No discussion of The Faculty is complete without spotlighting Josh Hartnett’s Zeke Tyler. In a genre where the virgin usually survives and the drug user dies, Zeke flips the script entirely. He is cynical, sarcastic, and dealing homemade "scat" (a fictional super-speed drug) out of the boys' bathroom.
Zeke survives because he refuses to play by anyone’s rules. When the alien parasites take over, Zeke realizes that his homemade amphetamines—a drug designed to keep you awake for days—counteract the alien’s effects because the creature needs the host to sleep to fully integrate. It’s a hilarious and subversive twist: the delinquent’s vices are the key to salvation. "Drugs save the day" is not a moral you see in a mainstream studio picture often. the faculty
Robert Rodriguez shot the film in just 47 days, employing his signature fast-paced, kinetic style. He used Dutch angles, whip pans, and a grungy, desaturated color palette (enhanced by a rain machine that ran constantly) to create a perpetual sense of unease. No discussion of The Faculty is complete without
The special effects were a mix of practical animatronics (designed by KNB EFX, who worked on The Thing) and early CGI. The alien queen—a massive, tentacled creature hidden in the school’s swimming pool—is a standout practical effect, reminiscent of the Alien franchise. Crucially, not everyone who teaches is on the tenure track
The soundtrack became iconic, featuring a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2” performed by Class of ’99 (a supergroup including Layne Staley of Alice in Chains, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, and Martina McBride).
At its simplest, faculty refers to the body of teachers, researchers, and scholars employed by a college or university. However, the term has two distinct uses:
Crucially, not everyone who teaches is on the tenure track. Understanding the different types of faculty will prevent misunderstandings about authority, availability, and job security.