At my house, "The Simpsons'" annual "Treehouse of Horror" episodes are as much of a tradition as carving pumpkins and buying enough bags of Fun-Size Snickers to have plenty left over when Halloween is done. And more often than not, these annual programs are the best episodes of each season. So, upon getting a hold of this 92 minute DVD contain nothing BUT "Treehouse of Horror" episodes, my daughter and I couldn't rip the plastic off the box fast enough.

This disc features four "Treehouse" episodes, each one containing three short segments which mercilessly parody classic movies, stories or urban legends...Simpsons style. Highlight segments include: "The Shinning," a hilarious send-up of "The Shining," in which Homer, deprived of TV and beer while caretaking a secluded hotel, goes on a murderous rampage; "Nightmare Cafeteria," in which the staff of Springfield Elementary develops a taste for the students; "Mr. Kang Goes to Washington," which features the return of space aliens Kang and Kodos, whom assume the identities of Clinton and Dole during the election in order to enslave the Earth. While these are my personal favorites, each and every one of the short, ten-minute segments provide more laughs than most full-length episodes of any other TV show you can mention. What makes "The Simpsons" such a great show (and why it's been running for 14 years) is the writing. So many gags, in-jokes and satiric throwaway lines are thrown at us in 30 minutes that repeat-viewing seem almost mandatory. The typical "Treehouse" segment boils those elements down even further, so nearly every line and scene is created to illicit laughs. These segments also display masterful editing; only "The Simpsons" could condense "The Shining," have the story make sense, and still have room to rip apart the movie's arty pretensions. What's also amazing is what these episodes are able to get away with in a network TV show; the "Treehouse of Horror" episodes are often really, REALLY violent, disgusting and decadent. I guess the typical rules of good TV taste don't apply when everything is done for the sake of satire.

Fox does a great job with this DVD transfer...so good, that the original master prints' initial animation flaws become occasionally noticeable. There aren't many scratches or blemishes present. The soundtrack (presented in Dolby Surround in three languages) is good, too. It's crystal clear, with no distortion or hisses.

Unfortunately, there's only one extra feature, which is a short montage of scenes from various "Treehouse" episodes that feature Kang and Kodos. It's pretty funny, but doesn't serve any real purpose except to make folks want to see those episodes.

A single DVD of these terrific episodes is a great idea. Those looking for behind-the-scenes extras or audio commentary should probably stick with the boxed sets from individual seasons. Besides, this disc isn't meant to be a comprehensive document of the show. At this price (I paid only ten bucks at Best Buy), it's hard to care about the lack of extras, anyway. You aren't going to find a funnier DVD for the money, and it beats the hell out of watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" for the umpteenth time this Halloween.