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Guillermo del Toro teams with 'The Simpsons' for a love letter to the horror genre

Guillermo del Toro teams with 'The Simpsons' for a love letter to the horror genre

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The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror 24 Guillermo Del Toro (via Fox on YouTube)
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror 24 Guillermo Del Toro (via Fox on YouTube)

Some argue that The Simpsons, which first hit the airwaves in 1989, is past its prime, despite it being one of the greatest TV shows of all time. If you're among those who question whether or not the animated series can still deliver something spectacular, we suggest you take a look at the fantastic opening sequence of this coming Sunday's Treehouse of Horror episode — the show's 24th such homage to Halloween and horror. This year's opener was put together by none other than horror guru and acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro. And, as you might expect, it contains nods to many del Toro films — including Hellboy, Blade, Pan's Labyrinth, The Devil's Backbone, Cronos, and Pacific Rim.

"I ended up cramming in about 1/50th of what I wanted." But as del Toro explains to USA Today in an interview, the sequence is more than just the filmmaker honoring himself. "We talked about doing it around the movies I have done, but I felt I'd rather mix those images with the creatures and monsters of film, which have influenced me enormously," del Toro says. "So, I said, 'Why don't we do a really long riff on the title sequence, rather than just a couch gag?'"

The result in a nearly three-minute opener with references to Edgar Allan Poe, Alfred Hitchcock, Stephen King, the classic Universal monsters, and the cartoon series Futurama. "I ended up cramming in about 1/50th of what I wanted," del Toro says. "To get to do a love letter to two things I love, which is fantasy and horror films and The Simpsons, is great. I enjoyed myself enormously."