National Lampoon's Animal House is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis. The screenplay was adapted by Douglas Kenney, Chris Miller and Harold Ramis from stories written by Miller and published in National Lampoon magazine based on Miller's experiences in the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity at Dartmouth College, as well as Ramis' experiences in the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity at Washington University in St. Louis. The film is about a misfit group of fraternity boys who challenge their college's administrators. Early casting ideas included Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Brian Doyle-Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and John Belushi. Of these five comedians, only Belushi was cast and he received $35, 000 for the film with a bonus after it became a hit. Several of the actors, including Karen Allen and Kevin Bacon, were just beginning their careers. The studio's executives disagreed with Landis' selections and wanted to cast dramatic actors as well as comedians. Upon its initial release, Animal House received positive review from critics and Time proclaimed it one of the year's best. It is considered to be the movie that launched the gross-out genre, although it was predated by several films now