Fans still adore it.
It’s very rare that the name of a screenwriter becomes as well known as an actor but during the late ’90s, it appeared that everyone in Hollywood knew about Kevin Williamson.
The Scream trilogy and I Know What You Did Last Summer are just some of the features that he penned and in doing so, he crafted the blueprint for a particular sub-genre of horror.
In fact, the checklist for ’90s teenage horror is pretty formulaic.
Talented young actors that are set for bigger things? Check.
Angsty ’90s music? Check.
More established actors that are playing against type? Check.
Dialogue that’s self-referential, meta and dripping in pop-culture references? Check.
On this note, it’s easy to dismiss The Faculty as just another throwaway horror for the MTV generation, but just like those parasitic aliens that invaded Herrington High, Robert Rodriguez’ film still won’t let go and 19 years since its release, it still holds up very well.
Why is this?
To begin with, it’s teenage characters actually feel believable. Granted, they’re all boxed into their respective social groups – the opening scene introduces us to the jocks, nerds, cheerleaders, and goths – but the performances are solid and seldom waver.
Secondly, Rodriguez is very clever in terms of the films that he borrows from with the influences of The Thing, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Breakfast Club prevalent throughout.
Ok, so what’s it about?
When some very creepy things start happening around school, the kids at Herrington High make a chilling discovery that confirms their worst suspicions: their teachers really are from another planet! As mind-controlling parasites rapidly begin spreading from the faculty to the students’ bodies, it’s ultimately up to the few who are left — an unlikely collection of loners, leaders, nerds, and jocks — to save the world from alien domination.
The general assumption is that it’s massively underrated. In fact, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn ranks Robert Rodriguez’ film as one of his favourite ever horror films.
https://twitter.com/idesofmeh/status/937917817176973312
https://twitter.com/dutchindian/status/935945402163126273
https://twitter.com/HeSoVlad/status/937406861137141760
Watching The Faculty realizing this was an underrated teen horror film. It was like The Breakfast Club meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Crazy.
— Holmadick (@frstldly23) December 3, 2017
The Faculty is an underrated movie. Loved it as a kid, and still love it as an adult.
— JD 🐝 (@DonJuan3O5) November 6, 2017
The Faculty is underrated.
I love this movie
— B-Rock (@Supergirlodu) October 9, 2017
https://twitter.com/OneEncrypted/status/932125074831708160
Late 90's teen horror is my favorite subgenre. The Faculty. The Craft. Final Destination. Idle Hands. Some of my Favorite Movies.
— Rhett Rhaps 🎤 (@rhettrhaps) November 16, 2017
The Faculty is an unknown 90's teen horror masterpiece
— vegetable lasagna (@EelnhoJ9494) October 28, 2017
These critics tend to support that argument.
Los Angeles Times – “A smart, lively and unpretentious exploitation picture…Consistently funny and clever.”
Salon – “It’s an awfully enjoyable, hip little B-movie.”
Variety – “Results may not be Nobel Prize material, but they’re zesty and cogent.”
