The Simpsons RAVEN
The above video is from The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes, also known as The Simpsons Halloween episodes.
The first Treehouse of Horror episode aired in 1990 as part of the second season, and its on-screen title was “The Simpsons Halloween Special.” It was inspired by EC Comics Horror tales. Although every episode is entitled “Treehouse of Horror”, the first one was the only episode that actually used the treehouse motif. During production of the first episode, Matt Groening was nervous about “The Raven” segment, and felt it would be “the worst, most pretentious thing [they had] ever done.”
Wikipedia
Treehouse of Horror (series)
Treehouse of Horror (series)
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By Tom Fasano on December 9, 2007 – 9:54 pm
Posted in Videos | 18 Comments »
18 Responses
to “The Simpsons RAVEN”
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- Nov 2, 2009: “The Raven” resources–Astin and The Simpsons « The Teaching Files

By
Kegan on Oct 31, 2008 | Reply
Thanks for this; we looked everywhere for our American Literature Before the Civil War class, college level.
Too bad I found a proper video a day late, but thanks nonetheless =) happy Halloween!
By
Birgitte Kjøller Pedersen on Mar 12, 2009 | Reply
Thank you! I’ve become so used to Youtube having just about everything that I was quite at a loss: needed this for a class on The Raven in a Poe theme (Danish high school).
What do you make of it? It’s surprisingly close to the original though the real scare sets in too fast. Using Earl’s fantastic reading is so good!
By
Mr. Fasano on Mar 16, 2009 | Reply
Birgitte, I love showing this film because it helps my student understand how much this poem is about language and mood . . . and like good drama, open to interpretation. Poems are in a sense like plays, that is, only scripts that must be performed. And yes, James Earl Jones’ voice is one of the finest.
By
Kelly on Mar 20, 2009 | Reply
Thank you for posting this. I was looking for it to teach my students about Poe. Do you know of any other short/fun clips (from the Simpsons, Family Guy, or anything) that I could use to teach other elements of poetry? I’d greatly appreciate your input!
By
Jenkins on Jun 14, 2009 | Reply
THANK YOU
I looked on over 25 different websites and THIS would be the very last remaining clip on the internet (without downloading the pirated episode)
Thanks a bunch
By
Aniqua James on Sep 7, 2009 | Reply
This is a great website for well especilly for people that are doing reports on Edgar Allen Poe. this website gave me information about the story ( by that i mean that i was able to see everything and take everthing in).
By
Mike on Oct 13, 2009 | Reply
Good call. I teach this in my Frosh Eng classes,a s well as Film Composition & Literature… This is a nice treat for students.
By
Chris on Oct 29, 2009 | Reply
Ironically, I am unable to download this video, even using Download Helper. Any advice would be appreciated…
By
Tom Fasano on Oct 29, 2009 | Reply
Follow this link: http://www.yourenglishclass.com/videos/simpsonsraven.flv
By
Iris Stackhouse on Nov 2, 2009 | Reply
Thank you so much! I paid twice to download this video online, but I couldn’t get either download to play at school because of our anti-virus filter.
By
Brigitte on Nov 4, 2009 | Reply
There is also a Simpsons episode that parodies The Tell-Tale Heart (3 minute clip) by Poe. I also use a Simpsons parody of The Monkey’s Paw and The Most Dangerous Game. They are not as accurate as The Raven, but still fun!
By
Elisa on Nov 5, 2009 | Reply
Thank you! You have made my day! My students have been begging for this clip for weeks!
By
Andrea on Feb 10, 2010 | Reply
Thank you so much for posting this video! I am a HUGE Matt Groening fan (he’s a local San Diegan-WOOT!), and I really think the Simpsons connects my 9th graders to this Victorian Era narrative poem. Although we read it aloud, and discuss, they don’t really LOVE it until we show the Simpsons’ version!!!
You rock, sir!
Drea McCullough
UC High
By
Joanna on Mar 2, 2010 | Reply
the simpsons are awesome! the best satire cartoon satire i’ve seen. i’ve really grown up with them.
we just read this poem in our 11th grade english class.
its a great poem but the simpsons really makes it easier to follow.
By
Lucy on Apr 9, 2010 | Reply
Is possible to download it?
By
Tom Fasano on Apr 9, 2010 | Reply
To download, click the following and select save. The video is in flash format, which requires a flash player. http://www.yourenglishclass.com/videos/simpsonsraven.flv
By
Katy on May 24, 2010 | Reply
Thanks for posting this clip! I remember watching it in class as a freshman in high school, and this week I’ve been using it in my unit on poetry. I teach English writing to college sophomores here in China, and the video helped them to understand the gist of the poem although the language is above their level.