How The Simpsons Changed TV and Horror Forever

35 years ago 'The Simpsons' aired their first Halloween special. Horror & television were never(more) the same thereafter. Jon revisits the brilliance of the anthology formatted special with its nods to classic horror and EC comics DNA pulsing through it. Jon also unwraps how this TV special was such a game changer and how it made horror accessible for primetime television; and also how it has acted like a horror archive that preserves the legacies of the all the classics. The Simpsons is revolutionary in television but doesn't really get it's major kudos for its impact on horror...until now! Happy Halloween and stay scary!00:00 Game Changers in Horror History00:32 The Simpsons' Halloween Special: A Revolutionary Moment01:46 Welcome to the Special Halloween Episode02:28 The Simpsons' Impact on Horror03:32 The First Halloween Special: Treehouse of Horror06:03 The Segments of the First Halloween Special07:46 The Simpsons' Viewership and Cultural Impact10:19 The 1990s Television Landscape20:10 The Simpsons as a Cultural Phenomenon25:22 Animation as a Trojan Horse for Horror33:06 The State of Horror in 199034:20 The Simpsons' First Halloween Special34:51 Bad Dream House: A Clever Twist on Haunted House Tropes39:44 Hungry Are The Damned: A Parody of 'To Serve Man'44:02 The Raven: A Literary Gamble That Paid Off52:19 The Simpsons' Influence on Horror and Pop Culture58:42 The Legacy of The Simpsons' Halloween Specials01:03:39 Final Thoughts and Personal Reflections  Follow That Was Pretty Scary on Instagram and TikTokFollow Jon Lee Brody on Instagram  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.