The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror episodes have become staples for animated television, with this year's being the 31st installment. While every addition has a memorable moment, the opening for Treehouse of Horror XXIV from 2013 is truly a stand out. Guillermo del Toro directed the opening and packs plenty of cinematic and literary references from the horror, fantasy and science-fiction genre, and below are as many as could be accounted for; however, with so many references in such a short span of time, some Easter eggs may have been better hidden than others.
Universal Monsters
Some of the most obvious examples pertain to Universal's monsters. While Bart is riding his skateboard on the sidewalk, he realizes he is being chased by a group of the iconic creatures from the 1920s to 1950s. Frankenstein, Dracula, the Wolf Man, the Mummy, the Bride of Frankenstein, the Invisible Man, the Creature from the Black Lagoon and the Metaluna Mutant from This Island Earth all partake in the chase.
Literary References
There are quite a few literary references in the opening, as well as guest appearances. This includes Stephen King, who haunts Bart in the classroom; H.P. Lovecraft, who drinks tea with one of Cthulhu’s tentacles; Edgar Allen Poe, who summons his raven; Ray Bradbury, who stands beside his Illustrated Man and Richard Matheson, who stands with his Omega Man.
Guillermo Del Toro References
There are a number of self referential Easter eggs as well in this opening, and it starts with a Jaeger fighting a Kaiju, like in Pacific Rim. Later, as Bart skateboards out of school, he goes by Groundskeeper Willie, who's drawn as Hellboy, and Kroenen, a villain from 2004's Hellboy movie. Meanwhile, Homer is turned into a Reaper from Blade II, and Carl, dressed as Blade himself, pursues him.
Following this, the camera descends underground, revealing Mr. Burns to be the Pale Man from Pan’s Labyrinth, and he devours a Smithers fairy. As for Maggie, she sits on the conveyor belt behind the mechanical device from del Toro’s Cronos, while Marge is depicted as a Judas version of herself, based on the film Mimic. Homer is later drawn like Santi from The Devil's Backbone as he joins the rest of the family on the couch.
Matt Groening References
It wouldn’t be a Simpson's Treehouse of Horror intro if there were no references to previous Treehouse of Horror episodes. This includes the Lard Lad statue coming to life like in Treehouse of Horror VI, but it is quickly eaten by an officer Wiggum-esque cyclops, which is a reference to The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. Later, when Lisa leaves the music rehearsal with all the film versions of the Phantom of the Opera, including the Phantom of the Paradise, there is a portrait of Maggie with her tentacles from Treehouse of Horror IX's "Starship Poopers," a picture from Treehouse of Horror XIII's "The Island of Dr. Hibbert" and a photo from Treehouse of Horror XIX's "Milhouse and the Great Pumpkin."
Along with the Treehouse of Horror references, there are a few references to the show at large, as well as Futurama. When the camera descends into Mr. Burns' lair, it passes the remains of the original designs of the iconic family. The end also sees Lisa fall through the couch like she is in Alice in Wonderland, landing beside the Hypnotoad from Futurama.
Other References
Aside from all the above, there are a ton of other references crammed into the intro. The entire scene begins with Game of Thrones' three-eyed raven flying through the sky before cutting to a group of soldiers firing wildly at a horde of zombie. Later, Alfred Hitchcock sits on a bench feeding birds before throwing the food on Edna Krabappel, who's then attacked like she's in The Birds. Another cinematic reference is seen when Maggie drives, paying homage to the film The Car.
The moment that crams the most references in is when the camera pans over to the Simpson’s house. Prior to seeing the family arrive at their home, del Toro packs in references from The Twilight Zone, Lost in Space, London After Midnight, 20 Million Miles to Earth, The Mole People, Jason and the Argonauts, The Time Machine, The Thing From Another World, Robot Monster, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, First Men in the Moon, Nosferatu, Invasion of the Saucer Men, The Fly, Freaks, The Day the Earth Stood Still and House of Horrors. It's remarkable del Toro fit in so many references in an opening that's less than three minutes, with some being so quick it wouldn't be surprising if they slipped by the most eagle eyed of fans.
The Simpsons stars the voices of Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Harry Shearer, Julie Kavner, Yeardley Smith and Hank Azaria. New episodes air Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.