David Wechter (The Malibu Bikini Shop, Midnight Madness) and Bruce Kimmel (The Creature Wasn’t Nice) wrote their first draft of this film eight years before it was made. The success of Scream led to Miramax bringing Kevin Williamson on board to rewrite the dialogue and Robert Rodriguez to direct.
The result is a very hip for the 90’s remix of Invasion of the Body Snatchers that stars plenty of gorgeous teen actors like Elijah Wood, Usher, Josh Hartnett, Clea Duvall and Jordana Brewster.
The teachers are all taken over by the time the movie begins. Coach Joe (Robert Patrick), Miss Burke (Famke Janssen), Principal Drake (Bebe Neuwirth), Mrs. Olson (Piper Laurie), Mr. Fulong (Jon Stewart) and even Nurse Harper (Salma Hayek) are all soon transformed into the carriers of a “cephalopod-specific parasite called a mesozoan.”
Becca remembers that when this movie came out that it was part of a Tommy Hilfinger promotion, even featuring a character named Venus who was only in the commercials and the clothing promos. Whatever it takes to get your movie made.
There’s also a scene that’s a homage to Carpenter’s The Thing, but this time involving doing drugs. Another interesting thing is that each of the teens has a counterpart in The Breakfast Club. Stan (Shawn Hatosy) is Emilio Estevez’s jock character Andrew Clark, Delilah (Brewster) is Molly Ringwald’s Claire Standish, Zeke (Hartnett) is Judd Nelson’s John Bender, Stokes (DuVall) is Ally Sheedy’s Allison Reynolds and Casey is obviously Anthony Michael Hall’s Brian Johnson. So who is Marybeth (Laura Harris)? Do you want me to spoil the movie for you?
