In thinking about one of my generation’s most time-tested Halloween traditions, I decided to look up just how long The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Halloween episodes have been in existence.

According to the all-powerful and sometimes-correct Wikipedia, Treehouse of Horror has been around since October 25, 1990. Whoa, how time flies! No wonder I look forward to those scary-name credits. They’re not just neat-o, they were part of my formative years!

I admit I’ve missed a few of these special episodes in the last few seasons, but of course I have an all-time favorite: The Raven, wherein Bart is the raven who quoth Nevermore (sidebar: in high school I was voted ‘The Next Edgar Allan Poe.’ I’m not sure if this was because I loved to write or because I was dark and brooding …probably both). It rocks for several reasons, among them the fact that the writers preserved all of the actual lines from the lengthy poem and that James Earl Jones narrates. But really, it’s Homer’s delivery of stanzas written in 1845 that made this a classic.

Have a favorite Treehouse of Horror moment? Share your favorite episodes or ‘spooky name in the credits.’