Zombeavers Review by Bobby LePire. Edited by Courtney McAllister.

 

Look, guys, the movie is titled “Zombeavers”; “Zombeavers”! Zombie beavers… zombie + beavers = zombeavers! That title is so cool this whole review could just be me repeating the title over and over, because it contains everything you need to know about the movie. But, on the off chance you are still undecided about watching this new horror comedy, let’s continue.

 

The plot is… see the title, guys! Seriously, though:

Three sorority sisters- Mary (Rachel Melvin), Zoe (Cortney Palm), and Jenn (Lexi Atkins)- head to a secluded familial lakeside house to get away for the weekend. This is because Jenn’s awful ex-boyfriend Sam (Hutch Dano) cheated on her at a party. The boyfriends of Mary and Zoe- Tommy (Jake Weary) and Buck (Peter Gilroy)- show up with Sam in tow. Then zombie beavers attack, and that’s where things really get crazy!

 

Director/ co-writer Jordan Rubin keeps the lean eighty minute runtime moving swiftly, but things never feel rushed. Which does mean that while the zombie beaver carnage doesn’t start until about the halfway point, there’s still forty or so minutes worth of bucktoothed, glowing eyes action. That’s the same amount of Godzilla action in Gareth Edwards’ turd extravaganza “Godzilla (2014)” but years shorter... I am sorry, let me clarify: Edwards’ travesty upon mankind isn’t actually years long, it just shaves years off your life with each viewing. Back on track, though, the first thirty-five minutes of “Zombeavers” are all setup: learning about the breakup, the girls interacting with each other, and such. The characterizations are good enough that one gets quite invested in each person (except for Sam, the douche), and the dramatic arc of having the exes in a confined space far from most society could be a film in its own right.

 

The zombeavers officially make their debut when one of the creatures gets into the bathtub and scares the bejeezus out of Jenn. This sets off a chain reaction of bat bashings, knife carvings, gun shootings, screaming, and lots of running away. All the effects are practical, which means a lot of goo and gore offering a very visceral and blood soaked experience. The practicality moves all the way down the line to the beavers themselves. They are animatronics, and they are a bit of a mixed bag. When only needing to thump their tails or chomp down on their prey, they look and move just fine. Unfortunately, when call upon to scurry about on dry land (they look strong swimming), their legs don’t move all that well, leading to some silly looking shuffling.

 

That silly looking stuff, unintentional or not, just feeds into the overall lighthearted, joyously infectious tone of the movie. The dialogue is very sharp witted and often hilarious. Zoe and Buck get this amazing exchange shortly after things hit the fan:

 

Buck: I've never seen a real beaver up close before.

Zoe: Well maybe you should try going down on me once in a while.

 

Then there’s this deadly serious line:

Sam: We cannot turn against each other right now. That’s exactly what the beavers would want.

I really could just transcribe the whole script, but I think you get the idea. The whole movie maintains that ridiculously straight attitude about such an over-the-top scenario, which of course, adds to the enjoyment.

 

All the actresses and actors are most excellent in their roles. Lexi Atkins makes for a sympathetic lead, and her frustration when the boys show up is palpable. Cortney Palm plays the snarky bitch type to perfection. Rachel Melvin has some nice turns to her character, that reveal she isn’t as innocent or as friendly as she initially comes off. Hutch Dano is in a bit of a rough spot, as his character is a cheating self-centered asshole, so liking him is basically off the table. But Dano exudes quite a bit of confidence, making Sam an engaging character, at the very least. Peter Gilroy as the kind of schlubby Butch showcases some phenomenal comedic timing, and his energetic performance, even as he is bleeding out from his bloodied foot stump, is incredible and probably my favorite of the movie. Jake Weary gets some badass moments as the first to try and kill the beavers, and a turn in the story allows him to emote rather well.

 

The supporting cast is also very good, but in the interest of preserving some funny and surprising casting, I will not discuss it further. There are also some interesting, and utterly balls-to-the-wall gloriously over the top fun twists in the plot, but, won’t be discussed either, since seeing this all go down is where so much enjoyment comes from.

 

The movie is very funny, but also has enough blood and guts to satisfy any gorehound. From the editing to the cinematography to the epic score (by co-writer Al Kaplan), everything about “Zombeavers” just works. Plus, it has its own crooner style theme song at the end, and it is awesome!

 

 

 

                                       Here is the song, tis very funny, but also spoiler heavy. So, spoiler alert, and enjoy!