The Simpsons forced to delay Halloween special – but releases hilarious trailer to tide fans over

THE Simpsons have been forced to delay their Halloween special.

In the mean time however, the show has released a trailer to whet the appetite for the spooky special episode.

The sitcom's 31st "Treehouse Of Horror" episode will now not be released until next month.

The episode was due to air on October 18, but the show took to their official Twitter account to make the announcement.

They wrote: "Treehouse of Horror XXXI has been postponed until November 1."

The text was accompanied by a picture of Bart Simpson pouring a green liquid into his dad Homer's mouth, who was sleeping in a hammock.

Disappointed fans took to the comments, as one fan said: "Suppose to air before halloween not after. Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo."

Another fan wrote: "Really! You have no idea how much this makes me sad."

This viewer asked: "This makes me very sad. Will there be a new episode today?"

We were then given a reason for the postponement, as the show's Twitter account replied: "Not today. Postponement is due to Game 7 of the NLCS ."

The LA Dodgers outlasted the Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball National League Championship Series, to head to the World Series.

The cartoon has a tradition of ringing in Halloween with its annual Treehouse Of Horror spoof episodes - and for the 31st instalment, it pays homage to Toy Story and Spider Man.