National Lampoon's Animal House Joins Netflix on May 1: A Comedy Classic Returns
On Friday, May 1, Netflix will expand its movie streaming library, and the list of additions is an impressive one.
Over two dozen titles will join the platform that day, including one of the most renowned comedies of all-time, John Landis' 1978 smash hit National Lampoon's Animal House.
Written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller, Animal House regularly appears on lists of the best-ever comedies, and its most memorable scenes and quotes have lived on decades later.
National Lampoon's Animal House, a primer
The film is set at Faber College and focuses on the rowdy Greek life at the fictitious school, particularly the Delta Tau Chi fraternity, which is on probation and regularly in trouble with university administration for poor academic performance and a variety of other shenanigans.
Saturday Night Live star John Belushi plays Delta Tau Chi brother John "Bluto" Blutarsky, a role that remains synonymous with the iconic comedian 44 years after his death.
James Widdoes (chapter president Robert "Hoov" Hoover), Tim Matheson (Eric "Otter" Stratton) and Thomas Hulce (Lawrence "Larry" Kroger) also feature as Belushi's frat brothers, with Peter Riegert, Stephen Furst and Bruce McGill playing other Delta Tau Chi members.
John Vernon plays Dean Vernon Wormer, with Verna Bloom in the role of his wife Marion. Donald Sutherland stars as Professor Dave Jennings.
A young Kevin Bacon can be seen as a freshman in Omega Theta Pi, another frat, and Karen Allen plays Katy, the girlfriend of Riegert's Boon, in what marked her film debut.
Still unforgettable nearly 50 years later
Operating on a $3 million budget, Animal House grossed $141.6 million worldwide. Following its release, the movie also received its share of favorable reviews from critics, including Roger Ebert, who graded the film four stars out of four and named it one of his 10 best films of 1978.
Today, Animal House holds a strong 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, along with a 79 out of 100 on Metacritic and 7.4/10 on IMDB.
If you want to watch Animal House before it hits Netflix on May 1, it is available for purchase for $3.99 on YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and Fandango.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Apr 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 5:48 AM.