The Faculty
Short description
At Herrington High, a school in Ohio where cliques and misfits clash as usual, students begin noticing that their teachers are acting strangely. A parasitic organism found on the football field and taken into a biology classroom marks the start of an infection that spreads through the faculty, turning them into alien hosts intent on taking over the students. A small group of teenagers, among them loner Zeke, aspiring photographer Casey, popular Delilah, and Stan, realise what is happening and try to survive without knowing whom they can still trust.
The Faculty was directed by Robert Rodriguez from a screenplay by Kevin Williamson. It is the sixth of the 24 films Rodriguez has directed in chronological order, arriving between From Dusk Till Dawn and Spy Kids. Josh Hartnett, Elijah Wood, Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Shawn Hatosy and Laura Harris lead a cast of 45 credited actors, with 74 crew members credited. Made for a budget of 15 million dollars, it went on to take around 40 million dollars worldwide.
Audiences have been moderately positive: on IMDb it holds 6.6/10 from about 147,000 votes, and on TMDB it also stands at 6.6/10, from roughly 2,367 votes. The critics' rating of 5.7/10 from 64 reviews places it slightly below those viewer scores, suggesting a warmer response from audiences than from reviewers for this blend of horror, mystery and science fiction.
What's left behind the scenes
- Zeke's car is a 1970 Pontiac GTO.
- David Wekter and Bruce Kimmel wrote the first draft of the screenplay in 1990, but it didn't interest anyone. Miramax bought the script and put the project into development only on the wave of the box office success of Wes Craven's "Scream" (1996). Bob and Harvey Weinstein hired Kevin Williamson to make the necessary changes to the script – leaving the main plot intact, but rewriting the dialogue and adding some new characters. Initially, Williamson was supposed to direct the film, but he refused, preferring to shoot the thriller "Kill Mrs. Tingle" (1999) based on his own screenplay. Robert Rodriguez became the director of "The Faculty" instead.
- Many scenes were filmed in the school building in Lockhart, Texas. The local football team and spectators – local residents – were also filmed there, and they were given specially made t-shirts.
- It was on the set of this film that Harry J. Knowles (who played Mr. Knowles) first heard that Peter Jackson had begun work on "The Lord of the Rings." He strongly advised Elijah Wood to try out for the film, even though the actor hadn't even read the original literary source. Wood followed the advice, although Jackson was primarily casting British actors, and sent in his own video audition.
- In the scene where an announcement is heard stating that students should go to the teacher's lounge, one of them is named Tommy Nix. In real life, Tommy Nix is Robert Rodriguez's friend from college. He helped Robert write the screenplay for 'Race with the Devil' (1994).
- The role of Delilah was specifically written for Charisma Carpenter, but the actress turned down the offer, believing that the character was very similar to her role in 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' (1997-2003).
- Marybeth refuses to take drugs, stating that she is allergic. To which Delilah (Jordana Brewster) replies: "And I'm Portuguese." In real life, Brewster speaks Portuguese fluently.
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