The Faculty (1998)

THE FACULTY (1998)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
RATING: 3 stars and a half

Back in 1998, I had suffered through the inanities of "Halloween: H20," the dull "Vampires," and the needless remake of "Psycho." I was glad, therefore, to revel in the exorbitant glory of Kevin Williamson's latest exercise, "The Faculty." It is a fun-filled, exciting, spine-tingling, sometimes scary, sci-fi horror picture with enough thrills, chills and drama to keep everyone on the edge of their seats.

The setting is a high-school full of the standard body-pierced teens, punks, bullies, and bored, alcoholic teachers. We have the insecure geek, Casey (Elijah Wood), who's always being beat up; the intelligent chemist, Zeke (Josh Hartnett, sporting a Monkee hairdo), who fails his senior year so he can sell drugs to his classmates; the punkish, wanna-be lesbian, Stokely (Clea Du Vall); the Miss Perfect cheerleader, Delilah (Jordana Brewster); the jock-like Stan (Shawn Wayne Hatosy), who wants to use his brains more than his brawn; and the newly admitted student, Marybeth (Laura Harris II), who tries to bring Stokely out of her shell.

The faculty itself is even more interesting, though they are outclassed by the "Scream"-like cast. We have the intense football coach (the perfectly cast Robert Patrick); the demanding Principal Drake (Bebe Newirth); the sexy Nurse Harper (the luscious Salma Hayek, only in the movies); the mousy English teacher (the drop-dead gorgeous Famke Janseen, again, only in the movies); the goateed Biology teacher (Jon Stewart); and the bitter Mrs. Olson (Piper Laurie). After a while, this lovely bunch becomes possessed by aliens, and they eventually take over the school. It is up to the surviving "Breakfast Club" group to outwit and outsmart the faculty.

Despite a mediocre if fitfully nerve-jangling opening sequence, "The Faculty" scurries into a tightly controlled horror thriller with enough visual razzle-dazzle and colorful performances to rally the senses. Amazingly, director Robert Rodriguez restrains himself, this time, lowering his fast-editing style to a few notches. There is nothing here that suggests the over-the-top theatrics of "From Dusk Till Dawn" or the terminally awful "Desperado." He saves his special-effects blow-out specialty for the last sequence in the school's gym and pool, which is full of claustrophobic energy.

The main plus in this delirious production is Kevin Williamson. He is one of our prime writers of pop references and self-aware dialogue - he is also, surprisingly, an acute observer of modern teenage life, more teenagers. This is personal terrain for me because I used to know teenagers like these, particularly Stokely, and I can say that the 90's teenagers are not at all different from the 80's due to their similar fears and anxieties about adjusting to a maladjusted environment. One can understand moments like the geek being driven into a pole by bullies, the geek's room hilariously invaded by disapproving parents ("No more internet! No more porno!"), Stokely shying away from other students' advances, and so on. But, wait a doggone minute, isn't this a horror picture? Yes, think of it as "The Breakfast Club" meets Invaders from Mars or the cult favorite, "The Return of the Living Dead."

Of all the actors who portray members of the faculty, the one I was most impressed with was Robert Patrick as the fierce coach, probably his best role since "Terminator 2." He projects a comical side I've not seen in him before ("Please report to the principal's office"), and his level of intensity is incredible, especially the opening scene where he erupts when the kids are not performing to expectations.

From the actors as the students, I'll go with Clea Du Vall ("How to Make the Cruelest Month"), a fine actress who projects some of Ally Sheedy's charisma and fragile emotional side (Hey! It's practically the same character Sheedy played in "The Breakfast Club").

"The Faculty" is not a great movie - Williamson has not yet transcended the numerous clichés of the horror genre - but there is enough of Williamson's typically clever dialogue (and Rodriguez's frenetic direction) to bring a smile, and an occasional scare, to your face.

For more reviews, check out JERRY AT THE MOVIES at http://moviething.com/members/movies/faust/JATMindex.shtml

E-mail me with any questions, comments or general complaints at faustus_08520@yahoo.com or at Faust668@aol.com

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X-RT-RatingText: 3.5/4