 In its original broadcast , " Treehouse of Horror III " finished 20th in ratings for the week of October 26 – November 1 , 1992 , with a Nielsen rating of 14 @.@ 7 , equivalent to approximately 13 @.@ 7 million viewing households . It was the highest @-@ rated show on the Fox network that week , beating In Living Color . Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood , the authors of the book I Can 't Believe It 's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide , thoroughly enjoyed the episode . They described the episode as " Another seasonal treat . Dial Z for Zombies is particularly impressive ( ' Dad , you killed the zombie Flanders ! ' ' He was a zombie ? ' ) . " In 2006 , IGN voted " Dial Z For Zombies " as the second best segment of the Treehouse of Horror episodes . " Clown Without Pity " was also rated sixth . 
