When it got here time for “The Simpsons” to do a “Treehouse of Horror” section about “It,” the clown-heavy Stephen King e-book that was not too long ago made right into a two-part film adaptation, they determined to change issues up a bit. They made the section episode-length, which gave them simply sufficient time to do the story justice. The seven-person pal group from the supply materials was was the five-person pal group of Homer, Marge, Moe, Lenny, and Comedian Guide Man. The love triangle between Invoice, Beverly, and Ben was was the story’s foremost focus, this time with Homer and Comedian Guide Man preventing over Marge.
The episode, “Not It,” was a giant success, reeling in a variety of viewers who’d in any other case tuned out from the present’s post-golden period seasons. It was additionally successful amongst Stephen King followers, particularly because the “Treehouse of Horror” sequence has all the time been surprisingly gentle on parodies of King-based films. Positive, the present did a section about “The Shining” in season 5 and a section about “The Useless Zone” in season 15, however that was just about it. Contemplating what number of “Twilight Zone” parodies the Halloween episodes gave us, it is odd that they used Stephen King so sparingly.
Additionally a bit odd is how Stephen King was provided the prospect to voice a cameo for the present’s newest parody of King’s work, however he declined. “[He] declined to take part on this one,” mentioned showrunner Matt Selman in a 2022 interview. “I do not assume he fairly — a few of these authors, they do not perceive that they’ve all the ability. He is the model. He should know that; he is Stephen King. So iconic. Like, I do not even assume I’ve time to learn all of the books he is written in the remainder of my life, not to mention for one particular person to put in writing all these books.”
Stephen King had starred on ‘The Simpsons’ earlier than
Possibly one motive for King’s disinterest in “Not It” is as a result of he’d already appeared on “The Simpsons” earlier than. Within the 2000 episode, “Insane Clown Poppy,” King voices himself at a e-book truthful. Marge asks what undertaking he is engaged on now, and King says he is determined to take a break from the horror style. “I am engaged on a biography of Benjamin Franklin,” he says. “He found electrical energy and used it to torture small animals and Inexperienced Mountain Males … and that key he tied on the finish of a kite? It opened the gates of hell!”
As somebody who admittedly wasn’t that impressed with King’s acting in his “It: Part Two” cameo, I used to be pleasantly shocked on rewatch to see how effectively he delivers his traces on “The Simpsons.” Nevertheless, the funniest joke right here is not even something King says; it is how when Marge tells him, “Let me know once you get again to horror,” King fortunately writes himself a notice studying, “Name Marge, re: Horror.” How might King presumably know Marge’s identify if she by no means launched herself? That is the actual scary half right here.
Tragically, “Insane Clown Poppy” was not a popular episode. It was bashed by critics for being unfunny and low-energy, and in addition for being a bit lazy with all of the visitor cameos. This present’s penchant for quick celebrity cameos has all the time been a combined bag amongst the fandom, and “Insane Clown Poppy” is a good instance of why that is the case.
Maybe Stephen King did not wish to star in “Not It” as a result of he wasn’t impressed with the outcomes of his first time working for the present. Or possibly he declined just because he was busy; it is laborious to know for positive. However with so many Stephen King books and movies for the “Treehouse of Horror” segments to draw from, it is unlikely that “Not It” is the final time the present will invite him again on.
