In "Hell Toupée," Snake is sent to the electric chair, and his hair is transplanted onto Homer. In "The Terror of Tiny Toon," Bart and Lisa become cartoon characters in an episode of Itchy & Scratchy. In "Starship Poopers," a growth spurt casts doubt on Maggie's paternity, and the family goes on the Jerry Springer show.
Three-segment horror parody delivers mid-tier laughs at 2.2 jokes per minute.
Directed by Steven Dean Moore · Written by Larry Doyle, David X. Cohen, Donick Cary
WAR
18.1
Wins Above Replacement
“Treehouse Of Horror Ix” ranks #221 of 226 The Simpsons episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 69.9 — Mixed. The episode packs 43 scored jokes at 2.2 per minute, averaging 6.6 on craft and 6.2 on impact, with Homer landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Marge Meta/Self-Referential Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Bart: Wait a minute, Lisa. We're animated.
Lisa: I'm aware, Bart. And I'm deeply ashamed.
Bart Lisa Meta/Self-Referential Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Snake: Man, they got me scheduled right in the middle of sweeps week. Do you know how many people are gonna be watching this? This is like, primetime execution, dude.
Snake: I mean, why couldn't they execute me on a Tuesday at 2 AM like a normal criminal? Now everybody's gonna see my final moments on live TV.
Snake Dark/Subversive Observational ★ Rewatch Apu: But you're dead!
Snake: Yeah, well, your mom!
Bart: Hey, they're laughing at us getting hurt!
Lisa: Yeah, they think our pain is funny.
Bart: Well, if they enjoy watching us suffer, let's give 'em something to really laugh about!
Lisa: You mean...?
Bart: That's right. Let's attack the audience!
Bart Lisa Meta/Self-Referential Escalation ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 43 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Snake: Yeah, this baby's got a hair trigger. Real sensitive. You gotta know how to handle it.
Snake: Takes a real man to tame a beast like this, man.
Snake: Hey Apu, you got any of those breakfast cereals?
Apu: We have many cereals, sir.
Snake: Yeah, you got that one for kids with severe anal bleeding?
Snake Absurdist Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Chief Wiggum: You destroyed a bus full of nuns?
Snake: Self-defense, man.
Chief Wiggum: You know, I've seen things that would make a nun weep. Things so horrible, so depraved, that I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy. I'm talking about Hell.
Chief Wiggum: The electric chair executions we used to have here in Springfield.
Chief Wiggum: Well, well, well. Witness protection for a kid. That's cute. We'll just put him in a little disguise, maybe give him a fake name like... Jimbo.
Homer: Chief, isn't that dangerous?
Chief Wiggum: Dangerous? Nah. Kids do this kind of thing all the time. Why, just last week my boy Ralph pretended to be a mailman for three days. Nobody got hurt... much.
Ed McMahon: And now, back to The Simpsons!
Announcer: The following program contains scenes of mild peril.
Snake: Man, they got me scheduled right in the middle of sweeps week. Do you know how many people are gonna be watching this? This is like, primetime execution, dude.
Snake: I mean, why couldn't they execute me on a Tuesday at 2 AM like a normal criminal? Now everybody's gonna see my final moments on live TV.
Snake Dark/Subversive Observational ★ Rewatch Dr. Hibbert: Well, we can harvest his organs for transplant.
Dr. Nick: Dibs on the liver!
Dr. Hibbert: Dr. Nick, he's still alive.
Dr. Nick: Dibs!
Dr. Nick: Yeah, sure, whatever.
Lisa: Dad, you look really suave today. But... your pants are undone.
Homer: D'oh!
Lisa Observational Setup/Punchline Apu: But you're dead!
Snake: Yeah, well, your mom!
Chief Wiggum: Apu didn't suffer at all. He was killed instantly.
Lou: Chief, I hate to break it to ya, but Apu was shot in the back. He definitely suffered.
Chief Wiggum: Well, that explains why this donut tastes like formaldehyde.
Moe: Morning, Homer!
Homer: Hey there, booze jockey!
Kent Brockman: We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news. Moe Szyslak, Springfield's most beloved bartender, has passed away at the age of 61. Moe died doing what he loved best: mixing a drink behind the bar. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him, but not nearly as much as he will be missed by the bottle of whiskey he was holding when he went.
Bart Irony/Sarcasm Wordplay/Pun Marge Meta/Self-Referential Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Homer: Why would you make me choose?! That's like asking me to choose between my son and my hair! I love them both equally... No wait, hair. Hair.
Homer Character Comedy Escalation Chief Wiggum: You're under arrest for the murder of Moe... uh... A-poo... Nah-poo-poo-poo... okay, forget it. You're under arrest for murder.
Now that's what I call a bad hair day.
Lou: Hey, wait a minute... that's funny!
Lou Reaction Beat Character Comedy Callback Marge: I'm a lousy mother. Here I am worried about the kids watching a little violence on TV, when our family is constantly in deadly, life-threatening situations.
Marge Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Marge: Homer, you're not going as a hobo again this year, are you?
Homer: A hobo? Why would I go as a hobo? I'm going as a bum!
Lisa: Bart, that plutonium is extremely dangerous. One exposure could be fatal.
Bart: Ay caramba! I'm not worried. What's the worst that could happen?
Bart: Eat my shorts, radiation!
Bart Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Bart: Wait a minute, Lisa. We're animated.
Lisa: I'm aware, Bart. And I'm deeply ashamed.
Bart Lisa Meta/Self-Referential Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Bart: Hey, they're laughing at us getting hurt!
Lisa: Yeah, they think our pain is funny.
Bart: Well, if they enjoy watching us suffer, let's give 'em something to really laugh about!
Lisa: You mean...?
Bart: That's right. Let's attack the audience!
Bart Lisa Meta/Self-Referential Escalation ★ Rewatch Chief Wiggum: Our new police car motto should read 'To Protect and Serve'.
Chief Wiggum: But it says 'To Protect and Sever'.
Poochie: Yo, yo, yo! Poochie here! That's radical!
Poochie Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback TV Host: This cilantro in the soup is absolutely delicious!
Regis: There's no cilantro in this soup.
TV Host: What?!
Regis: No cilantro.
Bart: Wait, Snowball's falling for an alien cat?
Homer: Yep, and we gotta get him neutered before he reproduces with it.
Bart: That's so messed up, Dad.
Bart Dark/Subversive Escalation Homer: Whoa, whoa, whoa! What is that? Marge, look at Maggie's tooth!
Marge: Oh my God! It looks like... like an alien!
Homer: We have to call a dentist. Or the government. I'm not sure which one handles this.
Homer: Hey, where'd Maggie's legs go?
Homer Visual Gag Escalation Dr. Nick Riviera: Have you tried fire?
Unknown: You always suggest fire!
Dr. Nick Riviera: Well, fire is the cleanser of all things.
Dr. Hibbert: Have you tried setting yourself on fire?
Patient: What?
Dr. Hibbert: Well, it cures a lot of things.
Marge: But... wouldn't that make things worse?
Dr. Hibbert: Well, it's my standard response to most problems.
Marge Character Comedy Callback Callback Kang: Blortch! Krell-dammit! Zyx-shlap! Blorfing Qwerty-holes!
Kang Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Homer: Oh no, not the Jehovah's Witnesses again.
Kang: We are not Witnesses.
Kodos: We are Jehovah's Refs.
Kang: We make sure everyone follows the rules.
Homer: You intergalactic hussy!
Homer Character Comedy Escalation Kang: We are here to abduct you for scientific experiments.
Marge: Oh my!
Kang: We apologize for the inconvenience and any trauma this may cause. We will return you safely within 72 hours, and you will receive complimentary Frequent Abductee miles.
Kang Irony/Sarcasm Absurdist Kang: We have taken the liberty of researching human mating locations. You may choose from the following: a used car lot, a peep show, or the New Jersey Turnpike.
Kang Observational Escalation Marge: I absolutely refuse to participate in any alien breeding program. It's immoral and wrong!
Marge: Although... if I absolutely had to choose... I suppose that one over there is rather handsome.
Marge Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Marge: Is that it?
Kang: What do you mean, 'Is that it?' We just got started!
Marge: Oh... I thought you were done.
Jerry Springer: Homer, how do you feel about your wife's affair with an alien?
Homer: Well, Jerry, I'm not happy about it. But I guess it could be worse.
Homer Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Bart: Hey, while you're at it, don't forget to zap that controversial prosecutor!
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