Robert Rodriguez and Kevin Williamson. That was the pitch. In 1998, those two names were basically the kings of the genre world. Williamson had just resurrected the slasher with Scream, and Rodriguez was the ultimate indie darling turned action maestro. When they teamed up for The Faculty, expectations were weirdly high, even for a movie about alien parasites taking over a high school. It’s a movie that feels like a time capsule, yet it’s surprisingly savvy about how it handles its tropes.
Honestly, it shouldn't have worked as well as it did. The plot is a blatant riff on Invasion of the Body Snatchers mixed with The Breakfast Club. You've got the jock, the goth, the nerd, the new girl, the drug dealer, and the cheerleader. It's a collection of stereotypes that should feel tired, but because the script leans into the "us versus them" paranoia of adolescence, it actually clicks.
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The Weird Genius of The Faculty (1998)
What most people forget is that The Faculty was a Miramax/Dimension Films powerhouse project. This wasn't some low-budget schlock that accidentally found an audience on cable. It was a calculated attempt to capture the late-90s teen boom. But Rodriguez brought a certain grit to it. Instead of the polished, glossy look of Dawson's Creek, Harrington High looks lived-in. It's dusty. It's brown. It feels like a place where dreams go to die even before the aliens arrive.
The cast is a literal "who’s who" of people who were about to become massive or were already legends. You’ve got Elijah Wood before he went to Middle-earth. Josh Hartnett in his prime heartthrob era. Salma Hayek, Jon Stewart, and even Usher. And don’t even get me started on Robert Patrick. After Terminator 2, seeing him as a menacing football coach was a stroke of casting genius. He doesn't even have to do much; he just stares, and you’re immediately unsettled.
Critics at the time were... mixed. Roger Ebert gave it two stars, calling it a "rip-off." But that’s sort of missing the point. It’s not a rip-off; it’s a remix. Williamson’s script literally has the characters name-drop The Puppet Masters and Jack Finney. It knows it's a movie. It knows you've seen this before. That meta-awareness was the hallmark of 90s horror, and The Faculty wears it like a badge of honor.
Why the Parasites Worked
Practical effects. That’s the secret sauce. While 1998 was a year where CGI was starting to take over—think Godzilla or Antz—Rodriguez kept a lot of the alien stuff tactile. When the creature finally reveals itself in the gym, yeah, there’s some dated digital work, but the earlier scenes with the "scat" (the drug Zeke sells) and the ear-crawling stuff? That’s all gross-out practical magic. It feels wet. It feels dangerous.
There is a specific scene involving a paper cutter that still makes people wince. It's short. Brutal. Effective.
The mechanics of the invasion are also pretty clever. The aliens need water. It’s a simple biological hook that allows for great visual cues, like the teachers constantly chugging from water coolers or the heavy rain during the climax. It also sets up the "test" scene. In The Thing, it’s the blood test. In The Faculty, it’s snorting caffeinated diuretic dust. It's ridiculous. It's peak 90s. And yet, the tension in that garage is real. You’re watching these kids force each other to do drugs just to prove they’re still human. It’s a dark, twisted mirror of actual peer pressure.
A Soundtrack That Defined an Era
You can't talk about this movie without talking about the music. The "Class of '99" supergroup covering "Another Brick in the Wall" was a massive marketing play. It fit the theme perfectly. The soundtrack featured Garbage, The Offspring, and Soul Asylum. It was the "Alternative Rock" starter pack.
But it wasn't just background noise. The music underscored the rebellion. The movie posits that the only people capable of seeing the world for what it truly is—an alien-infested nightmare—are the outcasts. The adults are already gone. The "normal" kids are transitioning into mindless drones. It’s a literalization of the feeling that every teenager has: that their authority figures have been replaced by soulless monsters who want them to conform.
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The Legacy of the Harrington High Outcasts
Looking back, the movie handles its archetypes with a surprising amount of empathy. Clea DuVall’s character, Stokely, isn't just a "weird girl." She's using that persona as a shield. Zeke, played by Hartnett, is a genius who’s failing on purpose because he doesn’t see the point. These aren't just victims; they're kids with agency.
Some fans argue that the ending is a bit too "neat." Everyone survives (well, most of the main kids), the losers become popular, and the world goes back to normal. But is it normal? The movie leaves you with this slight lingering feeling that the "conformity" of high school life isn't that much different from being controlled by an alien queen.
Interestingly, The Faculty has seen a massive resurgence in the "Cult Classic" circuit recently. Gen Z has discovered it on streaming platforms, and they dig the aesthetic. The oversized sweaters, the cropped hair, the lo-fi tech. It's "Retro-Futurism" but for the 90s.
Spotting the Influence
You can see DNA from this movie in things like Stranger Things or even Yellowjackets. That blend of high-stakes genre horror with intense teenage interpersonal drama. It proved that you could make a "teen movie" that didn't feel patronizing. It was violent, it was sweary, and it was cynical.
If you're going back to watch it now, pay attention to the cinematography. Rodriguez uses a lot of low angles and wide lenses to make the school hallways feel cavernous and oppressive. He captures the heat of an Ohio September so well you can almost smell the gym floor wax and the grass.
It’s also worth noting the script’s pacing. It’s a lean 104 minutes. No bloat. It starts with a murder in the first five minutes and doesn’t let up until the credits roll. In an era of three-hour blockbusters, the efficiency of The Faculty is something to be admired.
What to Do Next
If you’re looking to revisit this era of horror or dive deeper into why this specific film holds up, there are a few things you should actually check out:
- Watch the "Director’s Commentary": If you can find the physical media or a digital version with extras, Rodriguez is a masterclass in "guerrilla filmmaking." He explains how he cheated shots to save money and how he worked with a massive ensemble.
- Compare it to Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978): Watch them back-to-back. You’ll see exactly where Williamson took the "paranoia" beats and how he updated them for a cynical, post-grunge audience.
- Track the Cast’s Career Arcs: It’s wild to see Josh Hartnett in this and then go watch Oppenheimer. Or Elijah Wood in this versus Yellowjackets Season 2. The talent in this movie was legitimately top-tier.
- Check out the "Faculty" Soundtrack on Vinyl: It was recently reissued, and for anyone who loves 90s alt-rock, it’s a goldmine of tracks that defined the decade's sound.
The movie isn't perfect. The CGI during the final showdown in the gym pool looks like a PlayStation 1 cutscene at times. Some of the dialogue is "peak Williamson"—maybe a little too clever for its own good. But as a piece of entertainment? It hits every mark. It’s a movie that knows exactly what it is and doesn't apologize for it. It’s fast, it’s mean, and it’s a whole lot of fun.
Stop treating it like a footnote in horror history. It’s a blueprint for how to do a "homage" correctly. You don't just copy the old stuff; you inject it with enough new blood—and maybe a little bit of alien parasite—to make it feel alive again.
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Go watch it again. Specifically on a Friday night. It still rips.