Directed by Robert Rodriguez and starring an ensemble of up-and-coming stars, 1998’s The Faculty has earned a passionate following over the years, but it was largely a financial disappointment at the time, with star Jordana Brewster recently reflecting on her surprise at its failure to connect with audiences, though also detailed how much she appreciated the opportunity. Thanks in large part to the success of Scream in 1996, the horror genre saw a massive surge in teen-oriented thrillers, with The Faculty poised to become a breakout hit, yet Brewster notes that the timing of the release might have ultimately been what prevented the film from earning major numbers.
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“With The Faculty, it was like, ‘You guys, this is gonna be huge. Look at all these successes around us,’ like She’s All That and Scream,” Brewster shared with Collider. “And it was also Dimension, which was doing really well, that studio. And then Tommy Hilfiger was doing our campaign! So we all thought it was gonna be huge. And then it turned out it wasn’t so huge. We thought it was gonna be massive. I think it was a Christmas opening, and then not so big.”
Joining Brewster in the film were Elijah Wood, Josh Hartnett, and Usher, as well as Robert Patrick, Jon Stewart, and Salma Hayek. Potentially what also might not have resonated with audiences is that, as compared to the more straightforward thrillers that came in the years before it, The Faculty was more of a sci-fi creature feature, which might not have been what audiences were looking for at the time.
“Being on set, it was my first time shooting a movie ever, but also we were in Austin, Texas and working with Robert Rodriguez and Salma Hayek was in it, and Jon Stewart would test his material on us, his comedic routine,” Brewster explained. “It was so much fun. I loved working on that film.”
The film focuses on a school whose staff began acting bizarre and aggressive towards the students, only for the student body to realize the staff are being controlled by parasites from another world. The Faculty currently sits at 54% positive reviews on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes and went on to take in $40.3 million worldwide.
Brewster can currently be seen in F9, which is in theaters now.
What do you think of The Faculty? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars.
