Animal House 1978

As the autumn leaves began to rustle in 1962, a pair of fresh-faced Faber College initiates, Larry Kroger and Kent Dorfman, set out to claim their place among the fraternity elite. Initially rebuffed by the Omega Theta Pi socialites at a lavish house party, the duo sought solace next door at the humble Delta Tau Chi abode. Kent’s familial ties to the fraternity proved to be the key to unlocking acceptance, as his brother Fred had once walked the same hallowed halls. The night air was filled with laughter and camaraderie as Larry and Kent met their new brothers: the charismatic John Blutarsky (“Bluto”), the smooth-talking ladies’ man Eric Stratton (“Otter”), motorcycle enthusiast Daniel Simpson Day (“D-Day”), Donald Schoenstein (“Boon”), and his exasperated girlfriend Katy. With a nod from the chapter president Robert Hoover (“Hoov”), Larry and Kent were welcomed into the fold as pledges, earning the monikers “Pinto” and “Flounder,” respectively. Meanwhile, Omega stalwart Chip Diller was accepted into their ranks with a stern paddling as his initiation rite.

However, the fraternal harmony was short-lived, as Dean Vernon Wormer’s ire toward Delta Tau Chi grew. The fraternity’s probationary status, stemming from numerous infractions and subpar academic performance, had left Wormer determined to rid the campus of this perceived menace. He dispatched Greg Marmalard, Omega’s president, to enlist the aid of ROTC Commander Douglas C. Neidermeyer in finding a pretext for expelling Delta house. The ensuing animosity between the rival fraternities and their respective leaders only intensified as a series of incidents unfolded.

The tragic accident involving Neidermeyer’s horse, which met its demise during a retaliatory prank aimed at Flounder, further fueled the hostility. Meanwhile, Otter’s flirtatious exploits with Mandy, previously unaware to her boyfriend Greg Marmalard, added another layer of complexity to their already-complicated relationships.

As tensions simmered, Bluto and D-Day orchestrated a heist, pilfering the answer key to an upcoming midterm exam from the trash. Unbeknownst to them, the Omegas had switched it with a fake key containing incorrect answers. The Delta Tau Chi brothers’ subsequent failures led to a precipitous decline in their grade-point averages, leaving Wormer poised to revoke their charter and cast them out of campus forever.

Undeterred, the Deltas plotted a toga party, recruiting Pinto and Flounder to procure supplies from a local supermarket. At the market, Pinto encountered a charming young cashier named Clorette, inviting her to join in the revelry. Otter, meanwhile, had his eyes on Marion Wormer, oblivious to her status as the Dean’s wife. The night of the toga party, as Otis Day and the Knights serenaded the festivities, Otter seduced Marion, while Pinto and Clorette shared a passionate moment before she succumbed to intoxication. Pinto, resisting the temptation to exploit her vulnerability, instead ferried her home in a shopping cart, only later discovering that she was the 13-year-old daughter of Carmine DePasto, the town’s mayor.

As Wormer orchestrates a sham trial led by the Omegas, the Deltas’ charter is revoked and their belongings are seized. In a desperate bid to salvage their social lives, Otter, Boon, Pinto, and Flounder embark on a road trip in Flounder’s brother Fred’s borrowed Lincoln Continental, arriving at Emily Dickinson College, an all-female institution, where Otter poses as Frank, the fiancé of deceased student Fawn Liebowitz. Their aim is to secure dates for themselves and their friends, but little do they know that their plan will be foiled by a rowdy roadhouse bar performance by Otis Day and the Knights, exclusive to a predominantly black clientele. The Deltas are subsequently intimidated into abandoning their dates and fleeing in disarray.

The next morning, Boon discovers Katy has spent the night with Dave Jennings, an English professor. Meanwhile, Babs inadvertently sets off a chain reaction when she tells Marmalard that Otter has been having an affair with Mandy; Marmalard then coerces Babs into luring Otter to a motel, where the Omegas deliver a brutal beating. The Deltas’ academic woes take a turn for the worse as Wormer expels them all from Faber due to their dismal midterm grades, and gleefully notifies their local draft boards that they are now eligible for military service.

Undeterred, Otter’s support galvanizes Bluto into rallying the Deltas to exact revenge during the annual Homecoming parade. With Fred’s Lincoln transformed into the “Deathmobile,” a cake-shaped breakaway float disguised as an armored vehicle, the Deltas wreak havoc on the parade route. The chaos culminates in the Deathmobile ramming the reviewing stand, sending Marmalard, Wormer, DePasto, and their wives flying.

As order slowly returns to the streets, the futures of several characters are revealed. To everyone’s surprise, many Deltas achieve unexpected success: Bluto becomes a United States senator and marries Mandy, while most of the Omegas meet less fortunate ends, including Neidermeyer, whose military career is cut short when he is killed by his own troops during the Vietnam War.