The Faculty

As dusk settles over Herrington High School in Ohio, a sense of unease lingers among the faculty, whose discussions about the school's budget have left them feeling restless and on edge. Amidst this tension, Principal Valerie Drake (Bebe Neuwirth) returns to her office to retrieve her forgotten keys, only to be confronted by Coach Willis (Robert Patrick), who is increasingly unhinged. As she attempts to leave, he impulsively drives a pencil through her hand, prompting her frantic escape. But just as she thinks she's finally free, Mrs. Olsen (Piper Laurie), the drama teacher, emerges outside and coldly dispatches Valerie with scissors.

The next morning brings the introduction of six students whose lives are about to become inextricably linked. There's Casey Connor (Elijah Wood), a well-meaning but hapless photographer for the school newspaper, who is constantly struggling to keep up with his demanding editor-in-chief and head cheerleader, Delilah Profitt (Jordana Brewster). Stan Rosado (Shawn Hatosy), Delilah's boyfriend, is torn between his passion for football and his desire to pursue academics. Meanwhile, Zeke Tyler (Josh Hartnett) - an intelligent but rebellious student repeating his senior year - has built a lucrative business selling illicit goods, including a potent powder that he manufactures and distributes himself. His concerns are echoed by the soft-spoken Miss Elizabeth Burke (Famke Janssen), who is worried about Zeke's dangerous activities.

Newcomer Marybeth Louise Hutchinson (Laura Harris) from Atlanta tries to befriend Stokely Mitchell (Clea DuVall), a self-proclaimed outcast, despite Delilah's deliberate rumors that Stokes is a lesbian. Meanwhile, Marybeth finds herself developing feelings for Zeke. On the football field, Casey stumbles upon an unusual creature in the grass and takes it to science teacher Mr. Furlong (Jon Stewart) for examination, only to discover that it may be a new species of parasite.

As Delilah drags Casey into the teachers' lounge to find a story for the front page, they stumble upon Coach Willis and Mrs. Olsen brutally assaulting school nurse Ms. Harper (Salma Hayek) by forcing one of these creatures into her ear. They also come across the lifeless body of Mrs. Brummel (Susan Willis). Panicked, Casey and Delilah flee the scene and contact the authorities, but when they return to school, Principal Drake claims everything is normal and that Casey is simply seeking attention. Little do they know, their lives are about to take a dark and unexpected turn.

The day after their initial theory about extraterrestrial control, Casey reveals to Delilah, Stan, and Stokely that he's convinced the educators are mere puppets under the influence of otherworldly forces. Zeke and Marybeth enter the classroom, ridiculing the notion, prompting Mr. Furlong to confront the group with an unusual display of defensiveness. As tensions escalate, Furlong attempts to infect them, only to be foiled by Zeke's swift and decisive actions - Zeke severs Furlong's fingers and injects his homemade medication into the teacher's eye, seemingly ending his life.

As the drama unfolds, Zeke invites the group to his residence, where he subjects Casey's specimen to scrutiny and experimentation. His findings confirm that the alien entity requires water to thrive and can be vanquished by his specially crafted diuretic. In a bold move, Zeke compels everyone to take his medication, intending to prove their humanity and immunity. However, Delilah is revealed to be an infected individual, and she wreaks havoc on Zeke's laboratory and drug supply before making her escape.

As the group grapples with the implications of their discovery, Stokely hypothesizes that eliminating the queen alien would restore everyone to their normal state. With this in mind, they return to the school that evening, where a football game is underway and players from the opposing team are falling prey to infection. Believing Principal Drake to be the source of the contamination, they isolate her in the gymnasium and deliver a fatal blow.

Meanwhile, Stan ventures outside to gauge the effectiveness of their plan, only to become infected himself. Zeke and Casey retreat to Zeke's vehicle to retrieve more of his medication. As Casey leads away the infected students, Zeke encounters Miss Burke in the parking lot, seemingly ending her life as he makes his escape.

As Stokely's antennae twitch with unease at the gym, Marybeth (her true nature hidden behind a mask of deception) all but confesses to being an imposter, her words dripping with the insidious suggestion that it's acceptable to feign authenticity. The air is thick with tension as she drops the charade, revealing herself to be the extraterrestrial queen. Earlier, Marybeth had cleverly fabricated taking the drug, a ruse that allowed her to blend seamlessly into human society.

In the face of this revelation, Casey and Stokely make a hasty retreat to the swimming pool, where they become embroiled in a desperate bid for survival. Stokely suffers an injury and is subsequently infected by Marybeth's alien virus, leaving him on the brink of succumbing to its effects. Zeke and Casey find refuge in the locker room, a sanctuary that proves fleeting when Marybeth reverts back into her human guise, standing naked and unapologetic before them.

With a chilling candor, she reveals the true extent of her sinister intentions: her home planet is dying, and she has come to claim Earth as her own. Her words are punctuated by a brutal display of power, as she summons the might of her alien physiology to send Zeke crashing into the lockers, leaving him motionless.

As Marybeth's attention turns to Casey, he seizes the opportunity to outmaneuver her, luring her into the retracting bleachers with a clever ruse. Trapped and disoriented, Marybeth is then forced to confront the consequences of her actions as Casey injects the antidote into her eye, neutralizing her alien powers.

In a final, desperate act, Marybeth infects Casey before succumbing to death. Miraculously, Casey's body rapidly regenerates itself, purging the virus from his system. As the alien queen dissolves into a cloud of powdered remains, Casey emerges victorious, reunited with Stokely and Zeke in the locker room.

A month later, the world has returned to its natural rhythm. Stan and Stokely have blossomed into a romantic couple, their love story playing out against the backdrop of a football field where Zeke (now a star player) is lovingly coached by Miss Burke. Mr. Furlong, a survivor of the alien attack, bears the scars of his ordeal in the form of an eyepatch and bandages on his hand. Meanwhile, Casey has found love with Delilah, his newfound fame as a hero cemented in the hearts of those around him.