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

Colour:

Colour (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:

When Casey nurses his wounds in the bathroom at the beginning of the movie, graffiti above his head reads, "Tito and Tarantula." This is the band of Tito Larriva, who has composed music and acted in director Robert Rodriguez's other movies, Desperado (1995) and From Dusk Till Dawn (1996).

Goofs:

Continuity: Zeke places a paper towel over Oscar vertically, but when seen from another angle, he is placing the towel horizontal.

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:

Referenced in Obscure (2005) (VG)

Soundtrack:

MEDICATION

Eminently rentable.

Any movie where Jon Stewart is stabbed in the eye with a vial containing hallucinogens -- and then subsequently melts into a puddle of white goo -- has got something going for it. The Faculty happens to have this and more, with the "more" including a sharp young cast, a semi-clever script by Kevin Williamson, and an array of well-deployed special effects. Thankfully,the film understands that it is a pastiche of earlier, better movies like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and "The Thing," so it spends its time wisely, moving the narrative along quickly and referencing its predecessors whenever possible. The camp value of the supporting cast (Salma Hayek, Robert Patrick, and the great Piper Laure) is considerable, and there are some great deadpan moments, as when the identity of the evil alien leader is finally revealed. Robert Rodriguez is a good and intelligent filmmaker, and while it's likely that the audience for this film won't appreciate some of the nuances, it's silly and insubstantial enough that most anyone will like it. Not scary by any means, but useful as a jumping-off point for younger horror fans and probably the last decent script Kevin Williamson will pen post-"Scream." I don't usually do number ratings, but I'm thinking 7.5.