In her critique of fifty comedies, Bernheimer boldly claims that Animal House "changed the face of comedy forever." (112) Though not one of the best comedies, it so perfectly captured the sentiments of the era's youth subculture that it became a "milestone" in movie history. (109) The film took "antiauthoritarianism" to new highs, while at the same time pushing taste to a "new low." (109) This paved the way for an "endless" slate of "tasteless" comedies aimed at the youth market, forever changing the marketing that dictated Hollywood. (109) It was so successful amongst the youth culture because it brought the kind of "crude, rudely irreverent" comedy that was similar to that of improvisation groups and TV sketch comedy that was extremely popular with teenagers at the time. (110) The heroes of the film were identifiable misfits that refused to take college seriously or respect the "repressive forces" than want them to conform. (110) Belushi's character, Bluto, reminded the audience that even if you "goof off" in college, you could still succeed. (110) In fact, the movie was the first to make a "complete mockery" of the college institution. (112)
    This article confirms many theories of other articles, including the anarchist nature of the film, the lowbrow comedy, the misfit unity, and the attack on education. All of this transformed the depiction of college in film from an institution of higher learning to the college stereotype we now know. In addition, Bernheimer claims Animal House changed how college-themed movies were made and marketed in Hollywood. It made filmmakers realize that college-themed movies should be specifically made for and marketed to a youth audience by using the popular "crude" humor (and the six themes from Thomas and Heldenfel's article). As said in Bernheim's book, Animal House launched a series of similar comedies made specifically for its audience.