Naman Shrestha
Directed by John Landis, ‘National Lampoon’s Animal House’ is a 1978 comedy movie set in 1962 that revolves around the two fraternities at the fictional Faber College — Omega Theta Pi House and Delta Tau Chi House. While Dean Vernon Wormer favors the former, the latter is the bane of his existence. When two socially awkward freshmen, Larry and Kent, arrive at the college, they attempt to become a part of the Omegas but are rejected. Now, with their feet on the ground, Larry and Kent turn to the notorious fraternity of the Deltas, where they are accepted.
Since the Dean has it in for the Deltas, he assigns the Omegas to eliminate their opposite frat. Featuring hilarious performances from a talented ensemble, including John Belushi, Tim Matheson, Peter Riegert, Tom Hulce, and Stephen Furst, the movie changed the course of the comedy genre for the better. Moreover, the setting of the fictional Faber College makes you curious about the actual filming sites of ‘National Lampoon’s Animal House.’
National Lampoon’s Animal House Filming Locations
‘National Lampoon’s Animal House’ was filmed in Oregon and California, specifically in Eugene, Lane County, and Los Angeles County. According to reports, the principal photography for the comedy movie commenced in October 1977 and wrapped up in December of the same year. Now, without further ado, let’s traverse all the sites appearing in the classic comedy movie!
Eugene, Oregon
Most of the pivotal sequences for ‘National Lampoon’s Animal House’ were lensed in Eugene, the second largest city in Oregon, right after Portland. The Dr. A.W. Patterson House at 751 East 11th Street doubled for the Delta House, but the property has been demolished. As for the interior scenes involving the Omega House were recorded in the Phi Kappa Psi house and the Sigma Nu house at 729 East 11th Street and 763 East 11th Avenue, respectively. In addition, the scenes set in Otter and Hoover’s bedrooms were shot on a film studio’s soundstage.
A few essential portions of the comedy movie were also recorded in and around the DePasto house at 2160 Potter Street in Eugene. The University of Oregon stood in for the fictional Faber College as the team utilized the campus to the best of their abilities. While the Johnson Hall in Central Campus doubled for the Administration Building of Faber College, the Gerlinger Hall on the Women’s Memorial Quadrangle stood in for the Emily Dickinson Hall of the fictional college.
The student cafeteria scenes, including Bluto impersonating a zit bursting, were shot in the Fishbowl Café of the Erb Memorial Union at 1222 East 13th Avenue at the University of Oregon. The production team set up camp at various other sites across the campus to lens key portions of the movie, including Autzen Stadium at 2727 Leo Harris Parkway, Hayward Field at15th Avenue and Agate Street, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at 1430 Johnson Lane, around Knight Library on Memorial Quad at 1501 Kincaid Street, and the tennis courts on East 18th Avenue.
Lane County, Oregon
Additional portions of ‘National Lampoon’s Animal House’ were taped in Lane County, Oregon’s fourth most populous county. For instance, Cottage Grove, the third largest city in Oregon’s Lane County, served as another important production location for the movie. Specifically, the concluding parade scene in the movie was shot on Main Street, while the scene where the marching band is misdirected off the street was filmed at 733 East Main Street, both in Cottage Grove.
Furthermore, the Relax Inn at 1030 North Pacific Highway in Cottage Grove doubled for the Rainbow Motel in the John Landis directorial. Besides, some key scenes were recorded in Dexter, an unincorporated community in the county. For instance, the filming unit was spotted taping several scenes in and around the Dexter Lake Club at 39128 Dexter Road.
Los Angeles County, California
For shooting purposes, the production team of ‘National Lampoon’s Animal House’ also traveled to Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the country. As per reports, they utilized the facilities of Universal Studios Lot at 100 Universal City Plaza in Universal City, an unincorporated area located within the San Fernando Valley. The film studio is home to over 30 sound stages spread across over 400 acres, production offices, dressing rooms, rehearsal halls, and a massive backlot area. All these amenities make it a suitable shooting site for different projects.
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