 " Cape Feare " is the second episode of The Simpsons ' fifth season . It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 7 , 1993 , and has since been featured on DVD and VHS releases . Written by Jon Vitti and directed by Rich Moore , " Cape Feare " features the return of guest star Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob , who tries to kill Bart Simpson after getting out of jail . " Cape Feare " is a spoof of the 1962 film Cape Fear and its 1991 remake ( which in turn are both based on John D. MacDonald 's 1957 novel The Executioners ) , and alludes to other horror films such as Psycho . 
