The Faculty (1998)
64%RT Audience Score: 55%
Awards & Nominations: 11 nominations
Rip-off of other sci-fi thrillers
The Faculty” is a sci-fi horror movie that takes place in an Ohio high school. Critics have mixed feelings about it, with some calling it a smart and involving homage to genre favorites like Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Thing, while others criticize its ill-joined cracks and seams. Despite the mixed reviews, the movie has a great cast and features endlessly quotable dialogue. It’s a fun meta riff on sci-fi staples, but the story isn’t clever enough to come off as a respectful nod to the genre. Overall, it’s a kitschy ’90s sci-fi horror movie with lots of cursing and some gore that still holds up today.
Production Company(ies)
Complete Fiction Media Rights Capital,
Distributor
Miramax Films
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Lockhart, Texas, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violence/gore, strong language, drug use and some nudity
Year of Release
1998
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 42m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 12, 1998 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 18, 2007
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
Loading…
Worldwide gross: $40,283,321
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $73,925,574
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,167
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 8,061,677
US/Canada gross: $40,283,321
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $73,925,574
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 898
US/Canada opening weekend: $11,633,495
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $21,349,104
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 622
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $15,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $27,527,115
Production budget ranking: 1,202
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $14,823,351
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $31,575,108
ROI to date (est.): 75%
ROI ranking: 1,039
Clea Duvall – Stokely “Stokes” Mitchell
Laura Harris – Marybeth Louise Hutchinson
Josh Hartnett – Zeke Tyler
Shawn Hatosy – Stan Rosado
Salma Hayek – Nurse Rosa Harper
Director(s)
Robert Rodriguez
Writer(s)
David Wechter, Bruce Kimmel, Kevin Williamson
Producer(s)
Elizabeth Avellan, Robert Rodriguez
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
11 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (56) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (31) | Rotten (25)
September 7, 2011 | Rating: C+
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
This smart, involving sci-fi picture, set in an Ohio high school, pays homage to several genre faves, notably Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Thing.
January 26, 2006
Nigel Floyd
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
The Faculty consistently draws attention to its own ill-joined cracks and seams.
March 3, 2002
Peter Matthews
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
Just whiskers away from being really snazzy, “The Faculty” still manages to make for a fun night out.
January 1, 2000
Charles Taylor
Salon.com
TOP CRITIC
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 1.5/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 4.5/5
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
The Faculty may not be the cinematic horror masterpiece you are looking for, but it is definitely one of the more entertaining horror films around.
April 30, 2022
Stephanie Archer
Film Inquiry
A stylish sci-fi, horror, thrilling movie with a great cast that still holds up.
July 3, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Rosa Parra
Latinx Lens
Another playful meta entry from Kevin Williamson. Anchored by an all-star cast and featuring endlessly quotable dialogue, The Faculty is essential queer horror…until it disappointingly betrays its coded characters in the finale.
May 21, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Joe Lipsett
Horror Queers Podcast
A fun meta riff on Invasion of the Body Snatchers (among other things) let down by a sloppy and unsatisfying coda.
May 17, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Trace Thurman
Horror Queers Podcast
The story isn’t clever enough to come off as a respectful nod to sci-fi staples – just recycled tropes inserted into a contemporary teen setting.
September 11, 2020 | Rating: 2/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Kitschy ’90s sci-fi horror, lots of cursing, some gore.
August 16, 2017 | Rating: 2/5
Brian Costello
Common Sense Media…
Plot
On the Harrington High School in Ohio, the newcomer Marybeth Louise Hutchinson tries to befriend the outcast Stokely ‘Stokes’ Mitchell. The quarterback Stan Rosado quits the football team and breaks off with his girlfriend Delilah Profitt, who is the editor of the school newspaper and head cheerleader. Zeke Tyler, who is repeating the senior year and sells drugs to the other students, has an argument with his teacher Elizabeth Burke. When the bullied Casey Connor finds a weird being on the football field, he brings it to his Professor Edward Furlong that finds that the unknown specimen lives in the water and has the ability of replicating. Later, Delilah brings Casey, who is the photographer of the newspaper and has a crush on her, to the faculty room to snoop around and find any evidence for a story, they need to hide in a closet when Coach Joe Willis and the teacher Karen Olson arrive. Delilah and Casey witness the coach and the teacher attacking Nurse Rosa Harper and they stumble with the corpse of Mrs. Jessica Brummel, who has recently died, in the closet. They call the police but are discredited by Principal Valerie Drake. On the next morning, Casey discloses to Delilah, Stokely and Stan that he believes that aliens are taking over the planet through their high school. Zeke and Marybeth overhear the conversation and join the group. Further they discover that the aliens need water to survive and Zeke’s drug is diuretic and kills them. But the problem is who can be trusted in the group.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
NA
Robert-Rodriguez.jpg
