Popeye the Slayer Man (2025) Vantage Media/Horror-Comedy RT: 88 minutes Rated R (strong graphic violence and gore, language) Director: Robert Michael Ryan Screenplay: John Doolan Music: The Man from Alphabet Cinematography: Korey Nowe Release date: March 21, 2025 (US) Cast: Jason Robert Stephens, Sean Michael Conway, Elena Juliano, Mabel Thomas, Marie-Louise Boisnier, Jeff Thomas, Steven McCormack, Clayton Turner, Paul Konye, Richard Lounello, Angela Relucio, Scott Swope, Sarah Nicklin, Joel Frometa, Christian Elan Ortiz, Doug Decker. Body Count: 11
Rating: ***
The character of Popeye officially entered the public domain at the beginning of this year. This means that the spinach-eating sailor is fair game for all. Following in the footsteps of Winnie the Pooh and Steamboat Willy, he’s become a horror character with murder on his mind. And it’s not just one movie, it’s three: Shiver Me Timbers, Popeye’s Revenge and Popeye the Slayer Man which is the one I’ll be reviewing here. I intend to get to the other two very soon.
I had a blast watching Screamboat (the Mickey Mouse one) earlier this spring. It was fun watching it with a boisterous nighttime audience that included co-star Kailey Hyman (sweet lady). I watched Popeye the Slayer Man at home with my buddy Mike. It wasn’t the same as watching with a theater full of people cheering the gory scenes, but it was still fun. Sure, the plot is standard slasher nonsense and the acting isn’t stellar. But man, does it have some cool kill scenes. That’s the point of watching movies like this, right?
As is customary, Popeye the Slayer Man opens with a scene of people being slaughtered by the killer. In this case, it’s “The Sailor Man” (Stephens), a local legend who supposedly haunts the abandoned Anchor Bay canning factory. He takes out two thugs (Frometa and Ortiz) terrorizing a woman (Nicklin, The Disco Exorcist). He disembowels one and smashes the other’s skull to a bloody pulp before turning his attention to the screaming woman. Guts strewn and brains splattered, it’s as promising an opening as you can hope for.
The plot centers on a group of dumb kids who decide to explore the factory the night before it’s to be demolished. The leader of the group is Dexter (Conway, Ouija Witch), a college student making a documentary about the Sailor Man. He’s joined by his crush Olivia (Juliano), a local girl recently returned to town to deal with some family business. The others are his friend Lisa (Boisnier, Max Payne: Perdition), her crush Seth (Jeff Thomas) and bar waitress Katie (Mabel Thomas, Curse of the Re-Animator) whose jealous, abusive boyfriend Joey (McCormack, Harold and the Purple Crayon) follows her there with his two sidekicks, Jesse (Turner) and Terry (Konye). Of course, it’ll be a night of terror that the survivor(s) will always remember.
It isn’t long after their arrival that Popeye starts stalking and killing them. One guy gets decapitated by an anchor. A security guard has his skull crushed. A couple of victims get impaled by rebar pipes. A woman gets scalped before being crushed to death by an industrial press. One deserving dope gets beaten to death by his own arm after it’s ripped off by you-know-who. The kill count may be low (just 11), but the amount of gore makes up for it. The best thing is it’s NOT CGI. Director Robert Michael Ryan (Ouija Witch) goes completely old school with some great practical effects.
The makeup effects are also quite good. The artists do a good job on Popeye. The E.C. Segar creation, who first appeared circa 1929, looks fearsome with his large forearms and twisted face. It’s explained that he was mutated by toxic spinach. You see, the factory had to close down twenty years earlier after reports of contamination and unsafe conditions from a whistleblower who then mysteriously disappeared. Company CEO and property owner Lex (Lounello, Little Shop Erotica) would rather keep it all on the QT. That’s why he’s so eager to sell the place. Popeye, on the other hand, isn’t willing to let it rest. He has a personal stake in the whole situation.
I have to admit I never thought of Popeye this way. I used to love the cartoon as a kid. It was always satisfying to see him beat the hell out of Bluto (or Brutus) and again win the hand of Olive Oyl. I was pleased to see all the references to the original source in Popeye the Slayer Man like a cameo by a certain hamburger-loving moocher. Look quick for a shout-out to Eugene the Jeep. In addition, this Popeye gets to utter the famous catchphrase “I am what I am” in a menacing growl.
Is it really necessary to discuss the acting in Popeye the Slayer Man at length? Can I just leave it at the actors deliver the performances the movie deserves? The film is a total goof albeit a bloody one. How can you take any of it seriously? You can’t! Ryan keeps things moving at just the right pace. The so-called surprise plot twist involving Olivia (think about the name) isn’t shocking at all. Hell, he even leaves the door wide open for a sequel. I’ll grant that Popeye the Slayer Man is as far from great cinema as you can get, but who comes looking for that here? People watch it for the kill scenes and the privilege of saying that they’ve seen it. Both are certainly true in my case (and Mike’s too). It’s a fun comedic horror flick. Just enjoy the ride.
Next up, Popeye’s Revenge. Wish me luck.
