Treehouse of Horror V/References

General

References/Trivia

Appearances

Gags

Credits

Quotes

Cultural References

Opening Sequence

• Bart's introduction (where his voice appears as waves on an oscilloscope) is a parody of the Control Voice's introduction in the 1960s TV series The Outer Limits.

The Shinning

• The Shining - Punned in the title and referenced throughout the segment.
  • Maggie spells "REDRUM" with her blocks when Homer tries to watch the TV.
  • Analogous to Jack Torrance endlessly typing "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy," Homer writes "No TV and no beer make Homer go crazy" all over the walls. The only thing Homer types is "Feelin' fine," which briefly reassures Marge, until a lightning flash reveals the writing on the walls.
  • Groundskeeper Willie and Moe are parallels of the characters Dick Halloran and Lloyd the bartender, respectively.
• Among Moe's gang of "ghouls" are the following:
  • Freddy Krueger from the Nightmare on Elm Street movies
  • Pinhead from the Hellraiser movies
  • Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th movies
• Scotchgard - When Homer hits Willie in the back with an axe, Marge says that she hopes the rug was Scotchgarded.
• A Chorus Line - A parody of the song "One" plays on the portable TV when the Simpsons are frozen in the snow. It is also played during the closing sequence.

Time and Punishment

• 1984:
  • Ned Flanders being the absolute lord and master of the world, similar to Big Brother.
  • Video screens record everything, while everyone is required to watch any official announcements made via the screens, reminiscent of the telescreens.
  • Portraits of Flanders where the eyes follow the viewer, similar to portraits of Big Brother.

Nightmare Cafeteria

• Soylent Green - Principal Skinner hits on the idea of serving students as food to solve the problem of overcrowding, similar to the movie's plot.

Closing Sequence

• The song the inside-out Simpsons and Groundskeeper Willie sing and dance to is a parody of "One" from A Chorus Line. It was also played at the end of "The Shinning."

Trivia

• Groundskeeper Willie is hit in the back with an axe in all three stories:

1. By Homer in "The Shinning," after Homer goes mad and Willie attempts to come to the rescue of the rest of the family.

2. By Maggie in "Time and Punishment." Maggie then says to Homer, "This is indeed a disturbing universe," in James Earl Jones's voice.

3. By Principal Skinner in "NIghtmare Cafeteria," for trying to save the children from being eaten by the teachers. After Willie falls down, he says, "Ach, I'm bad at this."

• In "The Shinning", before Mr. Burns and Smithers leave for the winter, Smithers suggests to Burns that cutting off the cable television and beer supply was the reason for the previous caretakers' going insane and murdering their families. Burns then says that if they come back and everyone is slaughtered, he owes Smithers a Coke. Mr. Burns also says he owes Smithers a Coke in Treehouse of Horror II when he and Smithers are returning Homer's brain to his body, realizing that he was alive all along.
• "Nightmare Cafeteria" comes full circle from the episode Bart the Murderer, where Principal Skinner disappears and one of the rumors going around Springfield Elementary School is that Skinner was ground into hamburger and served for lunch in the cafeteria.