The Simpsons is famed for its sly nods towards pop culture, and some of the show’s finest
gags stem from the world of cinema.
The witty series is filled with movie references that range from blink-and-miss single frames,
to recreations of entire scenes and extended episode-long homages.
I’m Kyle with WickedBinge.
And today, we bring you our 25 favorite movie references in The Simpsons.
Jaws.
Jaws is Steven Spielberg’s 1975 blockbuster thriller in which the quiet resort town of
Amity Island is terrorized by persistent attacks from a great white shark.
The Simpsons hinted at this aspect of the film in the season four episode titled “Lisa’s
First Word”, which involves a flashback detailing Homer and Marge’s search for a
first home.
The scene depicts Captain Allister’s houseboat, which closely resembles that of Robert Shaw
in ‘Jaws’.
The boat is also attacked by a great white shark, just like in the movie.
Terminator 2.
In The Simpsons season five episode sixteen “Homer loves Flanders”, Ned and Flanders’
family tries to spend some time away from Homer and take a break from his constant presence.
But when Homer spots them speeding into the distance, he goes after them while wielding
a golf club in each hand and eventually latches on to the back of the car.
This scene is quite similar to the sequence in Terminator 2 where T-1000 chases the escape
heroes.
A Clockwork Orange.
Of all the references to Kubrick’s ‘A Clockwork Orange’ that The Simpsons has
adopted over the years, this one is definitely worth mentioning.
In the season four episode “Treehouse Of Horror III”, there’s a Halloween party
at the Simpsons’ house, and Bart can be seen dressed as Alex, the leader of the brutal
gang of youngsters dressed in white shirts, bowler hats and eye makeup.
Basic Instinct.
In the first episode of season six titled “Who Shot Mr. Burns Pt 2”, Groundskeeper
Willie starts an investigation of his own surrounding Mr. Burns’ shooting.
If you look closely, the entire setting of Willie’s interrogation will remind you of
Sharon Stone’s in the thriller ‘Basic Instinct.’
The Fugitive.
After Milhouse is placed on the list of America’s Most Wanted Criminals in the season six episode
“Lisa’s Rival”, he’s held at gunpoint by an agent who looks a lot like Tommy Lee
Jones’ character from the movie ‘The Fugitive’, aka U.S. Marshal, Sam Gerard.
The cop also says, “I don’t care” in the same way when Milhouse tries to convince
him that he isn’t guilty.
The Karate Kid.
In The Simpsons season two episode “Dead Putting Society”, Lisa is shown mentoring
Bart for the crazy golf tournament.
In one of the exercises during his practice, Bart poses on a bin, which mimics Daniel-San’s
crane position in The Karate Kid, when he practices balancing on a bin at the shoreline
with the sun shining in the background.
Raiders of the Lost Ark.
In the season three episode “Bart’s Friend Falls in Love”, the show delivers a sequence
that’s closely inspired by Steven Spielberg’s action adventure ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’.
The original moment from the film shows Indiana Jones enduring a cave of traps and spiders,
right before a massive trap is triggered in the form of a giant ball that chases him down
a tunnel.
In the Simpsons episode, this scene is recreated with great attention to detail, whether it’s
Bart wiping the sweat off his face just like Dr. Jones or Homer resembling the giant boulder
as he rolls down the stairs.
Planet of the Apes.
After hosting infomercials and accepting several low-level acting gigs, Troy McClure finally
lands a valuable role in season 7 episode 19.
He gets a role in the musical version of the 1968 movie ‘Planet of the Apes’ which
is given an alternate name in the episode, “Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to
Get Off.”
The apes in the musical look exactly like the ones in the original movie, not to mention
Dr. Zaius’s character in this parody.
The Red Balloon.
This 1956 film narrates the tale of a boy named Pascal who befriends a bright red balloon
that follows him through Paris and to school.
The Simpsons made a reference to ‘The Red Balloon’ in an episode from season one titled
“The Crepes of Wrath”.
After Bart returns from a terrible cultural exchange in France, he brings everyone gifts,
including a red balloon which he gives to Maggie.
The Terminator.
In the 1984 film The Terminator, Arnie’s robo-assassin sizes up people using a red-tinted
digi-vision, scanning them for potential threats and shoe size.
A small recreation of this scene is shown in The Simpsons season two episode “Principal
Charming” when Homer sizes everyone he sees in the Kwik-E-Mart with a similar robotic
scan.
Gone With the Wind.
In the same episode, Principal Skinner is frustrated after his failed romance with Marge’s
sister, Patty, due to which he yells “Tomorrow is another school day!” with his fist pointing
towards a red and angry sky with Springfield High in the background.
This scene is a parody of the movie ‘Gone With the Wind’ which features Scarlett’s
line at the end, “Tomorrow is another day!”
Rear Window.
In the first episode of season six, Bart spies on his neighbors using a telescope and seemingly
witnesses a crime.
Soon afterwards, Lisa Simpson arrives at the suspect’s house to collect evidence, only
to find herself in grave danger later on.
This entire scene is reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s movie ‘Rear Window’, in
which Grace Kelly’s character Lisa faces the same turbulent situation.
Thelma and Louise.
The Simpsons excelled at the parody of the 1991 film ‘Thelma and Louise’ with the
season 5 episode 6 “Marge on the Lam.”
The reference to this film is especially prominent during the final scene of the episode, when
Ruth’s blue convertible and Homer and Wiggum’s fall over the Grand chasm.
The Wizard of Oz.
In the season two episode “Bart Gets Hit By a Car”, Bart wakes up from an out-of-body
experience, before saying, “I did go away, Mom!
I was miles and miles and miles away, writhing an agony in the pits of Hell!
And you were there, and you and you and you.”
This is a classic reference to The Wizard of Oz, in which Dorothy wakes up on her bed
after having returned from Oz.
She points one by one towards her friends and family surrounding her, indicating that
they were all in Oz with her.
Cinderella.
The Simpsons movie from 2007 made an obvious Cinderella reference when small bluebirds
flutter around Homer and Marge in an attempt to dress and undress them, much like those
flocking to Cinderella and tying her apron in the classic movie.
Goodfellas.
The season three episode “Bart The Murderer” nods at the 1990 movie ‘Goodfellas’ when
Bart purchases a suit right after he starts earning as a bartender.
Notice how this suit resembles the one worn by Henry Hill in the classic crime film.
You Only Live Twice.
The 1967 movie ‘You Only Live Twice’ features the iconic reveal of 007 nemesis and evil
genius, Ernst Stavro Blofeld as he spins in a chair while petting his white, blue-eyed
cat.
In The Simpsons episode “Duffless” from season four, Bart adopts the same chair-spinning
act after he cleverly steals Lisa’s hamster.
The Godfather.
Similar to ‘The Godfather’ moment where the severed head of the prized horse Khartoum
is found under silk sheets, Lisa Simpson screams at the sight of a horse’s head in her bed,
in the season three episode “Lisa’s pony.”
Midnight Express.
In the season three episode “Treehouse of Horror II” custom guards reveal a stash
of contraband souvenirs strapped on Homer’s belly, a scene which takes us back to the
1978 movie ‘Midnight Express’.
Billy Hayes was caught at Istanbul airport the same way, with packs of illegal things
taped to his body.
Psycho.
The ninth episode of season nine titled “Itchy and Scratchy and Marge” features an almost
shot-for-shot reconstruction of Marion Crane’s brutal murder at the Bates family motel in
the 1960 film ‘Psycho’.
Besides the same stabbing action, we also see Maggie lift a mallet and Homer collapse,
cut to the eye and cut to the drain, the only difference being the red paint instead of
real blood.
The Untouchables.
In an attempt to get Homer into Springfield University, Mr. Burns tries to pull off Al
Capone’s trick from ‘The Untouchables’.
In the 1987 crime-drama movie, Al Capone attacks one of his henchmen with a baseball bat after
faking a speech about teamwork.
2001: A Space Odyssey.
Homer has a one-of-a-kind experience with the The Spinemelter 2000 massage chair in
the season three episode “Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?”.
This is the perfect homage to the hallucinatory final scenes of the film ‘2001: A Space
Odyssey’, during which flashing lights can be seen on Dave’s visored face.
Ben-Hur.
In order to compete against Martin and Nelson, Bart constructs his own street racer after
taking up Soap Box racing.
His cart’s barbed wheels are just like those spotted in Messala’s cart from the 1959
movie ‘Ben-Hur’.
Even the final race between Bart and his competitors is heavily influenced by the film.
The Natural.
In the 1984 movie ‘The Natural’, baseball player Roy Hobbs calls his own crafted bat
‘Wonder Boy’ which he makes from a blasted tree.
Homer does the exact same during the season three episode “Homer At The Bat”, except
that he names his creation ‘Wonder Bat.’
Titanic.
The Simpsons Movie mimics the scene from Titanic when the ship is halfway under the ocean and
continues sinking vertically.
In The Simpsons version, a punk rock band named Green Day perform on a barge floating
in Lake Springfield, before everyone starts throwing litter at them, causing the lake
to get polluted.
That’s when the barge begins to sink into the lake, while Green Day plays “Nearer
My God to Thee” on violins.
The Simpsons have been around for three decades so there are plenty of other movie references
we missed.
Let us know in the comment section which movie reference is your favorite.
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But most importantly, stay wicked.