The Faculty -

Depending on the context, " The Faculty " most likely refers to the 1998 cult-classic sci-fi horror film or the collective body of teaching staff in an educational institution. The Movie (1998)

Directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Kevin Williamson, this film is a modern take on Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Plot: Students at a fictional Ohio high school suspect their teachers have been replaced by parasitic, water-dependent aliens.

Main Cast: The film features an ensemble of then-emerging stars including Elijah Wood (Casey), Josh Hartnett (Zeke), Jordana Brewster (Delilah), Clea DuVall (Stokely), and Salma Hayek (Nurse Harper).

Key Elements: The characters use a homemade drug called "Skat"—made from crushed caffeine pills—to identify and kill the aliens, as it dehydrates them. the faculty

Updates: Reports from 2025 indicate a remake is in development with Miramax. 2. Academic Meaning

In education, "the faculty" refers to the professors and instructors at a college or university. Proper content and conduct for this group typically involve:

The Role of the Faculty in Conditions of Financial Exigency - AAUP

Key roles and ranks

Adjunct/part-time instructor: Hired to teach specific courses; often contract-based with limited benefits.
Lecturer/Senior Lecturer: Focus primarily on teaching; may be full- or part-time.
Assistant Professor: Entry-level tenure-track faculty combining teaching, research, and service.
Associate Professor: Mid-level, usually tenured, with established research and teaching records.
Professor (Full Professor): Senior rank recognizing sustained excellence in scholarship and teaching.
Emeritus Professor: Retired faculty granted honorary status for distinguished service.
Research-only staff (Research Fellows, Scientists): Focus on research, often funded by grants; may not have teaching duties.
Teaching assistants (TAs) and graduate instructors: Graduate students who support teaching and sometimes lead courses.

8. Viewing Guide: Who is this for?

Watch if you like:
- Scream, Disturbing Behavior, or Cabin Fever.
- Body horror and creature features.
- 90s fashion and alternative culture.
- Movies where the kids are smarter than the adults.
Skip if you like:
- Slow-burn psychological horror.
- Serious sci-fi without teen drama elements.

The Unwritten Job: Service and Governance

Beyond teaching and research, faculty have a third, less visible duty: service. This includes:

Serving on committees (curriculum, hiring, promotions, ethics)
Advising student clubs
Reviewing colleagues' work
Participating in accreditation

This is why a professor might take 48 hours to reply to an email—they may be in a 6-hour promotion review meeting. Recognizing service obligations helps you avoid assuming unresponsiveness equals disinterest.

The Premise: Invasion of the Body Snatchers Meets The Breakfast Club

The film is set in the fictional Herrington High School in Ohio. The conceit is classic B-movie gold: an alien species has arrived on Earth via a contaminant in the water supply. These aliens attach themselves to the base of the human skull, taking over the host’s body and mind. The infected—"the faculty"—are creating a hive mind, systematically turning the entire student body into emotionless drones. Depending on the context, " The Faculty "

What makes The Faculty work is its cast. This is a "where are they now?" hall of fame for late-90s cinema. The resistance group is a cross-section of every high school stereotype:

Elijah Wood as Casey Connor, the nerdy, bullied photographer.
Josh Hartnett as Zeke Tyler, the rebellious drug dealer with a heart of gold (and a backpack full of speed).
Clea DuVall as Stokely, the goth outsider who is the first to correctly diagnose the invasion as a sci-fi trope.
Shawn Hatosy as Stan, the jock quarterback.
Jordana Brewster as Delilah, the popular cheerleader.
Laura Harris as Marybeth, the sweet new girl from out of town.

Opposite them is a faculty roster that reads like a masterclass in character acting: Famke Janssen as the sadistic ice queen Miss Burke, Bebe Neuwirth as the stern Principal Drake, Robert Patrick as the creepy Coach Willis (shaking off his T-1000 legacy), and Jon Stewart (yes, that Jon Stewart) as the jaded biology teacher, Prof. Furlong.

Why "The Faculty" is Smarter Than You Remember

At its core, The Faculty is an allegory for the hellscape of the American high school experience. Kevin Williamson understood something fundamental about teenagers: they already believe the faculty is trying to steal their individuality.

The alien parasite is a metaphor for conformity. Once you are "taken over," you lose your acne, your angst, and your uniqueness. The faculty, in their alien form, are perfectly organized, perfectly quiet, and perfectly terrifying. To a student, that is the ultimate nightmare: becoming a clone like the adults they despise. and Jon Stewart (yes

The film also plays brilliantly with the concept of "the other." The kids have to learn to trust each other across enemy lines. The jock has to work with the nerd; the goth has to save the cheerleader. By forcing the stereotypes to cooperate, The Faculty argues that the only way to survive the crushing weight of institutional power is to embrace your own weird, messy humanity.