The Simpsons (TV Series) Treehouse of Horror XVII (2006) User Reviews

Meh.. The plots feel weak

[celiawatsonanime · 6/10 · 19 January 2022]

Overall it feels okay.

Becoming a cannibal after eating alien goo.

The next one is Bart having some golem beat up bullies or something.

The third short I literally forgot what it's about after watching this episode twice. It's just a bunch of weird old timey boring stuff.

It didn't feel bad or good.

Worth Viewing for the First Two Tales

[carlykristen · 6/10 · 8 November 2006]

The Treehouse of Horror series in the Simpsons show tells 3 horror-inspired tales in time for Halloween each year. This year opens with a Tales from the Crypt intro with Burns.

"Married to the Blob" features Homer turning into a gigantic blob after a meteor hits (ala Slither) and he insists on eating the green goo inside. This one includes the rap song "Baby, got fat" (I like big fat and I cannot lie) and a Dr. Phil that gets eaten.

"You gotta know when to Golem" features an ancient Jewish monster that will do whatever commands are asked of him. The highlight is when a drunken Homer mistakes the Golem for Millhouse.

"The Day the Earth Looked Stupid" is an Orson Welles "War of the Worlds" spoof. This was more serious in tone and devoid of any laughs, which is uncharacteristic of the Simpsons.

Bottom Line: Worth viewing for the first two tales. Can pass on the third.

Rating: 6.5/10

Molly Celaschi www.HorrorYearbook.com MySpace.com/HorrorYearbook1980

Could have been much better!!!

[TOMNEL · 6/10 · 4 November 2006]

Stars: Dan Castellaneta as Homer, Grampa, Sideshow Mel, Barney, Quimby, Krusty, Rabbi Krustofsky, Kang and Groundskeeper Willy.

Julie Kavner as Marge.

Nancy Cartwright as Bart and Kearney.

Yeardley Smith as Lisa.

Hank Azaria as Chief Wiggum, Chalmers, Moe, Disco Stu, Carl and Lou.

Harry Shearer as Mr. Burns, Smithers, Dr. Hibbert, Kent Brockman, Lenny, Flanders, Skinner and Kodos.

Also with: Pamela Hayden, Tress MacNeille, Karl Wiedergott, Marcia Wallace, Maurice LaMarche, Fran Drescher, Dr. Phil, Richard Lewis.

Segment 1: Married to the Blob. Homer eats goo from an asteroid and ends up craving human flesh. I thought that the idea of this segment was better than it actually came out. There was really no reason for Homer to eat the asteroid goo except to be stupid. There was no real plot to this, just a bunch of violent moments. I'd say the best part was the animation which looked absolutely great, but other than that, there was very little substance to this silly story. Dr. Phil makes an un-needed appearance. My rating: * 1/2 out of ****.

Segment 2: You Got to Know When to Golem. Bart takes a Golem from Krusty's set and makes it do his bidding. This was a very weird segment, but it did have it's moments. I found Krusty on HDTV to be funny, if not a bit disturbing. Richard Lewis does an excellent job as the Golem, and Fran Drescher is great as the annoying voiced Marge made Golem. I didn't think this was necessarily a classic segment, or a memorable one, but it had enough moments to keep my interest. My rating: ** 1/2 out of ****.

Segment 3: The Day the Earth Stood Stupid. Orson Welles radio broadcast puts 1938 Springfield in a scare, but when they realize it was fake, they are totally unaware for real aliens (lead by Kang and Kodos). There was really not much plot for this segment, but it was done well. The color was faded, which looked really good. There were some funny moments, however all in all, I found the end of it to be in pretty bad taste. It was such a well done segment, and it was funny, so I can't say I disliked it. It was an obvious attack on recents events, and I didn't think that was necessarily very nice, but it worked as a segment. My rating: *** out of ****.

Final rating: This Halloween special was really not very good. I found last years to be rather bland, but this one was worse. It was amusing enough for a view or two though, I suppose.

Too close to home for some people

[firemaiden82 · 29 November 2006]

The first two were really eh. Homer as a blob. Couldn't see that one coming, right? Golem

Unlike the others, I actually thought the third tale was perfect. It could have been a lot better, but it is television, so I can't complain much.

A false radio broadcast about alien attacking and then when they do attack, it's a complete surprise and nothing is done. After three years, Springfield is now a barren wasteland, and all because they believed Springfield had WMD. An anti republican message on a republican station. Smart? Maybe not. I wonder how many "Not nice" would be here if this has been a pro republican message.

It was decent

[arielsiere · 6/10 · 9 June 2022]

Evem though the last part when the aliens attack the earth in the segment called the day the earth looked stupid it was a sad ending with lots of shocking explosions quite not bad.

Much Better

[tfmgames · 7/10 · 6 March 2007]

OK... This episode was much, much better than the previous episode. I don't go much on Halloween episodes, but this one is one of the best and out of the 18 and thats pretty good.

The first story was a bit silly, but it did have the funniest part out of the 3, the Dr. Phil scene.

The second story, I really liked it. It was different, and it really worked. There wasn't really any real funny bits, but it was really well done.

The third story, (there was an add in the middle of it, it kind of killed it) but it was good. I liked the World War I bit, with Grampa.

In conclusion: from best to worse; 1: Married to the Blob (Because of the Dr. Phil bit) 2: You Got to Know When to Golem (It was well written) 3: The Day the Earth Stood Stupid (The ad spoiled it, it also felt like it wen't for too long.)

Ironicly it is in the same order as the episode.

Anyway a 7/10 for the whole episode. Really well done.

The blob one was hilarious

[safenoe · 7/10 · 3 January 2023]

The first segment made me laugh non-stop, especially with the appearance of The Fact of Life cast for a reunion which was hilarious for sure! The ending of the first segment was a biting indictment on homelessness and the solutions that would have made Black Mirror proud.

As for the second segment, the first half of the second segment was biting and visceral for sure. But really it went downhill when Fran Drescher came on to the scene. But still, worthwhile for the first half..

The final one was controversial for the final line with reference to US invasions in the middle east and elsewhere.

Disappointing...

[Duzniak38 · 3/10 · 4 November 2006]

Overall I feel that these Treehouse of Horror Specials are becoming less and less scary, and are now all about cramming in as many guest appearances and references to popular culture as possible. The opening credits, spoofing "Tales from the Crypt" was quite humorous and well done, with Burns as the Cryptkeeper. The first segment was called "Married to the Blob" which is a story about Homer eating slime out of a meteorite, and turning into a giant blob, which results on him going on a rampage through town, eating all of the townsfolk. There were some humorous jabs at Arby's, teenagers, the homeless, etc., but overall a lot of the humour WAS forced, and there was an unneeded appearance from Dr. Phil, which flat out was not funny and overall quite weak. The ending twist was fairly funny. Overall I found this the strongest of the three segments and I give it 3/5. The second segment, called "You Gotta Know when to Golem" was a take-off on an old Jewish legend, about a Golem which obeys all commands written on scrolls and fed to him. What happens next is predictable; Bart gets his hands on him and of course, gets revenge on the bullies and Principal Skinner. There was a great voice appearance from Fran Drescher, giving an over the top annoying voice to the female Golem, but overall this segment was weak, clichéd and predictable and not even slightly scary. 2/5. The last segment called "The Day the Earth Looked Stupid" was about Orson Welles broadcasting his War of the Worlds radio play, and tricking the citizens so much that they almost destroy all of Springfield, but when they discover it was a hoax, they refuse to believe it, when Kang and Kodos genuinely do take over the town. The humour is non-existent, bar one or two snickers. This was awful. 1.5/5 Overall, this installment in the Treehouse of Horror series was a very big let down. Catch only if very bored...

You just lost another fan.

[MrWonderful53 · 6 November 2006]

I try and try to see that The Simpsons can be timeless. But for the past 3 years or so, all of you comedy writing "geniuses" do nothing but attack President Bush and his policies. And this was never more apparent than in the "War of the Worlds," spoof. I mean come on, there are countless number of things in the world to poke fun at, and all they do there is go after the same old one trick pony. You used to be inventive and groundbreaking, now you are a tired dinosaur. Why don't you take a page from "American Dad," and have some fun on both sides. Or even "Family Guy," and actually mix in things OTHER THAN POLITICS. I don't watch comedy for political commentary, I watch it to escape a little. If I wanted to see the same old material regurgitated by a once great has been mixed in with Bush bashing, I'd go see a Barbara Streisand concert!