The Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror XXXV" review: Venom denim, hungry ghouls, and blue vs. red

Whether you watch The Simpsons as a whole or only the "Treehouse of Horror" episodes, you can't argue the hard work and brilliance behind each piece. The writers strive to project the best humor and structure. "Treehouse of Horror XXXV" was another great and hilarious example of the writers' talent.

Continuing with the inspiration of referencing pop culture media with zipping in some satire, "Treehouse of Horror XXXV" gave all the familiar ingredients of what the franchise entails while delivering some fresh new content to keep things intriguing. As a bite-size treat, there were throwbacks to past "Treehouse of Horrors," which I found nostalgic.

With that said, let's get into the "Treehouse of Horror XXXV" review. I'll try to keep the spoilers light.

Reviewing The Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror XXXV"

Per the pattern of the Halloween specials, three segments are dedicated to a popular movie or show in "Treehouse of Horror", and #35 weaved another stitch in the pattern. First things first, though, I loved how "The Fall of the House of Monty" spun back to "The Raven" from "Treehouse of Horror I." It reflects that The Simpsons don't forget their original roots of what is geared toward fame.

The opening Couch Gag was created and directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez, the man behind The Book of Life and El Tigre, who developed a brightly colored redesign of the Simpsons' characters. It additionally played homage to Hispanic culture and DÍa de la Muertos, but Halloween and the the former are two different celebrations. While I am for honoring culture (The Simpsons did honor Germany, by the way), I don't know how the Couch Gag tied in with "Treehouse of Horror," but I'm open to logical and feasible reasoning.

The first segment, "The Information Rage" (a parody of 2013's Pacific Rim), two robots-one red and the other blue-ascend from the water, wreaking havoc on Springfield due to the damaging and polarizing political beliefs of the residents. It's up to Bart and Lisa to put their differences aside and stop the monsters.

It's a success, somewhat, but the monsters represent the political torment America is currently facing. It literally comes down to the destruction of democracy or the preservation of our future, and selecting a candidate could reflect life or death, something that is profoundly causing anxiety among voters this election. Additionally, "The Information Rage" reminded me of the conversation President Clinton (Phil Hartman) and his opponent, Republican candidate Bob Dole, had in 1996's "Treehouse of Horror VII," discussing how presiding America with bipartisanship rather than one party could improve and strengthen the country overall. It's a good idea but will never come to fruition.

The second segment, "The Fall of the House of Monty," is a spoof on the 2018 film Winchester and the Winchester Mystery House. Mr. Burns is a wealthy corn syrup factory tycoon from America's Gilded Age whose employees all died while on the job. They come back as hungry, angry spirits terrorizing him and his home at night, only to lead him to suicide. His own selfishness and cruel inconsideration are what truly drove Burns to his death and his former colleagues to believe that companies must start treating their workers properly.

I enjoyed this one the most, as I love history and what we can learn from it. Plus, the art design is top tier and getting the details to make it look like the turn of the 20th century was a clever trick.

The third and final segment, "Denim" is a fashion grab of Marvel's Venom, which made #1 at the Box Office this past weekend. In the segment, Homer's jeans is just an alien species, using Homer as a host. While at first the jeans are in good intentions of helping Homer winning Marge's heart, they soon overtake him, and in the end, becomes Homer's plus one, rather than Marge.

The jeans are created in stop-animation and by Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, and they work wonderfully with the 2D animation, as the sychronity is aesthetically pleasing and fun. It's with hope that The Simpsons continue with this animation technique it could work for several stories.