Famke Janssen in The FacultyMiramax Films

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The Faculty, one of the best teen horror movies of the 1990s, has found a new streaming home, and fans of the genre can already watch it for free from the comfort of their own couch. The 1998 film by Robert Rodriguez has been added to Tubi’s library, which is free to access as long as you stay around for the ads.

Written by Scream mastermind Kevin Williamson, The Faculty also has one of the best ensemble casts of its era. Josh Hartnett (in his film debut), Elijah Wood, Shawn Hatosy, Clea DuVall, and Jordana Brewster are only a few of the familiar faces in the film. Also appearing are Famke Janssen, Piper Laurie, Robert Patrick, Bebe Neuwirth, and Jon Stewart.

*The Faculty *follows a group of outcasts at Herrington High School, who feel something’s not right with the teachers. Teaming up, they find that, one by one, people around them are being replaced by alien parasites. Using unconventional methods, they have to find a way to defend themselves against the aliens, and also make sure their group isn’t infiltrated by "body snatchers." Per the Rotten Tomatoes synopsis:

To the students at Herrington High, the principal and her posse of teachers have always been a little odd, but lately they’ve been behaving positively alien. Controlled by otherworldly parasites, the faculty try to infect students one by one. Cheerleader Delilah (Jordana Brewster), football player Stan (Shawn Hatosy), drug dealer Zeke (Josh Hartnett) and new girl Marybeth (Laura Harris) team up with some of their other classmates to fight back against the invaders.

Body-Snatching at the Turn of the Century

The Faculty Miramax Films

What’s still fascinating about The Faculty is that the movie never conceals what it’s aiming for. It doesn’t deny what it actually is. With plenty of nods and references to its genre and the classics, it lands as a thrilling modernization of the body-snatching concept – hearkening back to the story first presented by Jack Finney in his 1955 novel The Body Snatchers.

Finney’s novel, often compared to Robert Heinlein’s The Puppet Masters, has been adapted to the big screen several times. The first adaptation, 1956’s* Invasion of the Body Snatchers*, remains one of the most celebrated horror sci-fi films of the 1950s. It was released during a pivotal time in the United States, as the country was shaken by McCarthyism and accusations of political indoctrination. Then, in 1978, the film was adapted under the same title with a different storyline. This version has been named one of the best remakes of all time.

1993 saw the release of Abel Ferrara’s Body Snatchers, an underrated variation of the original concept that upped the visual effects and horror elements. 2007’s The Invasion, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, attempted to bring the story to modern viewers, but it wasn’t well received by critics or audiences.

*The Faculty *isn’t directly based on Finney’s work, but it draws heavily from the idea of "pod people" replacing the human population. It mostly takes place in a high school setting, and it’s obviously targeted at a younger audience. Williamson’s script, Rodriguez’s skillful directing, and a near-perfect cast make it a great body-snatching movie from the turn of the century, back when the Y2K bug was the only thing you were supposed to be afraid of — not your classmate being replaced by an alien trying to take over Earth.

Release Date December 25, 1998

Clea DuVall

Laura Harris