Cape Feare

Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob

"Cape Feare" is the second episode in 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, and has since been featured on DVD and VHS releases. Written by Jon Vitti and directed by Rich Moore, "Cape Feare" features the return of guest star Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob, who tries to kill Bart Simpson after getting out of jail. "Cape Feare" is a spoof of the 1962 film Cape Fear and its 1991 remake (which in turn are both based on John D. MacDonald's 1957 novel The Executioners), and alludes to other horror films such as Psycho.

The episode was pitched by Wallace Wolodarsky, who wanted to parody Cape Fear. Originally produced 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, 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 became one of the show's most memorable moments. The episode is generally considered one of the best of the entire series, and the score received an Emmy Award nomination.

After receiving numerous death threats in the mail, Bart becomes paranoid. It is revealed that the writer is his enemy, Sideshow Bob, who is incarcerated in Springfield State Prison. The next day, Sideshow Bob's parole hearing is held; the parole board is easily convinced that Sideshow Bob is no longer a threat. When the Simpson family goes to the cinema, Sideshow Bob sits in front of them and acts obnoxious. The Simpsons then realize that it was him who sent the letters, and Marge angrily tells him to stay away from Bart.