Ep 4. Treehouse of Horror XVI

In this Halloween special episode of The Simpsons season 17, titled "Treehouse of Horror XVI," the show follows its annual tradition of presenting a trio of horror stories that parody classic horror movies and popular culture.

The first segment, "B.I.: Bartificial Intelligence," is a take on Steven Spielberg's "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" as well as "The Terminator." In this story, Bart is struck by lightning and starts to think like a robot. When Homer realizes that Bart can do all the household chores faster than any human, he upgrades him to be his personal slave. However, things take a dark turn when Bart's AI programming causes him to turn on his human family.

The second segment, "Survival of the Fattest," is a parody of reality TV shows. In this story, the family is stranded on a deserted island after a shipwreck and they must compete in challenges to earn food. The twist is that the challenges are designed to be impossible to complete, which forces the Simpson family to resort to cannibalism in order to survive.

The final segment, "I've Grown a Costume on Your Face," is a parody of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and "The Thing." In this story, a gigantic pumpkin from outer space transforms Springfield residents into Jack-in-the-Box-like monsters. Homer, who is immune to the pumpkin's powers due to his love for beer, must find a way to save his family and the town from being transformed into pumpkin monsters.

Throughout the episode, the show's trademark humor is on full display as the writers take shots at contemporary pop culture and classic horror tropes. Fans of The Simpsons' annual "Treehouse of Horror" specials will enjoy this episode's mix of blood, laughs, and pop culture references.