Josh Hartnett's '90s Sci-Fi Horror Movie Is A Cult Classic With An All-Star Cast

The "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" movies are among the best alien invasion stories told on the screen. There are currently four adaptations of Jack Finney's influential novel, with the 1978 version being the cream of the crop. What's more, the terrifying tale has inspired awesome homages that play around with the concept. Case in point: Robert Rodriguez's "The Faculty," a star-studded teen horror flick featuring Josh Hartnett, Jordana Brewster, Robert Patrick, Jon Stewart, Salma Hayek, Clea DuVall, Famke Janssen, Elijah Wood, and Usher (yeah).

"The Faculty" sees Hartnett play Zeke Tyler, a burnout who sells questionable substances from the boot of his car. His teachers are concerned about his future, but it's only a matter of time until Zeke is afraid of the educators he used to dismiss. A parasitic, worm-like alien lifeform is loose in the hallways of Herrington High School, and it's possessing the staff. Therefore, it's up to Hartnett's character and a ragtag group of students to save the day — but are his allies who they claim to be?

Rodriguez's movie, adapted from a screenplay by "Scream" scribe Kevin Williamson, is "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" by way of "The Breakfast Club." It's a story of teenage alienation (with emphasis on the "alien" part), seemingly designed to remind everyone that teachers are actually scary. Sadly, "The Faculty" is one of many great sci-fi movies nobody talks about anymore, but it seems that the actors had fun making it.

Jordana Brewster was surprised that "The Faculty" wasn't a bigger hit following its release. Robert Rodriguez's film was a box office success at the time, but Brewster anticipated "Scream" numbers due to the popularity of teen fare in the '90s.

"We all thought [The Faculty] was gonna be huge. And then it turned out it wasn't so huge," Brewster recalled in an interview with Collider. "We thought it was gonna be massive, I think it was a Christmas opening, and then not so big. So it was a good lesson. But it was a cult classic, so that's really cool."

Hartnett also has fond memories of working on "The Faculty," but he's shocked that he got the part. The actor didn't even know his lines when he showed up to the audition, but that worked in his favor. As he told Jake's Takes: "[Rodriguez] thought there was something about me that felt very Zeke — that I was just too cool to actually figure it out. But honestly, I don't know why I didn't work very hard at that audition."

Elsewhere, Elijah Wood cites "The Faculty" as a formative experience in his career. The "Lord of the Rings" and "Back to the Future 2" star said everyone became great friends behind the scenes, and he loved working with Rodriguez, who had an unconventional style due to editing the movie while he shot it. That taught Wood some valuable lessons as a young actor, which he appreciated.