For the first time ever, every twisted tale from The Simpsons‘ “Treehouse of Horror” is available to stream in order. Just in time for spooky season, Disney+ has dedicated its Simpsons FAST channel to the animated fright-fest. In addition to the scream stream, Disney has also promised “a few scary surprises.”
First introduced in 1990 during Season 2, the “Treehouse of Horror” is one of the longest-running Halloween TV traditions in U.S. pop culture. Each episode contains three to four short stories, parodying a TV show, film, or event. These stories are non-canonical, allowing the writers to kill off characters, change reality, or parody wildly without worrying about continuity.
In these episodes, writers break the rules using extreme violence, dark endings, and surreal gags that normally wouldn’t fly in a standard episode. And the episodes embrace a spooky tradition of changing the opening credits to use spooky names.
Fox/20th Television
Some of the most famouse spoofs in “Treehouse of Horror” history have been The Shining (as “The Shinning”), King Kong (“King Homer”), A Nightmare on Elm Street (“Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace” with Groundskeeper Willie as Freddy Krueger) and its Twilight Zone parodies (“Hungry Are the Damned” and “Terror at 5 1/2 Feet”).
“Treehouse” episodes are so popular that they are often the most-anticipated Simpsons episode of the year, and fans rank some of the segments as a sub-canon of the series, with some of the stories (like “The Shinning”) considered among the funniest Simpsons writing ever.
The Simpsons “Treehouse of Horrors” channel is just one of four new non-stop Disney+ streams for the Halloween season. In addition to the channel dedicated to the annual scary Simpsons special, there is also Hallowstream, which is devoted to Halloween specials, classics, and beloved holiday favorites, including Hocus Pocus, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Twitches, and Frankenweenie, among others.
Disney+ also debuts a Villains channel, celebrating the most iconic baddies, evildoers, and big bads from big and small screens. Plus, the Waverly Place stream serves as a hub for “wizards of all ages.”
All of it is part of Disney+ and Hulu’s big Halloween push, which also features annual favorite Huluween on Disney+, which will offer a mix of new movies, Halloween specials, and seasonal premieres. With the Disney+ and Hulu bundle, Huluween offers scares for the whole family.
Click here for a full scary schedule of what to watch.
The Simpsons, Season 37, Sundays, 8/7c, Fox