Celebrity Nooz: The Faculty

The Faculty (1998)

Movie Title: The Faculty

Year Released: 1998

Rated: R

Runtime: 1h 44min

Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Writer: Kevin Williamson

Starring: Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Laura Harris, Josh Hartnett, Shawn Hatosy, Famke Janssen, Piper Laurie, Bebe Neuwirth, Robert Patrick, Usher Raymond, Jon Stewart, Elijah Wood, Salma Hayek

Review: To the students at Harrington High, Principal Drake (Bebe Neuwirth) and her posse of teachers have always been a little odd, but lately they've been behaving positively alien. Controlled by otherworldly parasites, the faculty try to infect students one by one. Cheerleader Delilah (Jordana Brewster), football player Stan (Shawn Hatosy), science nerd Casey (Elijah Wood), drug dealer Zeke (Josh Hartnett) and new girl Marybeth (Laura Harris) team up with some of their other classmates to fight back against the invaders.

The Faculty isn't particularly scary, but I'll be damned if it isn't chock full o' cheesy, silly, fun! This film boasts an all-star cast, many of which are portraying young characters in the early stages of their acting careers. It's pretty cool to see Jordana Brewster, Elijah Wood, Josh Hartnett, and R&B superstar Usher before they made it big. This film isn't going to win any awards, but it comes across as a light-hearted teenage horror film. It's the epitome of a good, bad, late 90's teen movie, but with the fun twist that the teachers have all been taken over by an alien parasite hell-bent on taking down every student at the school. Think Body Snatchers in a high school!

This film is also very fast-paced and to the point. There isn't a lot of down time, as the film opens with the football coach screaming obscenities at his team before sending them to the locker room. The coach ultimately gets infected by the parasite almost immediately, and then the film hits the ground running. Our ragtag group of unlikely friends reminiscent of The Breakfast Club quickly band together, but must learn to trust one another to save the school and the town from complete destruction. It's not a very good movie, but the silliness, pure entertainment value, and star-studded cast more than make up for what it lacks in terms of a serious, thought-provoking plot. If you're someone who enjoys cheesy horror or '90s teen dramas, then this movie checks every box on the list!

Stars (out of 4):

Fun Fact: This is the film debut of Jordana Brewster, made famous for her portrayal of Mia Torretto in The Fast and the Furious and it's many sequels.

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