‘The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XXXVI’ Score Was Inspired by ‘Jaws,’ John Williams and ‘Late Night With the Devil’

Confirmed by composer Kara Talve, the newest "The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror" special takes its creative cues directly from the iconic film "Jaws." This year marks the 37th season of the long-running Halloween tradition, and Talve, collaborating for the sixth time with Russell Emanuel, has woven a clear musical homage to John Williams' legendary score into the episode's fabric.

The special unfolds across three distinct segments. The first, titled "The Last Days of Crisco," centers on a creature called Fatberg that drains fat from its victims. Russell Emanuel stated the musical objective was to produce something "delightfully distasteful and disgusting." To achieve this, Talve reveals they utilized a large, John Williams-style orchestra, intentionally distorting the brass sections to generate a dissonant and uncomfortable mood that reflects the monster's grotesque nature.

A dramatic shift in tone occurs in the second story, "Clown Night with the Devil," where Idris Elba voices the Devil, causing chaos during a Krusty the Clown broadcast. The composers completely abandoned the orchestral approach, opting instead for a synth-heavy soundscape. Talve pointed to the 2023 horror movie "Late Night With the Devil"—directed by the sibling duo Cameron and Colin Cairnes—as a key reference. She studied the film again to pinpoint the precise "demonic hum" that showrunner Mike Price wanted for the possessed characters, crafting a score that feels like an organic part of their corruption. This method exemplifies a contemporary horror scoring technique where the music seamlessly merges with a character's deteriorating psyche.

The final chapter, "Plastic World," presents a dystopian Springfield drowning in Buzz Cola bottles, a scenario that moves away from traditional horror. To construct its unique sonic identity, the team enlisted the celebrated woodwind artist Pedro Eustache. Eustache, whose career includes designing and performing on exotic instruments for blockbuster scores such as Denis Villeneuve's "Dune," contributed sounds from his custom "Wilding Horn" and a massive instrument built from PVC pipe. Emanuel emphasized that this inventive, custom instrumentation was absolutely vital for creating the bizarre and eerie atmosphere of "Plastic World," underscoring the immense creative dedication poured into the episode's production.