The Simpsons' "Treehouse of Horror" episodes have always been some of the show's most highly anticipated events of any given year. Taking aim at anything and everything related to the spookiest of genres, the episodes often feature great parodies of classic horror movies, as well as some truly spectacular cameos. Season 29' installment will be no different, as The Simpsons has officially tapped The Exorcist director William Friedkin to lend his voice to this October's horror-themed festivities.
In a segment titled "MMM... Homer," William Friedkin will provide his voice for a character named Dr. Kenneth Humphries -- a physician who tries to help Homer Simpson when he begins eating his own body. The episode centers on the patriarch of the Springfield family as he starts to cannibalize his own flesh upon running out of legitimate food, which means that we can expect some great David Cronenberg-esque body horror on full display. Of course, when we consider Friedkin's history in the horror genre with The Exorcist, part of us continues to hope that he will prescribe Homer with a healthy portion of pea soup to satisfy his hunger, though perhaps from a more appetizing serving vessel than "a young girl possessed by evil."
Given The Simpsons' long history of incorporating celebrity appearances into its episodes (particularly the Halloween episodes), it makes perfect sense to learn that William Friedkin will lend his vocal chops to the legendary animated sitcom this year. (It will only be his third acting role, too.) Before Friedkin's appearance on the show, some memorable episodes have similarly enlisted horror names like Stephen King, and Robert Englund to help sell the spirit of the season. Friedkin definitely isn't the first master of horror to appear on this show, and he certainly won't be the last.
Although TVLine reports that William Friedkin will appear in "Treehouse of Horror XXVIII," his cameo segment will not be the only homage to his work. Oddly enough, one of the other sequences in the episode will also pay tribute to his iconic 1973 horror film. We do not know much about the sequence yet (or if Friedkin will also lend his voice to it), but we do know that it is called "Exor-sis," which means it will likely involve Maggie and/or Lisa becoming host to a demonic entity. It's a classic horror trope that has terrified audiences since Friedkin perfect it in the 1970s, so we will keep our fingers crossed that the Oscar-winning filmmaker gave theSimpsons team some notes on how to get it right.
"Treehouse of Horror XXVIII" will air on Sunday, October 22 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, while Season 29 will kick off on Sunday, October 1, in the same timeslot. However, we still have plenty of highly anticipated TV shows set to debut before the fall season rolls around, such as The Defenders and The Tick, so make sure to take a look at our summer premiere guide and our fall TV schedule to keep yourself in the loop on all of TV's biggest upcoming premieres!
