Praising newer episodes like this one is always risky as someone will jump into the comments to suggest we screwed up and wasted space on a “crappy, modern episode.” Thing is, “Halloween of Horror” is genuinely fantastic. It’s the first (and so far only) time the show has done a down-to-Earth, non-Treehouse of Horror halloween episode, letting the writers finally make jokes about adults dressing up as sexy characters and all the pop-up shops that appear during October.
The episode’s story—revolving around Lisa becoming scared of Halloween and Homer having to teach her how to handle fear during a home invasion— also stands toe to toe with any classic Simpsons half-hour. If you haven’t watched an episode since season 12 or so, I’d highly recommend “Halloween of Horror,” especially if you love the spooky season.