Some fans call The Faculty the greatest horror movie of the 1990s. The film has gained a cult following in the years since its release and showcases performances from a motley crew of character actors, comedians, and musical artists. They present several different personalities that fight or become victims to a deadly alien force taking over a suburban high school in the midwest.
Viewers remember the rebellious students in the movie like Josh Hartnett’s Zeke Tyler and intimidating teachers like Robert Patrick’s Joe Willis who become terrifying once inhabited by alien parasites. The main characters present their affability in their demeanor and reaction to the invasion taking their school by storm.
Joe Willis
Robert Patrick plays Coach Willis. He is one of the main antagonists in The Faculty. While many of the teachers’ personalities change as they are infected by interstellar parasites, Coach Willis is presented as aggressive and unpleasant from the beginning of the film.
When Willis is introduced, he is hostile. He yells at Stan and the rest of the football team. He throws a temper tantrum and knocks over the team’s benches in a rage. After he is infected by the mesozoan aliens, his negative qualities only increase as he works to infect the rest of the school population.
Marybeth Louise Hutchinson
Laura Harris’ Marybeth is the new student at Herrington High. Initially, she is presented as kind, pleasant, and amicable. She introduces herself to other students politely, and rarely acts maliciously toward others. However, she is revealed to be a villain as the events of the film unfold.
Marybeth is one of The Faculty‘s main antagonists. After a flashback is shown, audiences see she does not snort Zeke’s concoction like the rest of the main students, who do so to prove their lack of infection. The main characters discover she is the alien queen that spearheads the onslaught on the school.
Delilah Profitt
Jordana Brewster plays Delilah. She is Stan’s girlfriend and appears to be a popular student at school. She is introduced as superficial, instructing her peers on how to dress. When Stan tries to talk to her, she dismisses him, boasting about being editor-in-chief of the school newspaper.
When Stan expresses his desire to use his intellect and not get into college based on his football skills, she belittles him. Delilah is an example of a student at Herrington who goes from bad to worse once she is infected by the alien parasites taking over Herrington High. She is pretentious, and after infection becomes aggressive and maniacal.
Elizabeth Burke
Famke Janssen’s Elizabeth, or Ms. Burke, is a teacher at Herrington High. She is initially introduced as a meek pushover. However, she is very kind. Before she is infected, audiences see her in the break room asking teachers how they are and generally showing manners with a cheery attitude. She picks up a pencil for a coworker when she drops it.
After she is infected, Elizabeth changes. She shows less likable qualities when she publicly berates Zeke, trying to hurt him using sensitive subjects like his absent mother. However, by the end of the narrative, she is revealed to have the same pleasant qualities. Furthermore, audiences might call her tirade on Zeke well deserved.
Zeke Tyler
Josh Hartnett’s Zeke is the “bad boy” in the main group of students. The Faculty isn’t one of Josh Hartnett’s highest-rated movies, but many fans would say his role is funny and engaging. He sells drugs and is a smart underachiever.
He is arrogant and shows unsympathetic qualities when he attacks the shy and introverted Ms. Burke before the alien parasites infect her. He is funny and entertaining. However, he lashes out at others on multiple occasions. Furthermore, he dupes several students by selling them fake drugs.
Casey Connor
Elijah Wood’s Casey is one of the protagonists and a bookish introvert at Herrington. The Faculty isn’t one of Elijah Wood’s highest-rated movies, but fans might say his performance is memorable. He proves to be an affable character. He shows bravery against the alien forces plaguing his high school.
Casey is kind to most of his peers like Stokely. However, he lashes out at others. He insults Delilah when she talks to him flippantly. When he is bullied by Stan’s teammate, he shoots a snarky remark at him. However, he is generally pleasant through most of the film’s events.
Stokely “Stokes” Mitchell
Clea DuVall plays Stokely. She is an outcast at Herrington. Delilah picks on her and audiences hear her say she doesn’t have friends and likes it that way. She shows some unlikable qualities, like when she lashes out and insults Delilah with anger.
However, Stokely shows respect to those that give it, and many viewers might say Delilah deserves Stokely’s reaction to her malicious insults. She is kind to her unmalicious peers like Stan and Casey.
Stan Rosado
Shawn Hatosy plays Stan, a star football player at Herrington. The actor went on to star in Animal Kingdom following The Faculty. He wants to shed his identity as a jock and quit football to explore other options. He shows his likable qualities in conflicts that arise before and during the alien invasion. When his teammates pick on Casey, Stan distracts them so they leave him alone.
Unlike Delilah, he doesn’t ostracize Stokley despite their inclusion in mutually exclusive social groups. He opens up to her. He treats almost everyone he meets with respect and kindness, even when he is insulted by people like Delilah.
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