Taglines: Six students are about to find out their teachers really are from another planet.
The Faculty movie storyline. Miramax Films darlings Robert Rodriguez and screenwriter Kevin Williamson teamed up for a high-school alien-horror film that they described as The Breakfast Club meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Dilapidated Herrington High is the location for a story about a school faculty taken over by outer-space creatures, forcing the students to take charge and kick some alien butt.
School faculty members (Robert Patrick, Bebe Neuwirth, Salma Hayek, and Jon Stewart) are infested with rapidly reproducing space worms that take over their minds and bodies. But never fear, because at this school, between hazing the student body and having sex in the locker room, a Scooby-Doo-ish group of high school students is ready to fight back. The up-and-coming acting talent includes R&B singer Usher Raymond, Elijah Wood, Clea DuVall, Josh Hartnett, Shawn Hatosy, Laura Harris, and Jordanna Brewster. The story is nearly irrelevant, as the real stars are the action and lots of special effects.
The Faculty is a 1998 American science fiction teen horror film written by Kevin Williamson, directed by Robert Rodriguez, and starring Elijah Wood, Josh Hartnett, Shawn Hatosy, Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Laura Harris, Robert Patrick, Bebe Neuwirth, Piper Laurie, Famke Janssen, Usher Raymond, Salma Hayek, and Jon Stewart.
In 1990, David Wechter and Bruce Kimmel wrote their first draft of the script and sent it out, but there were no buyers. It wasn’t until after the success of Scream that Miramax bought the script and rushed it into production. Bob Weinstein and Harvey Weinstein brought in Kevin Williamson to do rewrites, keeping the basic story, but rewriting the dialogue and adding new characters to make it more “hip”. Originally, Williamson was set to direct the film, but he chose not to so he could direct his self-penned script Teaching Mrs. Tingle. The Weinsteins brought in Robert Rodriguez to direct the film instead.
The score is composed by Marco Beltrami, who had previously scored the teen-slasher-horror film, Scream, as well as Mimic. Both Beltrami’s score[9] and songs by various artists used in the film were released as albums. The “music from the motion picture” album features songs by various indie and alternative rock groups.
About the Story
One evening at Herrington High School in Ohio (home of the Hornets), several teachers and Principal Drake leave after discussing the school’s budget. When Drake returns to retrieve her keys, Coach Willis becomes increasingly erratic and stabs a pencil through Drake’s hand when she attempts to leave. Drama teacher Mrs. Olson emotionlessly stabs Drake with scissors as she flees the school.
The following morning, the students arrive, including Casey Connor, the dedicated but perpetually harassed photographer for the school newspaper. Casey is the unappreciated assistant to spiteful Delilah Profitt, the paper’s editor-in-chief and head cheerleader. Delilah’s mistreated boyfriend Stan Rosado is contemplating quitting the football team to pursue academics.
Zeke Tyler is an intelligent yet rebellious student repeating his senior year. He sells, among other illegal items, a powdery ecstasy-like drug he manufactures and distributes; he is confronted by English teacher Elizabeth Burke, who expresses concern for him over his illegal activities. Naive transfer student Marybeth Louise Hutchinson befriends self-styled outcast Stokely Mitchell. Delilah has spread rumors that Stokely is a lesbian though she has a crush on Stan. Marybeth develops a crush on Zeke.
Casey notices a strange creature and takes it to science teacher Mr. Furlong, who believes it is a new species of cephalopod-specific parasite called a mesozoan. Delilah and Casey hide in the teachers’ lounge to find a story. They witness Coach Willis and Ms. Olson forcing one of the creatures into the ear of school nurse Ms. Harper. They also find the body of Mrs. Brummel. Casey and Delilah flee, and Casey calls the police. Principal Drake claims that nothing is wrong and Casey is seeking attention; his parents believe the lie and harshly ground him.
The next day, Casey tells Delilah, Stan and Stokely he believes the teachers are being controlled by aliens. After Zeke and Marybeth tease them about their theory, Mr. Furlong confronts them. Furlong suddenly becomes defensive and attempts to infect them. Zeke cuts off Furlong’s fingers and injects his homemade drugs into Furlong’s eye, apparently killing him.
Zeke takes the five to his house, where he experiments on Casey’s specimen. He discovers it needs water to survive and can be killed by his drugs. Zeke makes everyone take his drug to prove they are uninfected humans. Delilah is revealed as infected, and she destroys Zeke’s lab and most of his drug supply before escaping.
The Faculty (1998)
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
Starring: Elijah Wood, Jordana Brewster, Shawn Hatosy, Bebe Neuwirth, Clea DuVall, Josh Hartnett, Famke Janssen, Laura Harris, Piper Laurie, Salma Hayek, Jon Stewart
Screenplay by: Kevin Williamson
Production Design by: Cary White
Cinematography by: Enrique Chediak
Film Editing by: Robert Rodriguez
Costume Design by: Michael T. Boyd
Set Decoration by: Jeanette Scott
Art Direction by: Ed Vega
Music by: Marco Beltrami
MPAA Rating: R for violence/gore, strong language, drug use and some nudity.
Distributed by: Miramax Films
Release Date: December 25, 1998
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