The Faculty May 2026
The Faculty is the forgotten middle child of the 90s horror renaissance. It lacks the iconic Ghostface mask of Scream and the occult weight of The Craft. But what it has is heart—and a lot of gross tentacles. It is a time capsule of 90s fashion (the flannel, the platform boots, the frosted tips) that contains a timeless message: Trust your friends, distrust authority, and always keep a hidden flask of caffeine pills and speed, just in case the aliens invade.
If you haven’t watched The Faculty since the era of Blockbuster Video, it is time to go back to Herrington High. The coffee is spiked, the teachers are pod people, and detention is a fate worse than death.
Final Grade: A- (Certified Fresh for fans of practical effects and biting social satire.)
Are you a fan of The Faculty? Share your memories of seeing this 90s classic in the comments below.
The film's plot follows a group of high school students who discover their teachers are being taken over by alien parasites. Original Screenplay
: Full drafts of the screenplay by Kevin Williamson (originally titled The Feelers ) are available through online archives like Daily Script Archive.org Transcript
: A scene-by-scene text dialogue of the final film can be found on the Moviepedia Fandom page Other Works with This Title Faculty Glyphic - Adobe Fonts the faculty
The 1990s were a golden era for teen horror, but while Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer focused on masked slashers, Robert Rodriguez’s 1998 film The Faculty took a different, more extraterrestrial approach. Blending the DNA of The Breakfast Club with the paranoia of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, it has evolved from a modest box-office success into a certified cult classic. A Script Born of Horror Royalty
The strength of The Faculty begins with its screenplay, written by Kevin Williamson. At the time, Williamson was the hottest writer in Hollywood, having penned the scripts for Scream and Dawson’s Creek. He understood the teenage voice—its cynicism, its yearning, and its inherent feeling of being an outsider.
By setting the story in the fictional Herrington High in Ohio, Williamson tapped into a universal anxiety: the feeling that your teachers are literally from another planet. When a parasitic alien species begins infecting the staff and student body, a disparate group of social outcasts must band together to save the world. The Ultimate 90s Time Capsule Cast
One of the primary reasons the film remains so watchable today is its incredible ensemble cast. It serves as a "who's who" of both established icons and rising stars of the era:
Josh Hartnett (Zeke): The rebellious genius selling bootleg diuretics.
Elijah Wood (Casey): The bullied school photographer who first notices the threat. The Faculty is the forgotten middle child of
Clea DuVall (Stokely): The goth outsider who provides the sci-fi lore.
Jordana Brewster (Delilah): The popular cheerleader and head of the school paper.
Salma Hayek & Famke Janssen: Bringing star power to the faculty lounge.
Robert Patrick: Playing the terrifying, possessed Coach Willis.
Jon Stewart: A rare dramatic (and bloody) turn for the future Daily Show host. Genre-Bending Style
Director Robert Rodriguez brought his signature "marianist" filmmaking style to the project. Known for high energy and creative practical effects, Rodriguez made the film feel grittier and more kinetic than the average teen flick. The creature designs—ranging from small, cephalopod-like parasites to the massive, towering "Queen"—utilized a mix of early CGI and impressive puppetry that largely holds up today. Are you a fan of The Faculty
The film also leaned heavily into its influences. It wasn't just a monster movie; it was a self-aware commentary on the genre. Characters openly discuss The Puppet Masters and The Thing, using their knowledge of movies to survive the real-life invasion. Why It Endures: The "Outsider" Theme
Beyond the jump scares and the iconic soundtrack (featuring the memorable cover of "Another Brick in the Wall"), The Faculty resonates because of its core theme: the struggle to maintain individuality.
High school is often depicted as a place where students are forced to conform to social hierarchies and administrative rules. In the film, the alien parasite represents the ultimate form of conformity. Becoming "infected" means losing your problems, your pain, and your identity to become part of the collective. For the protagonists, being a "loser" or an "outcast" becomes their greatest strength, as it is their unique perspectives that allow them to spot the invasion first. Legacy and Re-evaluation
While critics in 1998 were somewhat divided, contemporary audiences have embraced the film’s campy energy and sharp writing. It remains a staple of Halloween watchlists and a masterclass in how to execute a high-concept genre mashup.
The Faculty captures a specific moment in time—the fashion, the music, and the pre-digital era of high school—while telling a timeless story about the fear of authority and the power of finding your "tribe."
Many faculty secure external funding (government agencies, foundations, industry) to support research, hire students, and purchase equipment. Grant-writing is a key skill and often a major time commitment.
Think The Breakfast Club meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers. When the teachers at an Ohio high school start acting strangely (disciplined, robotic, and thirsty for water), a ragtag group of misfit students discovers that the faculty is being taken over by parasitic aliens. They must band together to find the queen alien and kill it before the infection spreads to the whole town.
Modern institutions emphasize recruiting diverse faculty and creating inclusive climates. Efforts include bias-aware hiring practices, mentorship programs, and policies to support work–life balance.