Zombeavers (2014)★★★☆☆

I realize that beavers and groundhogs are different animals, but there are apparently no horror movies about groundhogs (although according to IMDb, there will be one next year!). So for Groundhog Day this year, I figured I’d finally get around to watching Zombeavers. And wow. Just wow.

I figured from the trailer and the tagline (“They’ll dam you to hell!”) that I was in for something ridiculous, but I don’t think I was quite prepared for just how ridiculous it was. From the opening sequence with the campy music and animated beavers, to one character yelling “I feel like a Power Ranger!” whilst in the throes of passion, to the actual zombified beavers, everything about this movie was ridiculous. And I loved it.

Well okay, “love” might be too strong a word here, but I enjoyed it. It’s the kind of movie that doesn’t (or can’t) take itself too seriously, and that looks like everyone involved had a genuinely good time filming it. Even John Mayer (yes, that John Mayer), whose brief cameo serves as an interesting feature film debut. In fact, if you’re not yet convinced that this movie is worth watching (or that it exists beyond the trailer), you can watch John Mayer and Bill Burr discuss its appeal with Stephen Merchant here. Really, that interview is worth watching even if you’re convinced that you’ll never watch this film.

Overall, this movie is silly, the coeds are annoying, and the zombeavers are just so…icky. But if you can deal with some over-the-top blood and gore and seemingly endless drama between the main characters, you might enjoy it. Just don’t compare it to Sharknado, or John Mayer might sic a zombeaver on you.