History YMMV / TheSimpsonsS5E5TreehouseOfHorrorIV

* EvilIsSexy: A freeze frame example, but the female vampires in Burns lair don't look bad. There especially brief emphasis on the one that captures Bart (likely designed based off the bride in the '92 Dracula movie) and the one in blue dress among the vampires (who likely was based on Lucy's design from the same movie).

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: UsefulNotes/RichardNixon nowadays can no longer use the excuse that he's not dead yet because he died six months after the episode aired (though the implication that he sold his soul to be U.S. President and/or not be implicated in the Watergate scandal [since he resigned rather than face the consequences of his actions] is still funny and does explain a lot).

* NauseaFuel: In a DeletedScene from "Bart Simpson's Dracula", Bart floats into the room and asks Marge what's for breakfast. She gives him a plate of [[{{Squick}} dead rats.]] Homer ''still'' bemoans over him having a better meal than he did.

* ToughActToFollow: Considered by many to be the best ''Treehouse of Horror'' (though "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E6TreehouseOfHorrorV Treehouse of Horror V]]" the next year is often rated neck and neck with this one).

* HarsherInHindsight:
** The Devil (Flanders) introduces "The Jury Of The Damned", one of which happens to be UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, who protests that he isn't dead yet, but agrees to be part of the jury when Devil!Flanders reminds him he "did him a favor". Nixon passed away for real six months later in April 1994.
** In ''Bart Simpson's Dracula'', Mr. Burns leads an undead army of vampires in search for blood. 16 years later in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS21E4TreehouseOfHorrorXX "Don't Have A Cow, Mankind"]], he joins the undead again, this time as a flesh-eating zombie.

** In British English, queer is still used as a synonym for unusual.

* EvilIsCool: Has quite the iconic ToH villains in the series

** In ''Bart Simpson's Dracula'', Mr. Burns leads an undead army of vampires in search for blood. 16 years later in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS21E4TreehouseOfHorrorXX "Don't Have A Cow, Mankind"]], he joins another undead army, this time as a flesh-eating zombie.

** In ''Bart Simpson's Dracula'', Mr. Burns leads an undead army of vampires in search for blood. 16 years later in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS21E4TreehouseOfHorrorXX "Don't Have A Cow, Mankind"]], he joins another undead army, this time as a zombie.

** In ''Bart Simpson's Dracula'', Mr. Burns leads an undead army of vampires in search for blood. 16 years later in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS21E4TreehouseOfHorrorXX "Don't Have A Cow, Mankind"]], he joins an undead army again, this time as a zombie.

** In ''Bart Simpson's Dracula'', Mr. Burns leads an undead army of vampires in search for blood. 16 years later in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS21E4TreehouseOfHorrorXX "Don't Have A Cow, Mankind"]], he becomes undead again, this time as a zombie.

* HarsherInHindsight: The Devil (Flanders) introduces "The Jury Of The Damned", one of which happens to be UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, who protests that he isn't dead yet, but agrees to be part of the jury when Devil!Flanders reminds him he "did him a favor". Nixon passed away for real six months later in April 1994.

* WhatAnIdiot:
** In the first segment, Homer decides on a whim to sell his soul for a doughnut, however just as he's down to the last piece, it's revealed that he keeps his soul if he doesn't finish the whole thing.\\
'''You'd Expect:''' Homer (or really, Marge or one of the kids) to throw the doughnut away, preventing the devil from taking his soul.\\
'''Instead:''' They keep the doughnut piece in the fridge; so when Homer goes to the kitchen at night for food, the predictable happens. Homer manages to keep his soul, but gets a giant doughnut for a head.
** In the third segment, Chief Wiggum is investigating a series of attacks. He correctly assumes that the culprit is a supernatural creature.\\
'''You'd Expect''': Given that the victims were drained of their blood, have teeth marks on their necks and a black cape was left on the scene of one attack, Wiggum would conclude that a vampire is the culprit.\\
'''Instead''': Wiggum concludes that the culprit is a mummy.
** Later in the third segment, Bart and Lisa are confronted by vampires in Mr. Burns' lair. They escape. Along the way, Bart notices a lever with a sign that says "Super Happy Fun-Slide."\\
'''You'd Expect''': Bart, knowing the slide is SchmuckBait ("Obviously this is a trap!"), would run.\\
'''Instead''': Bart pulls the lever ("But when am I gonna be here again?") and goes down the SurpriseSlideStaircase back to the vampires and is turned by Mr. Burns.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: UsefulNotes/RichardNixon nowadays can no longer use the excuse that he is not dead yet because he died six months after the episode aired (though the implication that he sold his soul to be U.S. President and/or not be implicated in the Watergate scandal [since he resigned rather than face the consequences of his actions] is still funny and does explain a lot).

'''You'd Expect''': Bart, knowing the slide is SchmuckBait ("Oh, I know I shouldn't..."), would run.\\
'''Instead''': Bart pulls the lever ("But when am I gonna be here again?")and goes down the SurpriseSlideStaircase back to the vampires and is turned by Mr. Burns.

* HarsherInHindsight: The Devil (Flanders) introduces "The Jury Of The Damned", one of which happens to be UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, who protests that he isn't dead yet, but agrees to be part of the jury when Devil!Flanders reminds him he "did him a favor". Nixon passed away for real six months later in April 22, 1994.

* HarsherInHindsight: The Devil (Flanders) introduces "The Jury Of The Damned", one of which happens to be UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, who protests that he isn't dead yet, but agrees to be part of the jury when Devil!Flanders reminds him he "did him a favor". Nixon passed away for real six months later in April 1994.

** This wouldn't be the last time [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS12E1TreehouseOfHorrorXI that Homer would descend to Hell]] [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS19E5TreehouseOfHorrorXVIII or that Ned Flanders would become Satan]].

* HarsherInHindsight: The Devil (Flanders) introduces "The Jury Of The Damned", one of which happens to be UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, who would pass away 6 months later in April 22, 1994.

* FranchiseOriginalSin: "Bart Simpson's Dracula" has many elements that later ''Treehouse of Horror'' segments would be criticised for - namely going for a NarrowParody of a popular film released that year--but it's still seen as better than those, because the parody elements are mostly flavoring (as in, it's really just the name and Burns's design) and the rest is a pretty standard parody of ''Dracula'' and vampire stories in general, as well as being legitimately scary at points. Later segments would ape popular films and TV shows (some of which were ''non''-horror films) that weren't even released in the same year, with the parodies being [[ShallowParody even less narrow]].

* FranchiseOriginalSin: "Bart Simpson's Dracula" has many elements that later ''Treehouse of Horror'' segments would be criticised for - namely going for a NarrowParody of a popular film released that year--but it's still seen as better than those, because the parody elements are mostly flavoring (as in, it's really just the name and Burns's design) and the rest is a pretty standard parody of ''Dracula'' and vampire stories in general.

* NauseaFuel: In a DeletedScene from "Bart Simpson's Dracula", Bart floats into the room and asks Marge what's for breakfast. She gives him a plate of [[{{Squick}} dead rats.]]]] Obviously, Homer ''still'' bemoans over him having a better meal than he did.

* ValuesDissonance: Homer mocks Mr. Burns' Dracula hairdo by saying it looks "queer" (though, to be fair, there wasn't anything in the episode that condoned or glamorized the use of that word. Mr. Burns immediately snaps, "I heard that!" after Homer says it, meaning that even in the 1990s, using "queer" as a homophobic slur was somewhat taboo).

** Later in the third segment, Bart and Lisa are confronted by vampires in Mr. Burns's lair. They escape. Along the way, Bart notices a lever with a sign that says "Super Happy Fun-Slide."\\
'''You'd Expect''': Bart would smell the obvious SchmuckBait and run.\\
'''Instead''': Bart pulls the lever and goes down the SurpriseSlideStaircase back to the vampires and is turned by Mr. Burns.