V (Season 6, Episode 6, Aired October 30th, 1994)
Alright, last time, I mixed this episode up with the next one, so the ending was referring to another “recent” movie.
Still, I’m glad it’s this one, because right here are two of my favorite segments, and indeed, two very classic segments for fans in general.
That and a classic opening, featuring a parody of the opening of the other 60’s genre anthology series The Outer Limits, which most people today probably know from this skit specifically or from its 90’s remake or the fact Watchmen had a similar ending to one of its episodes. I like that the voice modulation (the one that shows the “Do Not Adjust Your Television Set” narration) shows the silhouettes of the Simpsons family.
First is “The Shinning”, of course a parody of Stephen King’s “The Shining” and Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation (which counts as “recent” enough for 1994, I suppose? Meh.) Anyway, this is a great segment. When I first saw it, I actually never saw The Shining, but it was still hilarious. Once you’ve actually seen the film, the segment is immensely funnier. Again, the fundamental comedy at play works: scenes like blood coming from the elevator, Jack chasing his wife, the previous occupant egging Jack to kill his family, and him freezing to death near the hedge maze are made hilarious just by subverting them (especially Homer coming through the door in the way Jack did.)
