Re: 2009 Simpsons Halloween episode will actually come BEFORE Hallowee
Opening: The classic Universal movie monsters go out on a Halloween rampage, until the bully trio mocks their antiquated "costumes." So they raid a costume shop for more contemporary gear (Frankenstein's monster as Spongebob, Dracula as Iron Man, etc.) and raid the Simpsons' Halloween party, getting amorous with the ladies until their wives show up. Not great, but refreshingly light in the gore department, at least until the end (where Homer is decapitated and his cartoony X-ed out eyes become part of the "Treehouse of Horror XX" title).
First segment: "Dial M for Murder or Press '#' to Return to the Main Menu": Kinda your usual "Treehouse" segment where the characters kill each other willy-nilly, but it was entertaining because it was an Alfred Hitchcock pastiche, complete with actual Bernard Herrmann music (specifically the themes from Psycho and North by Northwest) and black-and-white photography. Despite the title, it was principally based on Strangers on a Train, with Lisa in the Farley Granger role and Bart in the Robert Walker role: Bart convinces Lisa to enter a "criss-cross" revenge pact on their respective teachers, and to Lisa's shock, Bart takes it all the way to murder, blackmailing her into doing the same, until ultimately she decides she must kill him instead. This leads to a chase montage with elements from North by Northwest and the Dali dream sequence in Spellbound, and even the obligatory Hitchcock cameo (Bart and Lisa knock him off Mt. Rushmore), and culminates, like Strangers, in a merry-go-round scene. I wasn't too fond of the final twist, since I'm not sure how coherent it was, but otherwise it was kind of fun. (I'm miffed that Herrmann didn't get a music credit.)
"Don't Have a Cow, Mankind": Cute title. KrustyBurger debuts the "Burger^2": hamburger made from cows that were fed other cows. This "delicious crime against nature" turns those who eat it into zombies (or "munchers"), who spread the plague to everyone they bite. So it's your basic 28 Days Later zombie-apocalypse thing, with Bart turning out to be immune to the zombie infection and becoming the "Chosen One" who must be protected. Crass and gory, based on films I haven't seen, not my cup of tea.
"There's No Business Like Moe Business": A musical segment presented as a stage show, complete with curtains, stagehands, obvious special effects, and an audience (including Kang and Kodos) watching the play. Reportedly inspired by Sweeney Todd, but with minimal story parallels. An accident impales Homer on Moe's beer equipment, mixing his blood with the beer and evoking a "God, That's Good!" reaction from the customers, and while Homer slowly bleeds out, Moe tries to convince Marge that he's run off and wants her to end up with Moe. Until Homer comes back to take revenge. Kind of an icky premise, and the songs weren't that good (I was expecting something more Sondheimesque), but the "stage show" approach was a charming twist.
All in all, I'd say it was fairly satisfying, one of the better "Treehouse" segments in recent years, though that's not saying much.
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