Treehouse of Horror III

"Treehouse of Horror III" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons fourth season, and the third Simpsons Halloween episode. It is the first episode in the series of Treehouse of Horror episodes to have a zombie-related segment. The second is "The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms" in "Treehouse of Horror XIII". This was also the first to have a Halloween-themed couch gag.

Synopsis

Opening segment

("Funeral March of a Marionette" plays as Homer walks on screen into Alfred Hitchcock's famous silhouette -- but Homer's stomach is bigger than that of the outline.)
Homer: Good eeeev'ning. I've been asked to tell you that the following show is very scary, with stuff that might give your kids nightmares. You see, there are some crybabies out there—religious types mostly—who might be offended. If you are one of them, I advise you to turn off your set now. Come on, I dare you. (makes chicken noises) Chicken!
(Screen goes black, footsteps approach))
Marge: Homer, did you just call everyone chicken?
Homer: No. I swear on this bible.
Marge: That's not a bible, that's a book of carpet samples.
Homer: Mmm, fuzzy.

Set-up

The Simpsons are having a Halloween party, and they tell scary stories. The Halloween costumes include Homer as Julius Caesar, Marge as an ancient Egyptian, most likely Cleopatra, Bart as Alex from A Clockwork Orange, Lisa as the Statue of Liberty, Milhouse as Radioactive Man, Martin as Calliope, Nelson as a pirate, Janie as a princess, Wendell as an astronaut and Lewis as Frankenstein's Monster.

Clown Without Pity

Homer buys Bart a talking Krusty doll at `House of Evil' (your one-stop Evil shop) for his birthday. Upon receiving the Krusty doll, Bart excitedly says "Great Caesar's ghost!", a catchphrase said by Perry White of the Superman comic book series. Although the doll is nice to Bart, it repeatedly tries to kill Homer (which no one believes). Homer captures the evil Krusty in a bag of dirty socks, which he then locks in a suitcase. He disposes of the suitcase in a "Bottomless Pit" and returns home, not realizing that the doll has managed to follow him. As the doll attempts to strangle Homer, Marge calls KrustyCo for help; a repairman arrives and discovers that the doll has been accidentally switched from "Good" to "Evil." He flips the switch back to "Good" and Homer uses the doll as a servant. The Krusty doll laments to his "girlfriend" Malibu Stacy, with whom he shares Lisa's doll house, "Today Homer made me give him a sponge bath!" However, the scene ends happily as Krusty gives Stacy a smooch on the cheek -- until her head falls off. "Clown Without Pity" is based on the Twilight Zone episode Living Doll and the film, 'Trilogy of Terror. The title itself is a play on the song Town Without Pity by Gene Pitney as well as the 1961 movie of the same name starring Kirk Douglas.

King Homer

In a black and white segment, Marge joins Mr. Burns and Smithers on an expedition to "Ape Island" to find the legendary "King Homer". Mr. Burns captures the giant ape and displays him to the press on Broadway. The photographers' flashes enrage King Homer, who breaks free from his restraints. He abducts Marge and wreaks havoc, eating many people in the process. He attempts to climb a tall building, but is unable to get even one story above the ground. King Homer collapses in exhaustion, and Marge helpfully suggests that he eat more vegetables and fewer people. In the end, King Homer and Marge marry on the same day Dick Cavett is born (November 19th, 1936). The story ends with the wedding, and King Homer eating one of Marge's relatives. This segment is an obvious parody of King Kong.

Dial "Z" for Zombies

While in the library searching for material for a book report, Bart finds a book of magic. In order to make Lisa happy, he tries to resurrect Snowball I for her, but accidentally reanimates hundreds of human corpses instead. The zombies terrorize Springfield until Homer wields a shotgun to help Bart and Lisa find the book again and cast the appropriate counterspell. In the end, the zombies got back to their graves and the family ends up wtching TV, just before the credits roll in.