Review of The Faculty (1998) by James S — 02 Feb 2009

Superior teen horror that actually delivers on the nastiness that it promises. Written by 90's horror script god Kevin Williamson and directed with the usual flare of Robert Rodriguez, the film delivers good on it's comic book horror leanings.

The young cast, which includes Josh Hartnett and a pre-Frodo Elijah Wood are all admirable in a script which shies away from presenting the usual horror high school stereotypes. The script which involves a race of body snatcher style aliens taking over a high school is jam packed with snappy dialogue and lots of great moments.

The adult cast are a veritable who's who of sci fi and horror film and television almunus, with T-1000 Robert Patrick especially spooky as the physical education instructor. There are one or two duds in amongst them though.

Teacher Famke Jansen's head growing tentacles is an unnecessary comedy moment and the cheesy ending feels forumalic in a movie which has so far done a good job of avoiding cliches.Unlike some teen horrors, The Faculty does not run away from it's gore factor and some genuine - throw your drink across the sofa - jump scares.

The Faculty succeeds in being an scary movie that at the same time delivers a smart script and great performances, establishing it well above your standard horror movie stuff.