Review #76: The Faculty (1998)

Cast/Notable Credits:
Robert Rodriguez (Director): Planet Terror

Elijah Wood (Casey): Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Jordana Brewster (Delilah): TCM: The Beginning

Clea Duvall (Stokes): The Grudge , Identity (2003)

Josh Harnett (Zeke): H2O

Famke Janssen (Miss Burke): X-men Trilogy, Hide & Seek (2005), House on Haunted Hill (1999), Lord of Illusions (1995)

Salma Hayek (Nurse Harper): From Dusk till Dawn (1996), After the Sunset (2004)

Robert Patrick (Coach Willis): Terminator 2 (1991)

Jon Stewart (Mr. Furlong): Big Daddy (1999)

Laura Harris (Marybeth): Severance (2006)

Shawn Hatosy (Stan): The Postman (1997), John Q (2002)

Usher (Gabe): musician

Bebe Neuwirth (Principal Drake): Cheers and Frasier T.V. series

Piper Laurie (Mrs. Olson): Carrie (1976), Eulogy (2004)

Christopher McDonald (Mr. Connor): Happy Gilmore (1996)

Jon Abrahams (F*ck You Boy): House of Wax

Trailer:

* Back to School Special #2 *

Plot:

It’s back to school time! To celebrate the season, let’s go over one of the best school horror movies out there, The Faculty. Frodo Baggins…Elijah Wood portrays a high school kid, Casey, who has learned that an alien species taken over his high school’s teachers bodies. Along with a few other fellow class mates, Casey and friends battle to stay alive and continue being human. Slowly members of the faculty, students and other members of the town are turned and they become hosts to an invading alien species. Can Casey and friends defeat the alien impostors? Can they beat the faculty?

When this movie first came out I gave it a chance. After seeing it for the first time, I quickly pulled the rug out from underneath its greatness and thought it sucked. Well, not sucked, but didn’t really think it was anything special or my over-hype for the movie came back bit me in the butt. Over time, and multiple viewings, I have come to appreciate the movie a little bit more. Let’s just say, I’ve warmed up to it.

First of all, the cast of the film is HUGE, and rocks. We’ve got Frodo, the liquid Terminator dude, Shooter McGavin, Usher, and the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart. Frodo (Elijah) plays the school's geek and nature photographer, Josh Harnett (Zeke) portrays the tough outsider guy, and Shawn Hatosy (Stan) is the school's varsity QB who has just quit the team. The liquid Terminator dude (Robert Patrick) is the school's prick football coach and P.E. teacher. He's pretty upset at Stan quitting and hates Casey in general for being a geeky puss. And the great Jon Stewart plays the "cool" science teacher.

Oh...have I mentioned, there's a bunch of hot women in the film. I mean a bunch. Like the lovely Salma Hayek (pictured above). That's such a great outfit. Isn't it?Whose the hottest? Does it matter? Hell, I don’t know, but let's say IF I was to rank the hotness from the film it would probably go a little like this:

1. Salma Hayek (School Nurse): She can check me out any time or play doctor
2. Jordana Brewster (School's popular hot chick): Wouldn't be a horror film without the popular hot chick now would it?
3. Laura Harris (The new girl): Southern and nice
4. Famke Janssen (Teacher): Sign me up for that class
5. The F*ck You Girl (Summer Phoenix): Hot chick
6. Bebe Neuwirth (Principal): Send me to the office. NOW!
7. Clea Duvall (Weird lesbian chick): Someones gotta be the ugly hottie









Pictured from Left to Right:

Famke, Jordana (If you've forgot) and Laura

Where would you rank them? To say the least, it’s an All-Star cast. I’m sure if you were a girl you could rank the “hunks” of the film. But I’m not a chick, so I don’t care.

Secondly, the plot is pretty cool. Sure it’s similar to most “pod people” movies. But as a kid, you always have thoughts or conspiracies about teachers and grownups being taken over by aliens. At least I did. The biggest thrill with “pod people” movies is that you never know who is real and who is an alien. Who to trust and who not to. The Faculty throws in a twist to its “pod people”; they are constantly drinking water to stay hydrated. So the film does give you a small taste of who maybe a little under the influence. A.U.I. Alien Under the Influence.

Thirdly, the movie has a pretty good rumination of the movie The Thing’s (1982) alien test sequence. The group figures out that the alien’s immune system rejects this wonder drug that Zeke makes. They all sit down and each of them takes a hit of the drug to prove that they are not an alien themselves. Just like in The Thing, they sit down and test their blood samples to see if they’re human.

I still find it hard to picture Josh Harnett (Zeke) as being the “tough guy” at school. And it’s very difficult more me to picture Elijah Wood in a role without thinking about his gay lover, Samwise moaning, “Froo-Doo”. It’s really hard for me. That’s what she said. But putting aside my biases and stereotypes to the actors and their previous roles, the combinations actually work in the film. I wasn't too thrilled about the Pink Floyd's remake song as the film's theme song.

Misc. Movie Trivia:
-Film opened on December 25, 1998 and made $40 million at the Box Office ($11.6 million opening weekend)
-Zeke drives a 1970 Pontiac GTO
-Charisma Carpenter turned down the role of Delilah
-Jordana Brewster can speak fluent Portuguese
-Filmed in Texas