Ep. 34 - Twilight Zone: The Movie with Matthew Simpson

Season 5
Written By Bart Simpson

Submitted for your approval, that twilighty movie about that zone. Film critic and podcaster Matthew Simpson joins Nate and Adam to unpack Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), a cursed compilation of episode remakes from Rod Serling’s pioneering TV series directed by Stephen Spielberg, Joe Dante, George Miller, and *Simpsons shudder* John Landis. We also revisit The Simpsons’ own adaptations of two of the same Twilight Zone episodes in “Treehouse of Horror II” (S3E7) and “Treehouse of Horror IV” (S5E5).

Also in this episode:

  • Matthew regails us with his quest to watch and rank every “Treehouse of Horror” segment

  • An ode to the horror anthology format, from Eerie Tales (1919) to Black Mirror (2011)

  • Nancy Cartwright gets sucked into a cartoon on TV for all eternity (oh, and that happens in the movie, too)

  • The on-set tragedy that led to new Hollywood safety standards and overshadows this movie’s legacy today

Next time, returning guest Dede Crimmins joins the podcast as we delve even deeper into “Treehouse of Horror IV” (S5E5) and its parody of Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992). God bless Bonerland.

For more of Matthew Simpson’s film reviews and journalism check out Stretched.ca or catch him every week on The Awesome Friday Podcast.

Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

Every Simpsons Reference to Twilight Zone: The Movie

By our count, Twilight Zone: The Movie has been directly referenced 7 times in the first 13 seasons of The Simpsons (while the TV show has been referenced many more). The first reference appears in “Treehouse of Horror II” (S3E7) from 1991, 8 years after the release of the movie.

Scene & Plot References

Treehouse of Horror II (S3E7): The second segment of this Halloween episode is a beat-by-beat remake of The Twilight Zone episode, “It’s a Good Life,” which was remade by Joe Dante in the film. It even opens with a Rod Serling-like narration, which ends with “Bet you didn’t see that coming”—a reference to the series’ hallmark twists.

Much like Anthony in The Twilight Zone, Bart has the power to make everyone do his bidding and bend the fabric of reality, and uses these powers liberally. They both particularly enjoy torturing animals, like Anthony’s three-headed gopher or Bart’s fire-breathing, Duck Amuck-inspired version of Snowball II.

The segment’s climax also perfectly mimics that of the original episode, with Bart transforming Homer into a Jack-in-the-box. However, while “It’s a Good Life” ends without any real resolution to Anthony’s tyranny, The Simpsons came up with its own Twilight Zone twist ending. Homer’s affliction leads Bart and Homer to learn to love each other—before Bart wakes up screaming.

While Joe Dante’s adaptation of “It’s a Good Life” in Twilight Zone: The Movie differs a lot from the original episode and its Simpsons parody, it does feature a 26-year-old Nancy Cartwright, four years before she began voicing Bart Simpson on The Tracey Ullman Show shorts. In the movie, Anthony traps Cartwright’s character in a cartoon TV show. Later, she would play a cartoon version of Anthony on The Simpsons.

Treehouse of Horror IV (S5E5): The segment “Terror at 5 ½ Feet” is a mashup of The Twilight Zone episode “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” and its adaptation by George Miller for Twilight Zone: The Movie, shifting the gremlin sabotaged setting from an airplane to a school bus.

The gremlin in the “Treehouse of Horror IV” appears to be mostly inspired by the movie version of the monster, with a bit of the Grinch thrown in for good measure.

However, the segment does include an homage to the original monster design from the TV series, when Bart opens the shade and sees Groundskeeper Willie, who does look a shocking amount like William Shatner’s nemesis in the original episode.

Bart’s acting throughout the episode oscillates back and forth between William Shatner’s more subdued, theatrical performance and John Lithgow’s bug-eyed mania. The latter is most noticeable in this moment when Bart is tackled by Principal Skinner, just like Lithgow in the movie.

The climax when Bart opens the bus window is mostly a parody of the TV version of the tale, particularly the way Shatner flies backwards against the side of the plane.

Finally, The Simpsons also apes the classic Twilight Zone-type ending of the protagonist being wheeled away on a gurney, ranting and raving. However, unlike in both the original and movie versions of the story, Principal Skinner does believe Bart, but sends him to the madhouse anyways for being disruptive.

Wild Barts Can’t Be Broken (S10E11): This episode ends with the older folks in Springfield setting a curfew, which allows them to rediscover their youth by playing in the streets, including Mole Man and Jasper kicking a can. This echoes the classic Twilight Zone episode “Kick the Can,” which Steven Spielberg adapted into a segment of this movie. (Unconfirmed)

Small References

Homer at the Bat (S3E17): When Ozzie Smith visits the Springfield Mystery Spot and falls into an endless void, he snaps a photo of a floating E=MC², a classic part of The Twilight Zone’s opening credits, which can also be seen in the movie.

Treehouse of Horror VI (S7E6): When Homer finds a portal to another dimension behind his bookcase, he says, “It's like something out of that twilighty show about that zone.“

Treehouse of Horror X (S11E4): The couch gag for this episode features Homer once again in Jack-in-the-box form.

Extra Credit

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Further Reading & Viewing

Bart Simpson
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Ep. 33 - Glengarry Glen Ross