Review: 'The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XXIV' Delivers DVR-Worthy Couch Gag from Guillermo del Toro

Talk about the holiday creep... This year's installment of "Treehouse of Horror" treats viewers before Halloween!

Thanks to Guillermo del Toro, the couch gag is easily the best part of the episode. The extended opening sequence packs so many horror references, including del Toro's own work and call backs to previous editions of "Treehouse of Horror," that it begs for repeat viewings to catch them all.

"The Fat in the Hat"
 This Seuss-inspired vignette casts Homer as the Fat in the Hat, an utterly deranged version of the famous cat with the striped hat. His reign of terror devolves into an increasingly bizarre and grim spree of violence typical of MAD's "Spy vs. Spy." It almost falls into the classic "SNL" trap of running too long, but clever rhyming narration and a few cracks about 2003's "Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat" buoy it.

"Dead and Shoulders"
Did someone try to hide the disappointing fluff in the middle? This story is not only the weakest of the trio, it is similar to Homer's nightmare in "Treehouse of Horror II." It needs a twistier ending to make revisiting the concept of two heads on one body worthwhile. Maybe it would have worked better if Dr. Hibbert did another operation to "fix" his mistake, but stuck Bart's head on one of the Little Ponies he hates.

"Freaks, No Geeks"
The final and best story of the night maintains the horrifyingly bizarre tone of its source material, 1932's "Freaks," while adding a Springfield twist by casting the gang as assorted Burnsum and Bailey Circus freaks.
The "How I Met Your Mother" tie-in cinches it.