National Lampoon's Animal House

Long before semen hair gel and warm pies as self-pleasuring aids lowered the bar, this quarter-century-year-old forerunner of There's Something About Mary, American Pie, and other modern gross-out comedies, established a new standard for raunchy humor. Having introduced “toga party,” “food fight,” and “road trip” into the colloquial vocabulary, John Landis' 1978 classic college-campus satire also provided a great venue for the talents of then up-and-coming comic John Belushi, who mixed it up with a superb ensemble cast that included Tom Hulce, Tim Matheson, Karen Allen, and Bruce McGill. In a class reunion to die for, the raucous fraternity gang is back in this 25th-anniversary special edition, looking little worse for the wear (just a few minor flaws in the otherwise well-reproduced print betray the film's vintage) and sounding just fine with a new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Too bad there isn't a commentary track among the few extras, but the hilarious “where are they now?” segment, featuring many of the cast members playing in character two-and-a-half decades later, is a real hoot. Toga! Toga! Toga! Highly recommended. (T. Rich)[DVD Review—Oct. 28, 2008—Universal, 2 discs, 109 min., R, $34.98—Making its third appearance on DVD, 1978's Animal House (30th Anniversary Edition) features a solid transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. DVD extras include a “Scene It?” Animal House onscreen version of the popular game, an extensive 88-minute “The Inside Story” making-of documentary, “The Yearbook: An Animal House Reunion” featurette (45 min.), a “Where Are They Now?” Delta Alumni update (24 min.), an exclusive Faber College yearbook, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for the original frat boy classic.][Blu-ray Review—Aug. 2, 2011—Universal, 109 min., R, $26.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1978's Animal House sports a solid transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 sound. Blu-ray extras include a picture-in-picture track with cast and crew interviews and an onscreen guide to the music, a “Scene It?” onscreen version of the popular trivia game, “The Yearbook: An Animal House Reunion” featurette with cast interviews and behind-the-scenes footage (45 min.), a “Where Are They Now? Delta Alumni Update” mockumentary (24 min.), trailers, and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: the granddaddy of gross-out frat boy comedies makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]