precious things for Homer from the house. Any guess on what they are? If you were thinking of donuts, well, not this time! We are talking about beer and cable TV!

Even though some episodes lose the “Halloween” touch they still make references to uncommon things that can happen only on a Halloween night. This is the case of the express story of “Homer’s time machine”. He tries to fix a toaster but instead travels in time. There he finds his father who tells him he shouldn’t touch anything in order not to alter the present, Homer kills a mosquito and that’s when the problems begin: he keeps coming to the present and keeps on finding major differences from “his” present so keeps on going back to try to fix it!

The last story is about teachers: quite a nightmare huh? Bart, Lisa and some of their friends start noticing how their friends disappear and how the cafeteria has more and more “delicious” dishes…their friends! Picture this: that History teacher you hate… eating you in a hamburger? How disappointing! She finally beat you!

Not many Halloween topics this time, we hope this will change for the next episode.

Treehouse of horror XVII

This is episode seventeen! Please, watch it on http://wtso.net/movie/299-The_Simpsons_1804_Treehouse_of_Horror_XV.html.

As you know, Halloween is a celebration in which people usually play pranks but, can you imagine playing a prank on an entire country? This happened once in the United States when Orson Wells carried out a realistic radio dramatization of a book named 'The war of worlds' on October 31st, 1938.

 

The dramatization made Americans believe that the Earth had been invaded by Martians and people were frightened all over the country! The mass media certainly misled radio listeners and some of them even tried to hide or to run away from their cities.

 

When it was revealed that everyting had been a hoax, people got furios and even some radio stations were the victims of strong censorship measures. If you want to read more about this prank, click on http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15470903 or on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs0K4ApWl4g if you want to listen to the original radio broadcast.

 

This event is portrayed in the episode we are talking about. It shows how people panicked at the idea of being attacked by the aliens as you can see in the following pictures.

 

It is said that Wells received so much criticism that some countries rejected him when he tried to travel abroad. What do you think?

Pranks are essential when celebrating Halloween, but don't take them too far! Maybe nobody will believe you when aliens actually invade our planet. Besides, tricks should harm no one so be very careful.