Remember the Treehouse of Horror 17 title sequence?

2006 continues the Treehouse of Horror legacy. How will it measure up to the previous year?

And it is reminding me of the 12th opening, with a shot of the gates of the Burns' Estate.

But inside the gates, and racing to the front door, you can't help but notice that the mansion is looking very different 5 years later. Also, you will notice that The Simpsons team is playing with the Tales from the Crypt (TV series) music. It seems we may have a clue of what we will in the next minute.

Inside the house we see the foyer, and a quick joke about Burns' miserliness,

And then through a secret door and down some stairs, the music keeping you in a quipping Cryptkeeper state of mind.

And then the camera person stumbles, and falls down the rest of the stairs.

But the camera continues down a hall to a door.

And inside the door in a coffin.

Which spits out rats.

Then snakes.

Then spiders.

Then bunnies.

And then there's Burns, the Cryptkeeper.

He pops up and starts quipping to the audience, as any good Cryptkeeper does. And then Smithers interrupts to praise his jokes.

This ticks him off.

Meanwhile, Moe is annoyed that all the chatter is delaying things. He wants things sped up.

So Smithers does this.

And so Moe's blood leaks out.

The blood forms the title, which pleases Moe.

This is another amusing opening. It is fun when they play with an established show's opening and turn it to their needs. And it's a nice bit of nostalgia. And, of course, it's a funny and on the nose use of Burns.

This time the tales shared are:

and

and

...which gave us some moments of probing humor at the US's involvement in Iraq. Look! They got our hearts and minds!

and, Springfield as a decimated war zone, all to stop the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Disintegration. ...We all still remember the Iraq War?

How do we laugh at this stuff now? Knowingly? Ironically? Historically? Tragically? Wistfully? What's an Iraq?


Now on to YEAR XVIII!