Halloween with Homer

By FIONA RAE

If it's October 31, then it must be time for children to dress up and extort as many free lollies as they can from their unsuspecting neighbours.

That means it must also be time for another Simpsons Treehouse of Horror. TV2 screens its last new episode of The Simpsons tonight with Treehouse of Horror XIII (7.30pm) - as always, three separate spooky stories featuring the iconic animated family.

TV3 announced this month that it has secured the rights to The Simpsons and will start broadcasting episodes next year. It will have back-catalogue episodes, as well as the latest season, number 15.

However, tonight's episode is from season 14, should you wish to check any online guides (of which there are many, I recommend The Simpsons archive at www.snpp.com) and, in the time-honoured Simpsons way, is self-referential and laden with pop culture references.

Despite another Emmy this year, the show seems tired - or maybe it's just familiarity.

When Maud Flanders - specially brought back for the episode - says "Are you ready for tales that will shatter your spine and boil your blood?" it would be nice if the episode was even a little bit creepy. But it's not.

The Simpsons has now been going so long that it can bring back old stories: "The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms" echoes another Treehouse of Horror episode, back in season four, called "Dial Z for Zombies".

The story has a gun-control theme (the title refers to the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms), and features Lisa going on an anti-gun crusade only to find Springfield being terrorised by undead cowboys.

The pick of the bunch, for laughs anyway, is the first story, "Send in the Clones". It's a spoof of the movie Multiplicity, in which Homer buys a magic hammock that produces clones of himself. Usually, telling a joke over and over isn't that funny, but multiple Homers are pretty good.

The story also includes a dig at Family Guy, the other animated show about a dysfunctional family, and a Homer drawn in the style in which he first appeared on The Tracey Ullman Show.

The final story, "The Island of Dr Hibbert", is a spoof of The Island of Dr Moreau. The Simpsons are on holiday there and Marge says: "Homey, something very creepy is going on here".

"You mean they're going to try to sell us timeshares?"

All the Springfield characters are turned into "manimals", even Mr Burns, who is a fox draped around Dr Hibbert's neck.

Matt Groening's creation is known the world over, has spawned knock-offs, merchandise for Africa and even a reworking of Macbeth arriving in town next week.

But it has to be asked: How much longer? Who knows, maybe season 15 will be the business. It's about to launch in the US (with Treehouse of Horror XIV) and includes an impressive list of guest stars including reclusive novelist Thomas Pynchon.