Released: 1998
Starring: Elijah Wood, Josh Hartnett, Jordana Brewster, Shawn Hatosy, Clea DuVall, Laura Harris, Robert Patrick, Bebe Neuwirth, Piper Laurie, Famke Janssen, Usher Raymond, Salma Hayek, Jon Stewart
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
Distributed by: Miramax Films
Rating: R (UK – 15)
“Six students are about to find out their teachers really are from another planet.”
It’s September! The summer is over and it is time to go back to school! Students and teachers show up for a fresh new year of learning. As an educator myself one of my favorite things to do in the weeks leading up to the first day of school and throughout the month of September is watch films that take place in schools. Some are motivational, some comedic, but my preferred choice are the horror films. Why? Because going back to school can be a nightmare and not only for the students. Many teachers experience “first day nightmares” that usually start towards the middle of August and always include something going wrong on that first day of the new school year. Usually, it’s something like not waking up to their alarm or no one showing up to their classes. Although I cannot speak for everyone, it usually doesn’t involve alien invasions.
However, The Faculty, directed by Robert Rodriguez, is an American science fiction horror film centering around just that. It takes place at the fictional Herrington High School in Ohio at the beginning of the year. The story follows a mismatched group of students from all different “cliques” and groups. There is the jock, the goth, the beauty, the nerd, the rebel, and the new girl. From the first scene, it is evident that there is something wrong with the faculty at Herrington starting with Coach Willis. We the viewers are made to believe that some of the faculty has begun killing other teachers.
The students return to the next day and slowly begin noticing odd behavior from their educators. They begin to act against their normal personalities which is evident through Coach Willis and his calm reaction to his football captain, Stan, quitting the team as well as mousy and quiet Miss Burke giving rebel student, Zeke, a series of violent and explosive threats when seeing him handing out drugs in the school courtyard.
One of the biggest changes, that is quite evident, is the faculty’s insatiable desire for water. The coffee maker in the Faculty Lounge is left empty and neglected, while large gallons of water and cases of water bottles are being consumed at a fast rate This, in my opinion, would be the biggest red flag to an alien invasion. I cannot go a day without coffee and know that to be true for most of my colleagues. However, the Coach is also seen standing in the sprinklers on the football field which shows the intense need to be hydrated. Are they just trying to be healthy? Nope.
Two of our core group of students witness violence for the first time in the Faculty Lounge while snooping around. Despite telling their parents, no one believes them as the evidence has disappeared. It is then made clear that whatever has taken over the teachers is being spread to Law Enforcement as well. The students band together and flee the school in an attempt to avoid turning into “one of them”. Stokley, the goth, is an expert in science fiction so with her knowledge and a few pens full of Zeke’s “magic powder” they head back to school for one of the most important events of the town; a football game. Can they save everyone before being turned themselves? And you thought your high school experience was rough!
I still enjoy this film as much as I did the first time I watched it many years. I love the characters and all the wonderful actors included in this film. Josh Hartnett’s character Zeke is an excellent example of how incredibly smart some of the most difficult students can be. I love the misunderstood character Stokely played by Clea Duvall. And of course Elijah Wood, as Casey, makes an excellent nerd. The faculty also includes some wonderful actors such as Jon Stewart, Salma Hayek, Robert Patrick, Bebe Neuwirth, and Famke Janssen.
The script is funny and realistic. We get to see a glimpse of the everyday struggles of a school district and of teenage life while also seeing the exciting result of an alien invasion. The aliens “parasites” are the right amount of gross and creepy and will definitely make your skin crawl. The set is an average school with all the right long hallways that will make an escape feel impossible especially in the dark. Trust me, there is a special kind of scary for a school building at night with no lights on. Especially when you are running for your life.
The soundtrack is great and definitely an excellent listen for when you are missing the ’90s with artists like The Offspring and the Foo Fighters. Of course, my favorite is the School’s Out cover by Soul Asylum! But you don’t have to take my word for it, you can sample the whole album on YouTube and/or grab a copy for yourself at Amazon.
The Faculty is definitely one of my favorite teen horror flicks from the ’90s. There are even some excellent jump scares. It won’t leave you pondering the possibility of aliens and alien invasion but it will entertain you and most likely have you looking for other favorites from the decade.
Rating:
Ella Fiore:
If you love a good alien invasion or just want to see some of your favorite actors in something “new”, watch this! Who knows maybe it will even have you missing those good old days in high school and the wonderful faculty who got you through it.
Thomas C:
I think that The Faculty is a fantastic result of remastering and remaking old ideas. In this particular case, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which has had its own fair share of spiritual successors, a direct remake starring Donald Sutherland, and may have even influenced John Carpenter’s The Thing. The Faculty, however, takes it in a semi-original direction with a star-studded cast of its time. Making it an often overlooked classic of its respective genre. A thoroughly enjoyable film.
Jack Savage:
While it’s starting to show its age (especially the C.G.I.), The Faculty brings in an all-star cast, solid soundtrack, and a new twist to old plots. Heavily influenced by popular sci-fi films of the past, it is still a fun film for horror and sci-fi fans. “What kind of human being would I be if I did that?” – Coach Willis
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