Del Toro directed the show’s trademark opening sequence for this year’s Halloween special, and he pays homage to more horror franchises than we could count. Among the references in the opening, which runs just under three minutes, are tributes to Alfred Hitchcock, H. P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe and more.
In addition to Cthulhu, Godzilla and a horde of zombies, Klaatu from “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and “Nosferatu’s” vampire Count Orlok make appearances. In one scene, Bart Simpson scrawls, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” the proverb made infamous in Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining.”
Attentive viewers will spot the house from “Psycho,” the winged attackers from “The Birds,” Frankenstein and his bride, Dracula, the monster from “Creature From the Black Lagoon,” Brad Majors from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and Winslow from the cult classic rock opera “Phantom of the Paradise.”
Of course, there are plenty of allusions to Del Toro’s own work, not least of which is Mr. Burns’ appearance as the Pale Man from “Pan’s Labyrinth.” “Blade II,” “Pacific Rim,” “Hellboy” and even “Cronos” also get nods.
The episode airs Sunday, but in the meantime, check out the opening in the video above. What other references can you catch in the couch gag? Let us know in the comments.
