Some things are just ripe for parody, and one of the great functions of parody is it allows us to re-asess something ingrained in us. It allows us to pull the teeth out of a concept we take seriously and insert those teeth into a new iteration of that concept. Parody can tell us when it is time to hit the “reset” button, as it were. In recent years, so many films and television shows have exploited the zombie mythos that even the most hardened of Horror buffs are getting tired of zombies. Lumbering zombies, fast zombies, child zombies, and even Nazi zombies –we seem to have seen them all. Another well-worn Horror sub-genre is the Cabin-in-the-Woods movie, which usually involves teenagers trapped in a remote location and stalked by some evil. In 2014, a low-budget Horror comedy came along that cheerfully mashed up the Zombie and Cabin-in-the-Woods sub-genres and poked great fun at both. That movie was ZOMBEAVERS.
ZOMBEAVERS opens when a truck of toxic waste, driven by two incompetent idiots, has an accident and spills a barrel of waste into a river. The barrel comes to rest at a beaver dam and infects the animals within. The film then shifts to three sorority sisters heading to a secluded cabin at the edge of a small lake for a fun, relaxing, girls-only break. This little trip was meant to be “couples only”, but one of the girls, Jenn (Lexi Atkins) recently learned of her boyfriend’s infidelity, and so the boys were left behind to help Jenn heal. Unbeknownst to Jenn and her best friend Mary (Rachel Melvin), the third sorority sister, Zoe (Cortney Palm), invited the boys to crash the weekend anyway. The weekend becomes awkward as Jenn and her boyfriend, Sam (Hutch Dano), try to come to terms in their relationship. All of these concerns disappear, however, when the infected beavers appear on the scene, surround the cabin, and dedicate themselves to feasting on the college students. It turns out, though, that far worse things will happen if these zombie beavers sink their teeth into you.
If the title isn’t enough to tip you off, ZOMBEAVERS is a very silly affair – and it’s not a highbrow silliness either. The film can be crude in both its concepts and its practical effects, but in a very real way, this is one of the reasons the film works. Although there are pacing issues in the first act, director Jordan Rubin retains the look and rhythm of the Cabin-in-the-Woods genre so completely that we are able to ride along with it. Once the beavers attack, the film has a gleeful, effective propulsion to the mayhem – driving the film to a satisfying conclusion.
The real star of ZOMBEAVERS is its screenplay. Screenwriters Al and Jon Kaplan were already well known pop-culture satirists when they took on this concept, and one of the most difficult things to parody is a sub-genre that is so ingrained in its home genre it is almost already a joke. Imagine, for example, attempting a parody of a “two-guys-walk-into-a-bar” joke. Well, with Zombie and Cabin-in-the-Woods sub-genres, these guys took on two. Somehow, the Kaplans managed to take an idea that could easily have been a one-note joke and expanded it into a feature that fits easily into horror, comedy, and satire. The Kaplan brothers also contributed the score for the film, and even give us a Frank Sinatra inspired theme song for the end credits that is as hilarious as it is authentic.
ZOMBEAVERS made its debut at the Tribeca Film Festival in April of 2014 and then opened in limited theatrical release the following March. Although critics gave the film mixed reviews, audiences responded well to the film and gave it a good afterlife on the streaming services. ZOMBEAVERS is now well-regarded as a fun, entertaining genre parody, and it may well be remembered as the movie that allowed the Zombie movie and the Cabin-in-the-Woods movie to evolve. Even if not, it is an excellent choice if you are looking for a “students hassled by zombies in a cabin in the woods” comedy for a quiet October evening.
ZOMBEAVERS fun facts – John Mayer’s film debut.
Writers/Composers Al and Jon Kaplan recently adapted “The Silence of the Lambs” as a musical comedy. The show earned good reviews and sold-out crowds off-Broadway.
The entire opening scene’s dialogue was improvised by John Mayer and Bill Burr.
The film came about when writer Al Kaplan came up with the title “Zombeavers” as a joke. Jordan Rubin loved it and suggested they write it.
Sam- “We can’t turn against each other right now. That’s exactly what the beavers would want!”
Tommy - “I can’t see anything. You?”
Zoe – “No, my eyes are closed.”
Smyth – “That’s Smyth with a ‘Y’ - just in case y’all need to write me a check one day.”
Jenn – “We’re looking for beavers.”
Smyth – “Well, Hell, ain’t we all?”