 Unlike a typical Simpsons episode , " Treehouse of Horror " is divided into three segments . It is the first in the Treehouse of Horror series of Halloween themed Simpsons episodes . It is considered to be non @-@ canon and takes place outside the normal continuity of the show . A Treehouse of Horror episode has since aired around Halloween every season . Part of the series ' attraction for the writers is that they are able to break the rules and include violence that would not make it into a regular episode . The episode was inspired by EC Comics horror comics , such as Tales from the Crypt . In the first segment , several haunted house films are parodied , including The Shining and The Amityville Horror . The haunted house being built on a burial ground is inspired by the 1982 film Poltergeist . The house was also designed to look like the Addams family house . The second segment 's cookbook is a reference to the 1962 The Twilight Zone episode " To Serve Man " . The third segment reimagines Edgar Allan Poe 's " The Raven " . 
