It's Halloween in Springfield, and Bart Simpson (voice of
Nancy Cartwright) and his sister Lisa (voice of
Yeardley Smith) are swapping scary stories in their backyard treehouse. In Bad Dream House, the Simpsons move into a big old house, but soon learn why the place was a bargain -- it's haunted. Before long the entire family is chasing each other with sharp objects. Marge (voice of
Julie Kavner) tries as usual to be the voice of reason with the spirits, who quickly give up rather than co-exist with Springfield's most dysfunctional family. Hungry Are the Damned finds the Simpsons kidnapped
en masse by a trio of one-eyed, tentacled space aliens -- Kang (voice of
Harry Shearer), Kodos (voice of
Dan Castellaneta), and Serak (voice of
James Earl Jones). Eager-eater Homer (voice of Castellaneta) is pleased when the aliens provide a groaning dinner table for their earthling captives, but Lisa is shocked when she discovers a cookbook on board entitled
How to Cook Humans. Finally, Lisa turns to Edgar Allan Poe's classic poem The Raven, with
James Earl Jones reading the eerie verse, and the menacing bird bearing a strange resemblance to Bart. Treehouse of Horror, the first of a series of annual Halloween episodes on
The Simpsons, first aired on October 24, 1990. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide