The Faculty

Starring:  Josh Hartnett, Elijah Wood, Clea DuVall, Jordana Brewster, Laura Harris

Year of Release:  1998

Running Time:  102 minutes

As a former teacher, I witnessed a lot of odd behavior by some of my colleagues that led me to question if they were from another planet.  Perhaps that is why I was drawn to the 1998 sci-fi horror film about a faculty of teachers at a high school in Ohio whose odd behavior is the result of an infection by otherworldly parasites and who are intent on infecting the students one by one.  Plus I'll watch anything starring Josh Hartnett.   The film also features appearances by several celebrities including Usher, Salma Hayek, Bebe Neuwirth, Famke Janssen, Jon Stewart and the late Piper Laurie.  In addition, it boasts a solid soundtrack featuring popular 90s artists including The Offspring, Garbage, Sheryl Crow, Shawn Mullins and Oasis, as well as Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2) by Class of '99.

It's is a campier take on Invasion of the Body Snatchers mixed with the teen angst of The Breakfast Club and, while it may not have fully reached cult classic status 25 years since its release, I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially for a pre-Halloween movie night.  I agree with Haleigh Foutch's assessment of the movie: "It's smart without ever taking itself too seriously and campy without ever losing its cool, drawing proudly from the tradition of classic alien invasion movies and casting them in the 90s teen tradition."

It begins with a very sweaty Coach Willis in the throes of roid rage and a seemingly insatiable thirst; it is clear from the outset that something isn't quite right.  Cut to a late night meeting between Principal Drake and some of the teachers.  After leaving the building, she goes back to her office for her keys where she is accosted by Coach who really, really needs a pencil...to stab the Principal in the hand as it turns out.  After a struggle, Principal Drake makes a mad dash around the school in an attempt to escape.  She finally makes it out but the mousy Mrs Olson finishes the job by stabbing the Principal with a pair of scissors.  The scene kind of puts my challenging evening parent-teacher meetings into perspective.

We are then introduced to the stereotypical teen protagonists of the film:

Casey (played by a scrawny Tobey Maguire, a far cry from the buff Spiderman to come) - the "geeky Stephen King kid" who is beaten up regularly;

Stokely (Clea DuVall) - the emo girl who everyone mistakes for a lesbian and needs some shampoo and conditioner;

Delilah (Jordana Brewster) - the pretty/bitchy cheerleader and school paper's editor-in-chief;

Stan (Shawn Hatosy) - the football player dating Delilah;

Marybeth (Laura Harris) - the naive new girl with a Southern accent and

Zeke (Josh Hartnett) - the rebel who is repeating his senior year and running a successful side business selling everything from fake IDs and ecstasy-like drugs in empty pens to softcore porn and cherry flavored condoms.

The plot develops fairly quickly after Casey finds some kind of parasite on the football field and brings it to science class where their teacher, Professor Furlong (John Stewart), believes it might be a new species that requires further study.  The class is in awe as they watch the seemingly desiccated parasite revitalize when submerged in water (which explains the perpetually thirsty teachers).  It is also able to replicate itself and bite, as the Professor finds out.  

Cut to a locker room scene where Stan is taking a shower alone.  We see a pair of gross feet making their way to Stan so it's clear that this is not going to be a sexy shower scene.  It turns out the feet belong to a naked and fragile Mrs Brummel (at least 20 years past retirement age), who embraces the naked Stan.  Nothing weird about that.  But then her hair and parts of her scalp come off in Stan's hands.  Mrs Olson does a poor job of counselling Stan and Casey, who should be way more traumatized by what they've just witnessed, telling them it's just a little cancer, nothing to worry about.  

Casey and Delilah then search the faculty room for a story (which is definitely a good place for something scandalous...if staff room walls could talk!).  They hide in a closet when they hear teachers approaching.  Nurse Harper enters, is attacked by Mrs Olson and Coach Willis implants the nurse with the alien species.  The kids flee and run into Principal Drake, who is very much alive with no signs of any scissor stab wounds.  Of course the infected faculty cover up their tracks so that it looks as though Casey is making it all up.

The freaky faculty then ramp up their plans to infect everyone in the school, leaving the group of teens to put the pieces of the puzzle together and come up with a plan to save themselves - and their town.