In the world of teen screams, there are a few that stand out among the rest. One of them being perhaps the most influential horror film of the 1990s, Scream. Directed by the late master of horror Wes Craven, it's a cheeky parody of the teen slasher genre that also serves as a very effective scary movie. It's iconic, was turned into a whole franchise, and is often cited as the favorite film of many horror fans. One of the lesser-known characters to play a part in its creation is writer Kevin Williamson.
Williamson has a unique quality, in that he writes teenaged characters incredibly well. Which is a hard thing to do as an adult and not be completely cringey about it. On top of writing Scream, he wrote another very famous teen horror called I Know What You Did Last Summer. He also created one of the most popular teen dramas of all time, Dawson's Creek, which is probably what he's most well known for. Another piece of work that isn't talked about nearly enough despite having a cult following and a lot going for it is The Faculty. This late 1990's science-fiction teen thriller could almost be a remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers with a teen scream twist, and it's truly iconic.
The Faculty is essentially about a group of teenagers, who start to see something weird going on with the members of faculty at their school. After a little bit of research, they start to think that aliens could be taking over their bodies and turning them into killers. The vibes are very much a mix of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Breakfast Club. The main characters are fun, very much falling into roles of teenaged tropes, and competent enough. There are a couple of good twists and it's just a great watch. Especially if someone loves a good 1990's throwback, this film oozes that aesthetic and would be a perfect watch.
One thing that's such a standout about this movie is the absolutely iconic cast. Almost everyone in The Faculty is very famous. The main cast consists of names like Josh Hartnett, Elijah Wood, and Clea DuVall. The side characters, consist of even bigger names like Salma Hayek, Jon Stewart, Famke Janssen, and even Usher. And that's not even everyone. It's so interesting to see this time capsule of these actors so much younger than they are now when the world is more used to seeing them. It's one of the main nostalgia-inducing factors for sure, but many of the cast became very famous for a reason. They work so well together, and everyone is charismatic. There's a lot of acting talent in this movie.
The storyline of The Faculty is also wildly endearing, and very well written. For teenagers, the thought of teachers being overtaken by aliens wanting to assimilate you, meaning you have to fight them, is just kind of a fun idea. And to watch back as an adult, it really induces that aforementioned nostalgia and relatability that makes people cling to movies from a similar era or with similar themes. In a lot of ways, this is just what Williamson does best. He writes teenagers and teenage stories that teens relate to because it's what they're going through right now, and adults relate to it because they remember that time period of their lives.
Even if the story involves murder, aliens, or murderous aliens in the case of The Faculty, it's still a very relatable watch. The way the story unfolds and the emotions the characters go through, the decisions they make, that's what evokes the relatability and nostalgia factor. A lot of 1990's movies have stood the test of time because of this nostalgia, but this is one of the ones that really holds up as a whole. Someone who didn't live through that era would still watch this and feel those feelings because the story and writing are genuinely good.
The film of course is not perfect. It's a Robert Rodriguez film which brings in a little bit of an "over the top" aspect, a little bit of cheese, and some CGI effects that don't hold up all that well. But the good in this one so far outweighs the bad and it's just an overall fun, easy to watch movie. In the sea of 1990's teen screams, this is one that seems to have been swept under the rug a little bit. It does have a strong cult following and is still talked about in the scope of horror fans, but overall it doesn't get talked about nearly enough. In terms of cozy comfort watches that can still be kinda spooky, a little weird, and keep the attention of the audience, The Faculty fits the bill kind of perfectly and it should finally be treated as such.