The Faculty (1998)

Director:

Robert Rodriguez

Writers (WGA):

David Wechter (story) &
Bruce Kimmel (story) ...

Release Date:

25 December 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Six students are about to find out their teachers really are from another planet.

Plot:

Students suspect that their teachers are aliens after bizarre occurances.

Plot Keywords:

Teacher | Alien | Small Town | High School | Faculty

Awards:

8 nominations

Cast

Jordana Brewster	...	Delilah Profitt
Clea DuVall	...	Stokely 'Stokes' Mitchell
Laura Harris	...	Marybeth Louise Hutchinson
Josh Hartnett	...	Zeke Tyler
Shawn Hatosy	...	Stan Rosado
Salma Hayek	...	Nurse Rosa Harper
Famke Janssen	...	Miss Elizabeth Burke
Piper Laurie	...	Mrs. Karen Olson
Christopher McDonald	...	Mr. Frank Connor
Bebe Neuwirth	...	Principal Valerie Drake
Robert Patrick	...	Coach Joe Willis
Usher Raymond	...	Gabe Santora
Jon Stewart	...	Prof. Edward Furlong
Daniel von Bargen	...	Mr. John Tate
Elijah Wood	...	Casey Connor

Also Known As:

Feelers (USA) (working title)
Untitled Kevin Williamson/Robert Rodriguez Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence/gore, strong language, drug use and some nudity.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Philippines:R-18 | Italy:VM14 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 DVD version | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:18 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:18 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #36445) | Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

Cameo: [The girl student with the black top and tan skirt who laughs at Elijah Wood getting his balls smashed into a flagpole was Austin rocker Sarah Talbot]who at the time was the front woman for The Hollywood Wife Beaters. Laughing at Wood was her idea and the director keep it in.

Goofs:

Continuity: Marybeth (the Queen-Alien) explains she could pass Zeke's Skat test by quickly removing the blue cap on the pen, making the drug fall on the floor. However, the pen is empty but the blue cap is still on the pen.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Coach Willis: You got to pick up the line. God damn it! Get off the fucking field you limp ass blow jobs!

Movie Connections:

References The Thing (1982)

Soundtrack:

STAY YOUNG

Campy, ridiculous, but entertaining high school version of Body Snatchers

This film fuses elements of the Breakfast Club with Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Robert Rodrigues makes entertaining films, and does so consistently. The Faculty is no exception, though the formula is radically different from his standard approach. In place of large guns, spectacular stunt choreography and a silly soundtrack, Rodrigues made "The Faculty" with a classy ensemble cast and some awesome special effects. The script is also very good, featuring strong characterization and interesting dialog. All of these elements make The Faculty a very watchable film, and make up for the completely unoriginal and not very coherent plot.

The film begins as a paranoiac comedy about a typical high school where the students and faculty see each other as alien species. Ho hum. However, after about 20 minutes of set-up, the faculty really starts to become an alien species, as they are assimilated by water-loving parasites with very bad attitudes and a kind of group consciousness straight out of Invasion of The Body Snatchers and Star Trek's Borg. Six kids, very unlikely team-mates representing the archetypal teenage personalities of the postmodern world, team up to try to save the world, once they realize that the aliens can be driven off by, of all things, caffeine. Especially impressive are Elijah Wood, Piper Laurie, Robert Patrick, Josh Hartnett and Clea DuVall.

Like most of Rodrigues' films, The Faculty never loses its sense of humor, and pulls off its own absurdity with artful visualization and a tight, driving pace. Unlike many of Rodrigues' films, however, The Faculty is disposable - it's not really meant to be viewed more than once. See it if you're a Rodrigues fan, or somebody who enjoys the obscure but growing genre of horror-comedy.