In the peak of the 90's slasher wave we got to see a film that was quite unique for the time period. The film was called "The Faculty" and was directed by Robert Rodriguez in one of his first big film breaks. The film was released in 1998 on the heels of the SCREAM franchise success as well as "I Know What You Did Last Summer". The 90's horror trend was in full effect, evident by the generic layered faces poster that "The Faculty" got. One thing I really hated about that era of horror films, all the posters were just layered images of the cast, no redeemable artwork whatsoever!
The film starred a couple familiar faces like Josh Hartnett (on the heels of Halloween H20), Elijah Wood, Salma Hayek, Robert Patrick, Daniel Von Bargen, Usher, and more. It's a great cast and they all really come together. The plot is basically lifted straight from "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". The teachers at the school get taken over by aliens and begin using their authority as teachers to manipulate the students and eventually turn them into aliens as well. Robert Patrick takes the role of the leader. He plays the football coach, who instantly converts the whole football team to aliens. This makes for some really creepy imagery that has to be seen. Also the track "Another Brick In The Wall" plays in and out through the movie. It's a great fitting song for the tone of the film. There is a core group of students who is essentially avoiding the aliens. The main members of the group that the film focuses on are Josh Hartnett and Elijah Wood. Hartnett plays the burnout who got held back and now sells drugs out of his car. It's a great character and the homemade drug he creates actually plays a huge part in the movie. You gotta love when the burnout gets credit. Elijah Wood plays your typical virgin high schooler with social anxiety. Together they fend off the aliens and meet some pretty hot women a long the way, but I don't want to spoil much else. It's a fun film if you're into alien invasion films. It's not the most realistic movie and is definitely cheesy, but that is part of it's charm. Also you get to see a small role played by Jon Stewart and it leaves you wishing he had more film roles!
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