Difference between revisions of "Treehouse of Horror IV/References"

Revision as of 21:20, October 31, 2022

Cultural references

Opening sequence

• A grave stone for Elvis Presley with "accept it" is seen. This is a reference to the conspiracy theories surrounding Elvis suggesting he faked his death.

Wraparounds

• The wraparounds are a parody of the American anthology series Night Gallery, with Bart portraying Rod Sterling's role.
• Paintings seen include:
  • Marge in a Giorgio de Chirico-style painting.
  • Homer in the Van Gogh self-portrait.
  • Lisa in Three Musicians by Pablo Picasso.
  • Maggie and pacifiers in The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí.
  • Homer chasing Bart in Ascending and Descending by M. C. Escher.
  • Lisa in The Scream by Edvard Munch.
  • Bart in The Son of Man by René Magritte.
  • Dogs Playing Poker by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge.
• Marge mentions that maybe the viewers would rather listen to The War of the Worlds rather than watch the episode.

The Devil and Homer Simpson

• "The Devil and Daniel Webster": The 1936 short story by Stephen Vincent Benét is referenced in the title and parodied throughout the segment.
• The scene where Flanders the Devil became huge and monstrous was inspired by "Night on Bald Mountain", the final scene of Fantasia.
• The scene of Homer being forcefed donuts was inspired by the Merrie Melodies cartoon "Pigs Is Pigs".
• The demon technician mentioned that James Coco went mad in fifteen minutes from being forcefed donuts.
• Lionel Hutz mentioned that he watched Matlock in a bar.
• People in the Jury of the Damned include Lizzie Borden, Benedict Arnold, Blackbeard, John Dillinger, John Wilkes Booth, The Starting Line of the 1976 Philadelphia Flyers, and Richard Nixon.
• Richard Nixon mentioned that he wrote an article for Redbook.
• Lionel Hutz quoted the definition of a "contract" from Webster's Dictionary.

Terror at 5 1/2 Feet

• The segment is a parody of the Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", set on a bus rather than an airplane.
• Bart's mannerisms in the episode were inspired by both William Shatner and John Lithgow's portrayals of Robert "Bob" Wilson

Bart Simpson's Dracula

• The segment is a parody of Dracula by Bram Stoker.
• The visual style of the segment was inspired by Francis Coppola's version of Bram Stoker's Dracula
• Eddie throws the Mona Lisa into a fire.
• Lisa mentions Nosferatu.
• The foreword of Count Burns' book Yes, I Am a Vampire is written by Steve Allen.
• When the vampires start rising out of their coffins, Bart starts to make noises to get Lisa's attention. Lisa responds with "Please, Bart, I've seen your stupid Shemp.". Bart then makes different noises causing Lisa to say "Yeah, I've seen your Curly too." This is a reference to The Three Stooges.
• "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" plays at the end of the segment, performed by the Simpson family.
• In the ending scene, Milhouse is playing the piano while Santa's Little Helper is dancing to the music, respectively referencing Schroeder and Snoopy from Peanuts.
• The credits music took inspiration from both The Munsters and The Addams Family. The electric guitar was from The Munsters whilst the timing and the clicking was from The Addams Family.

Trivia

• This was the last Treehouse of Horror to be told as a story given by one of the characters.

Opening sequence

• The gravestone say:
  • Elvis - Accept It
  • A Balanced Budget
  • Subtle Political Satire
  • TV Violence

The Devil and Homer Simpson

• Richard Nixon says "I'm not dead" (protesting being summoned to serve on the Devil's jury) in this episode, but he would die 6 months later.

Continuity

• One of the posters in Box Office Bingo depicts Count Burns.