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

Revision as of 11:03, October 28, 2024

Cultural references

Opening sequence

The gravestone of The Doors legendary singer Jim Morrison is seen at the Springfield Cemetery. Many references to him and the Doors can be seen written on the gravestone

• Gravestones seen at the Springfield Cemetery include:
  • Bambi's unnamed mother, the character from the 1942 Disney animated film Bambi.
  • Jim Morrison, leader of the legendary band The Doors. Along his name, several references to him and The Doors are seen:
    • "Mr. Mojo Risin'", one of Jim's aliases and an anagram of his name.
    • "Strange days have found us" is the opening lyrics of the song "Strange Days", part of the album of the same name.
    • The peace symbols are placed in the "O"s of Jim's name. Morrison was considered to be part of the hippie counterculture rebellion.
    • "People Are Strange" is another song by The Doors, and also part of Strange Days.
    • "I ❤ LA Woman" references one of The Doors' famous songs "L.A. Woman", part of the album of the same name and the last one Morrison recorded before his death.
    • Morrison Hotel is the fifth studio recorded by the band.
    • "The End" references the iconic Doors song "The End".
    • "We want the world and we want it" is part of the lyrics of "When the Music's Over" from Strange Days.
    • "Trade in your hours for a handful of dimes" and "They got the guns, but we got the numbers" are parts of the lyrics of "Five to One" from the album Waiting for the Sun.
  • The gravestone of Walt Disney.
  • The group of trick-or-treaters walking by the Simpson home are wearing the same costumes as the Peanuts gang are in It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
• Lisa is dressed as a totem pole for Halloween, which are iconic of the Pacific Northwest indigenous peoples of North America.
• Marge's Halloween costume is the bride of Frankenstein.

Lisa's nightmare

• The Simpsons are in a chaotic market in Marrakech, Morocco, and Homer confuses "Morocco" with "Monaco" by wondering why Princess Grace of Monaco would "live in a place like this".
• Lisa is wearing a T-shirt saying "I kissed the Balmoujeloud". Balmoujeloud is a misspelling of Bab Bou Jeloud, an ornate city gate in Fes, Morocco.
• The Monkey paw once belonged to Allal ben Abdallah, a Moroccan laborer who attempted to assassinate the French-installed Sultan Mohammed ben Arafa in 1953.
• According to the Monkey paw seller, he was once President of Algeria.
• A monkey's paw that grants wishes is based on the horror story "The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs.
• Before boarding the plane at Marrakesh Airport, Homer is captured trying to smuggle many things, including a box of Camel cigarettes.
  • This sequence parodies the opening scene at the airport in the 1978 prison drama film Midnight Express.
• Marge and Homer sing the calypso song "Man Smart (Woman Smarter)", composed by Norman Span.

UN representatives of England and Argentina resolve long-standing disputes over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands

• When Lisa wishes for world peace:
  • In a gathering held at the Headquarters of the United Nations, a representative of England apologizes to the representative of Argentina for the Falklands War. Argentina and the United Kingdom have engaged in numerous unsuccessful diplomatic efforts concerning the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, a dispute that, among other factors, ultimately contributed to the outbreak of the war in 1982.
  • The Pentagon is replaced for a Five Corners Mall.
  • An Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is taken away.
  • A parody of the song "Let's Get Together", which aims to peace and brotherhood, is sung by the people in the United States.

Bart's nightmare

• The introduction in Bart's nightmare is based on Rod Serling making the introduction to the The Twilight Zone episodes.
  • Bart's nightmare is largely based on the "It's a Good Life" segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie, as well as the 1961 The Twilight Zone {{W2|It's a Good Life|The Twilight Zone|episode of the same name. Ironically, the "It's a Good Life" segment Twilight Zone: The Movie featured Bart's voice Nancy Cartwright in the role of Ethel.
• When transformed into a dog, Jasper Beardley looks like the dog-human hybrid from the 1978 horror film Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
• Bart transforms Snowball II into a creature that resembles that in the surreal comedy short film Duck Amuck.
• Seymour Skinner sings "Hello! Ma Baby", a song written in 1899 by Joseph E. Howard and Ida Emerson.

Homer's nightmare

• This segment is a parody of Frankenstein, with Mr. Burns in the role of Frankenstein and Homer as the monster.
• When Mr. Burns is scooping out Homer's brain, he hums "If I Only Had a Brain" from The Wizard of Oz.

Mr. Burns compares himself to Davy Crockett, who is usually associated with wearing a coonskin cap

• While "wearing" Homer's brain as a hat, Mr. Burns compares himself to Davy Crockett. This American folk hero is usually associated with wearing a coonskin cap.
• Mr. Burns mentions RadioShack.
• When Homer awakens inside the robot body, he has gridlines superimposed over his vision and sees Mr. Burns standing over him, similar to Alex Murphy's awakening scene in RoboCop.
• Bart and Lisa are watching The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, with Carson performing his Carnac the Magnificent comedic role. During his performance, he mentions journalist Geraldo Rivera and Madonna.
• Mr. Burns owes a Coke to Smithers.

Ending sequence

• Homer and Mr. Burns sharing a body is a parody of 1972 sci-fi film The Thing With Two Heads.
• Mr. Burns (and Homer) must meet Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

Trivia

• The scene where Marge give her warning to the audience uses exactly the same scene from her warning in the first Treehouse of Horror, but with Marge given a different dialogue.
• When Kang and Kodos' ship lands on the Statue of Jebediah Springfield, the statue's head falls off as the rest of the statue falls over, as a reference to "The Telltale Head".
• During the scene where Homer purchases the Monkey's Paw, the vendor warns him that each wish would bring him great misfortune, noting the was once President of Algeria. Moroccan-raised Abdelaziz Bouteflika would later become the longest serving President of Algeria.

Goofs

• Sherri and Terri are colored yellow, not pale white, in one scene.
• For some reason Agnes Skinner is seen as a U.N. representative.

Continuity

• The segment, "Dead and Shoulders" from Season 25 episode, "Treehouse of Horror XXIV", is very similar to the end of the third segment of this episode, but with Bart's head in Lisa's body.