 "The Guardian" named it one of the five greatest episodes in "Simpsons" history.The authors of the book "I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide", Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, said the first two segments worked better than the third, "but this is a marvelous episode, and set a high standard for the Halloween specials to come".In 2008, Canwest News Service chose "Treehouse of Horror" as one of the top five scariest episodes from television's past.