Comedy Review: National Lampoon's Class Reunion

Classmates Being Murdered in John Hughes' Goofy Slasher Spoof

May 18, 2009 Mckenzie Cassidy

A comedy about a group of classless graduates being targeted by a psychopath at their 10 year reunion, follows in the footsteps of National Lampoon's Animal House.

Written by John Hughes – writer of a handful of other classics such as Pretty In Pink, The Breakfast Club, Home Alone and Weird Science – it stars Gerrit Graham as ex-jock Bob Spinnaker and Miriam Flynn as the popularity-starved Bunny Packard.

Stephen Furst, who played Kent “Flounder” Dorfman in 1978’s Animal House, also stars in the film as the perverted classmate Hubert Downs.

Class Reunion is one of the least known films from the National Lampoon's vault, but it certainly is a hilarious parody of the 1980s teen-slasher genre. It follows a rag-tag crew of classmates who return to their condemned high school – ironically named Lizzie Borden High – for their 10 year reunion, but they soon learn that a homicidal maniac is trying to kill them all.

Each character has a distinct comedic personality and this is perhaps the most entertaining aspect of the film. There is the jock, the zero, the homecoming queen, the pervert, the disabled and the movie even gives a nod to the stereotypical lunch lady.

Goonies’ actress Anne Ramsey portrays the retired lunch lady Mrs. Tabazooski, who cuts meatloaf with a saw and serves green slop with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth. It’s a hilarious and memorable performance.

Bullies Beware of Walter Baylor

Before graduating, the class of 1972 often got a laugh at the expense of other classmates. In their senior year they convinced the unassuming Walter Baylor to go to second base with a girl wearing a brown bag over her head.

Unfortunately, the girl turns out to be his twin sister.

This event causes him to go insane and he is locked away at a mental hospital, but on the night of the reunion he escapes to murder all of his classmates while wearing a plaid skirt and brown bag over his head. Blackie Dammett portrays the demented Walter Baylor.

In the process of tracking down Baylor, the unrecognizable Gary Nash (Fred McCarren) proves his fortitude. In high school Nash was voted "most likely to forget" and at his reunion everyone calls him Jerry. (This is undoubtedly a salute to the high school nobodies who go on to be winners.)

National Lampoons

In 1970 the National Lampoon's magazine was created as a spin-off to the Harvard Lampoon, and over the next forty years it has spawned a series of parody films. Most notably among the series is National Lampoon's Vacation, starring Chevy Chase, based on a short story written by Hughes and originally published in the magazine.

Hughes actually makes an appearance in Class Reunion as the girl waiting for Baylor in the beginning of the film. Also, the Lizzie Borden High Class of '72 yearbook superlatives show in the beginning and end of the film and are absolutely hilarious.

• Enjoyable Rating: 7 out of 10 for gratuitous violence, sex and comedy.
• MPAA Rating: Rated R for language, drug content and brief nudity.
• Minutes: 84 minutes
• If You Like “Class Reunion” You’ll Also Like: Animal House

The copyright of the article Comedy Review: National Lampoon's Class Reunion in Romantic Films/Comedies is owned by Mckenzie Cassidy. Permission to republish Comedy Review: National Lampoon's Class Reunion in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Comedy Classic: National Lampoon's Class Reunion