Curry Barker cops to it: The Simpsons influenced his horror hit. Not in a 'subtle nod' way — in a 'we're talking cursed monkey's paw from "Treehouse of Horror II"' way. That's a bold reference. It's sparked a weirdly heated debate, with some saying Gen Z's cultural references are embarrassingly limited, and others arguing that if a film's good, who cares what inspired it, really?
We've got a classic. And the Simpsons is key. You'll find the idea of the monkey's paw in a 1902 short story. It's called "The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs. The real feel of this tale is "be careful what you wish for". For instance, it inspired The Twilight Zone, which is worth mentioning. Polygon got in touch with Al Jean and Mike Reiss, the writers behind The Simpsons in 1991, to get their take on the game "Obsession". They've had a crossover with horror themes before, it's a key part of their work.
"I guess W. W. Jacobs’ monkey's paw wish was that his work would be famous throughout the world, but that the catch is that he wouldn’t get any money from it, as it’s public domain."
Al Jean
**"Simpsons" Writers on What "Obsession" Got Wrong
You'll get the real feel of chaos. It's a trip to Morocco. The Simpsons get a monkey's paw. Each wish is key. We've seen this before, with The Simpsons pulling off comedy. The family's wishes backfire in a big way, that's for sure.
"For a little segment, it’s one of those great segments where all the writers have something good in there."
Mike Reiss
It's a key line. The quote "Your superior intellect is no match for our puny weapons!" is funny. We've seen this kind of humor before, you'll notice it in the show. They've made it work with the character Kang. Reiss has a point, the satire of early Simpsons-Mania is worth mentioning, it's in the episode with Bart's wish.
"I was blown away. Horror movies are 70% of my media consumption and I loved it. I never thought of ‘Monkey's Paw’ once, but then to hear, in some very tenuous way, that I had a connection to it really just made my day. I’m just happy that this very talented guy watches our show."
Mike Reiss
It's a decent comparison. The episode's budget was $750,000. You'll get a lot for that money. Al Jean made this point, he hasn't seen the film, yet he notes the value in Obsession's budget, similar to the episode's. We've seen this before, with The Simpsons delivering a lot of content for the cost, in this case, $750,000.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Year of "Treehouse of Horror II" episode | 1991 |
| Year of W. W. Jacobs’ "The Monkey’s Paw" story | 1902 |
| Budget of "Treehouse of Horror II" episode | $750,000 |
Simpsons Writers Spill on Horror Flick Rip-Off
It's a connection. The Simpsons still matters. You'll see Treehouse of Horror II echoes in Obsession, a horror game. That's the real feel of influence. The show's impact is key, with Reiss acknowledging the link, even if it's a bit of a stretch. We've got Jean and Reiss being pretty cool with how ideas get reworked, it's honesty from them, showing crossover can be a good thing, worth mentioning in The Simpsons and Obsession.
It's a fun fact. You'll see The Simpsons in Obsession. The real feel is there. We've got a key crossover of ideas, with The Simpsons legends weighing in on the horror hit. This is worth mentioning: they've taken a classic and made it work for a new audience, showing honesty in their approach, for fans of both series. The media is changing, and we've got a new way of thinking about it, with the Obsession team drawing inspiration from The Simpsons in a way that's the real deal, not just a copy.
Simpsons Writers React to 'Obsession' Horror Copycat
It's real. Here's the thing: the Simpsons legends weigh in. You'll find they like Obsession. It's not a competition, they say. The real feel of cultural inspiration is key. For creators, drawing from many sources is worth mentioning. We've seen this with horror and comedy - they intersect. Obsession gets attention, and that's for a reason: a well-crafted narrative device is timeless, it's the real deal, and it works with any genre, like horror or comedy, you'll see it in action when you watch it, and with Obsession, we've got a horror hit that's getting the nod from The Simpsons legends, which is pretty cool, and it's a crossover that makes sense, it's honest, and we've got to appreciate that.
The Bad Gamer Take
Curry Barker and his team at the developer will do a deeper dive into horror themes because of the success of "Obsession" and its inspiration from The Simpsons. Polygon will continue to explore the connections between classic literature and modern horror games, highlighting the influence of W. W. Jacobs' work on the genre. WATCH for Al Jean and Mike Reiss to weigh in on more horror games inspired by their work on The Simpsons.
You'll see this trend. It's in Obsession. The Simpsons is key. We've got a situation where classic TV inspires movies now. Al Jean and Mike Reiss think it's the real feel, you'll get honesty from them. They've made it work, with The Simpsons influencing Obsession, it's worth mentioning, for new creators, and veterans, they've got a lot to explore, for stories, and that's a good thing, it's a crossover we've not seen before, with 20 years of TV and film, coming together, in a way that's fresh, and it's not often you see this kind of thing, where the old inspires the new, in such a direct way.
