The 11 best house party movies and where to watch them now

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The 11 best house party movies and where to watch them now
  • If you are in the mood for a good house party movie, we have some suggestions.
  • From "Old School" to the Kid 'n Play classic "House Party," we highlight the best ever.
  • We also list where you can watch the movies right now.

House party movies are a special breed. They can show up in pretty much any genre.

Though often found in teen movies, house parties can also find themselves in a raunchy comedy ("Bachelor Party"), a period drama ("The Great Gatsby"), or even a horror ("Ma"). That's their greatness, if done right they can fit in pretty much anywhere.

I mean, who doesn't love a good house party?

Here we highlight the 11 best house party movies — and where to watch them right now.

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"Animal House"

"Animal House"
John Belushi in "Animal House." Universal

Watch now: iTunes, FandangoNow, Redbox

The classic party movie from the minds of National Lampoon revealed to the world just how deranged fraternity life is. And with their countless house parties, we were also introduced to the toga party.

"Bachelor Party"

"Bachelor Party"
Neal Israel's "Bachelor Party." Fox

Watch now: Amazon (not Prime)

Long before Tom Hanks was "America's Dad" he was just another young comedic actor trying to make it in the business. And one of the highlights of that time is this 1980s raunchy comedy where he plays a guy who, on the eve of his wedding, is thrown a crazy bachelor party by his friends.

We follow the antics of Hanks' character and his friends bring a lot of debauchery to an unsuspecting hotel.

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"Booksmart"

"Booksmart"
(L-R) Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever in "Booksmart." Annapurna Pictures

Watch now: Hulu, iTunes, FandangoNow, Redbox

Olivia Wilde's feature directing debut is this fantastic coming-of-age story about two best friends, Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever), who, after a high school career of studying hard and following the rules, decide to party hard for one night.

The movie features a yacht party and even a murder mystery party, and then its conclusion is a raging house party filled with make-out sessions and a great dance dream sequence.

"Can't Hardly Wait"

"Can't Hardly Wait"
Ethan Embry and Jennifer Love Hewitt in "Can't Hardly Wait." Columbia Pictures

Watch now: iTunes, FandangoNow, Redbox

It's challenging to make a whole movie completely focused on a house party, but this high school romantic comedy pulls it off nicely as we navigate through different groups at the party.

The main focus is on outsider Preston Meyers (Ethan Embry), who decides on the night of the biggest party of the year he's going to profess his love to the most popular girl in school, Amanda Beckett (Jennifer Love Hewitt).

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"The Great Gatsby" (2013)

"The Great Gatsby" (2013)
Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan in "The Great Gatsby." Warner Bros.

Watch now: iTunes, FandangoNow, Redbox, Amazon (not Prime)

Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic is a movie that features incredibly lush party scenes at the estate of the mysterious Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio).

"House Party"

"House Party"
Kid 'n Play in "House Party. New Line Cinema

Watch now: HBO Max, iTunes, FandangoNow, Redbox, Amazon (not Prime)

It's the house party movie that set the standard for all that would follow, and none can match the dance moves Kid 'n Play do in this.

But along with showcasing the comedy, rap, and dance talents of the popular 1990s hip-hop duo, the movie's director, Reginald Hudlin also highlighted the comedy talents of Robin Harris as the father and a young and upcoming comic named Martin Lawrence.

At its core, the movie shows that a house party is a perfect setting for all teen movie issues.

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"Ma"

"Ma"
Octavia Spencer (Center) in "Ma." Universal

Watch now: iTunes, FandangoNow

A house party movie can also be the perfect setting for a horror movie.

In this Blumhouse horror, Octavia Spencer plays a lonely woman who allows a group of teens to drink in her basement. After a series of massive parties, the woman they call "Ma" turns evil and begins to do awful things to them.

"Old School"

"Old School"
Will Ferrell in "Old School." DreamWorks

Watch now: iTunes, FandangoNow, Redbox

Director Todd Phillips combines all the college party elements and adds grown men to create this hilarious movie in which Mitch (Luke Wilson) turns his house into the epicenter for a brand new college fraternity made up of student outcasts and Mitch's friends (Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn).

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"Risky Business"

"Risky Business"
Tom Cruise in "Risky Business." Warner Bros.

Watch now: Hulu, iTunes, FandangoNow, Redbox

Tom Cruise's breakout movie has him playing a graduating high schooler who finds a new sense of freedom when he has the house to himself after his parents are out of town.

On top of the great score from Tangerine Dream throughout, the movie stands out thanks to its third act in which Cruise's character turns his house into a brothel to earn enough money to fix his parent's car (oh, and it's the same night he has his interview with a Princeton recruiter).

"Superbad"

"Superbad"
(L-R) Jonah Hill and Michael Cera in "Superbad." Universal

Watch now: iTunes, FandangoNow, Redbox

The combination of a script by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, producing by Judd Apatow, direction by Greg Mottola, and the talents of its leads Jonah Hill and Michael Cera all equaled to one of the best looks at high school life ever.

And it all focuses on getting to a house party that brings the promise of getting lucky, but, like all great parties, results in a visit from the cops (played by Rogen and Bill Hader).

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"Weird Science"

"Weird Science"
(L-R) Anthony Michael Hall and Ian Mitchell-Smith in "Weird Science." Universal

Watch now: HBO Max, iTunes, FandangoNow, Redbox

This John Hughes classic sprinkles in a fantasy element to the house party genre as outcasts-turned-studs Gary (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt (Ian Mitchell-Smith) prove they aren't wimps by rescuing their girlfriends at their party from a deranged group of bikers.