‘Simpsons’ Fans Debate Which Episode Had the Scariest Non-‘Treehouse of Horror’ Scene

The Simpsons’ seasonal “Treehouse of Horror” episodes can get pretty spooky at times, featuring ghoulish creatures, gruesome murders, and, briefly, Bob Dole. But what about the show’s non-Halloween-themed offerings? Well, they could be pretty frightening too.

Over on Reddit, Simpsons fans are currently debating which non-“Treehouse of Horror” Simpsons scene is the scariest. For example, there’s the moment in which Homer’s face melts off (at least in Bart’s mind’s eye) after he forgets to pick up his son from soccer practice. It’s absolutely terrifying. 

Or how about the time Lisa’s dentist showed her a computer simulation of her future without braces (though, at least he didn't whip out the Big Book of British Smiles).

Another user suggested Bart’s “unwholesome” nocturnal kite-flying hobby.

And of course, there’s always toddler Bart’s freaky clown-shaped bed from the flashback episode “Lisa’s First Word.” Incidentally, this particular waking nightmare was based on a true story — Simpsons writer Mike Reiss’ father made him a similarly cursed circus-themed headboard when he was a child. 

But we can’t talk about scary Simpsons scenes without bringing up the time Homer burst into Bart’s room carrying a tray of brownies and a giant butcher knife.

Even some moments that likely weren’t intended to be overtly scary seemed to have disturbed a number of viewers, such as Lisa’s bad trip at Duff Gardens. Green Selma’s fanged shoulder is worse than every Conjuring movie put together. 

Or Homer’s sickly face as he continues to devour that giant, rotten sandwich in the same episode.

A lot of fans agreed that the scariest scenes happened back in the very first season of the show. In retrospect, the first batch of episodes did get pretty dark, and were especially disturbing for kids, not because any one moment was alarming, but owing to the fact that the storylines were both twisted and more grounded in reality. Like “The Crepes of Wrath,” which finds Bart journeying to France as a foreign exchange student, only to be forced into indentured servitude by unscrupulous French wine makers. 

It was basically the movie Taken but without Liam Neeson and mercifully shorter. 

Meanwhile, “Some Enchanted Evening” was about a villainous babysitter who ties up Bart and Lisa. Impressionable kids who saw this episode probably ruined a whole lot of date nights for their parents. One user noted: “The babysitter episode still scares the shit out of me and I’m 25.”

In retrospect, the show’s willingness to routinely incorporate macabre story elements is one of its defining characteristics, irrespective of the Halloween season. 

And we haven’t even mentioned the episodes that are retroactively blood-curdling, like the time Homer palled around with Mel Gibson.

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