| "Cape Feare" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 2 |
| Directed by | Rich Moore |
| Written by | Jon Vitti |
| Production code | 9F22 |
| Original air date | October 7, 1993 |
| Guest appearance | |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | "The cafeteria deep fryer is not a toy"[1] |
| Couch gag | (first) The family dances along with various circus performers in a kickline. / (second) Upon arriving in Terror Lake, the family (as "The Thompsons") sit on their new couch, only to get covered by a falling mound of fish.[2] |
| Commentary | Matt Groening Al Jean Jon Vitti |
"Cape Feare" is the second episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 7, 1993. The episode features guest star Kelsey Grammer in his third major appearance as Sideshow Bob, who attempts to kill Bart Simpson again after getting out of jail, spoofing the 1962 film Cape Fear and its 1991 remake. Both films are based on John D. MacDonald's 1957 novel The Executioners and allude to other horror films such as Psycho.
The episode was written by Jon Vitti and was the final episode directed by Rich Moore. The idea was pitched by Wallace Wolodarsky, who wanted to parody Cape Fear. Originally produced as the last episode for the fourth season, it was held over to the fifth and was, therefore, the last episode produced by the show's original writers, most of whom subsequently left. The production crew found it difficult to stretch "Cape Feare" to the standard duration of half an hour (minus commercials), and consequently padded several scenes. In one such sequence, Sideshow Bob continually steps on rakes, the handles of which then hit him in the face; this scene has been cited as one of the show's most memorable moments. The score received an Emmy Award nomination.