One thing about Guillermo del Toro – when he goes for something, he goes all in. And now, after cramming more mechs and kaiju into Pacific Rim than anyone could have imagined, he's inserted an estimated gajillion horror references into his upcoming "couch gag" intro for The Simpsons.
The director took the helm for the show's upcoming "Treehouse of Horror XXIV" episode's opening sequence and packed it full of nods to tons of iconic horror films. (Side note: It's really hard to believe there have been 23 previous "Treehouse of Horror" Halloween specials on The Simpsons. Sheesh.) The inspiration for the massive horror pastiche, del Toro told Entertainment Weekly, came from Mad magazine's Will Elder, Mort Drucker, and Harvey Kurtzman.
"They would try to cram so many references in," del Toro told EW. "You as a kid could spend an afternoon on your bed with your magnifying glass going through a frame of Mad magazine and finding all these references to this and that."
Del Toro's intro has an homage to The Birds, a bit about The Shining (complete with Stephen King appearance), and even a cameo by Edgar Allan Poe. There are also references to plenty of del Toro's own works like The Devil's Backbone, Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth – Mr. Burns is Pale Man, obviously – and even a wink to the Blade franchise (we're presuming Blade II).
The Simpsons' annual Halloween special, which airs Sunday, will also feature a segment called "Dead and Shoulders" where Bart is beheaded in a kite accident and another bit called "Freaks no Geeks" about Mr. Burns' traveling circus. Check out the "couch gag" above and keep your eyes peeled for all of the horror movie references we missed. (There are plenty. Trust us.)
