At Herrington High School, Ohio, new arrival Marybeth (Laura Harris) tries to make friends, while class nerd Casey (Elijah Wood) joins school newspaper editor Delilah (Jordana Brewster) in analysing something strange found on school grounds.
They are interrupted by the sight of two teachers implanting a similar device in a colleague, and realise that the same parasite is gradually taking control of all staff and students. With only Marybeth, the moody Stokely (Clea Duvall) and the drug dealer Zeke (Josh Hartnett) seemingly immune, Casey and Delilah begin to fight back. The plan is simple: isolate the parasite, identify its weakness and destroy it. But the aliens have their own agenda, and may have already placed a traitor amid the rebellion...
Robert Rodriguez (who was the first choice to helm Scream) brings instant credibility to the wonderfully preposterous plot, delivering this superior B-movie, released in 1998. The director shrewdly packages his class as an assortment of oddballs similar to The Breakfast Club, and had the inspiration to cast heavyweight online guru Harry Knowles in a cameo role. The result was months of favourable pre-publicity, good word of mouth, and $40 million at the American box office.
The Faculty is a Film programme that first aired in 1998 and has been classified a 18 certificate.
