Entertainment
Ridiculously Over-The-Top, Unrated Horror Comedy Is A Punishing Parody
By Robert Scucci
| Published
When beloved characters like E.C. Segar’s Popeye become public domain after their copyrights expire, filmmakers are free to do whatever they want with the likeness, for better or worse. 2023 gave us the slasher Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, and last year brought us The Mouse Trap, an equally violent and absurd take on Steamboat Willie. This year, our favorite spinach-loving sailor with a heart of gold enters the rankings with Popeye the Slayer Man, an aggressively violent and surprisingly well thought out take on the life and times of a man who uses his massive forearms for nothing other than revenge.
“I Yam What I Yam”
Popeye the Slayer Man is the brainchild of writer John Doolan and director Robert Michael Ryan. Set almost exclusively in the long-abandoned Anchor Bay Cannery, we’re introduced to our furious antagonist as he crushes heads without breaking a sweat in between puffs from his corncob pipe. Once the lore kicks in, we learn about the cannery through the shady dealings of real estate mogul Lex Alistair (Richard Lounello) and his lawyer, Margot Harrigan (Angela Relucio). Margot raises concerns about the contamination scandal that shut the cannery down decades ago, and Lex brushes her concerns off with the kind of practiced confidence that suggests he is absolutely hiding something.
We’re then introduced to Dexter (Sean Michael Conway), an aspiring documentary filmmaker obsessed with the local urban legend of the Sailor Man. He wants to break into the cannery with his long-standing and suspiciously named crush, Olivia (Elena Juliano), before the property gets sold and demolished. Joining them are Lisa (Marie-Louise Boisnier), her romantic interest, Seth (Jeff Thomas), and their mutual friend, Katie (Mabel Thomas). Katie’s jealous, quick-tempered boyfriend Joey (Steven McCormack) doesn’t love her friendship with Dexter, which prompts him to check out the cannery with his buddies Jesse (Clayton Turner) and Terry (Paul Konye).
Soiled Spinach And Senseless Violence
The reason I’m giving you the full character rundown for Popeye the Slayer Man is because this is a by-the-numbers slasher, and you need a sense of the body count we’re dealing with. Almost immediately upon entering the Anchor Bay Cannery, Dexter’s friends start dropping like flies. Heads are scalped, bones are broken, shots are fired, and people are impaled as the Sailor Man defends his turf. Meanwhile, Dexter and Olivia discover the truth about the contaminated cans of spinach that left the facility, and the resulting coverup, before its permanent shutdown. They have good reason to believe the Sailor Man was once an ordinary guy who consumed the dangerous product and transformed into the monster they’re now trying to escape.
It Is What It Is …
Movies like Popeye the Slayer Man, which exist solely to exploit iconic intellectual properties in the most immature and chaotic way possible, are obviously not meant to be taken seriously. Half the fun is watching wholesome legacy characters behave completely out of pocket because it’s fair game, and coming up with deranged backstories is part of the charm. As a slasher, this entry works because Doolan and Ryan put real effort into crafting an origin story that supports the absurdity they’re embracing.
If you grew up loving Popeye the Sailor Man, be prepared to have your world turned inside out by the “truth” that has apparently been buried for decades, because he is not going down without a fight. The explanation for his facial deformities, massive appendages, and supernatural strength works shockingly well in a horror context, and the lore surrounding his tragic past that pushed him into urban legend territory is genuinely compelling if you’re willing to roll with the bit for the love of the game.
Popeye the Slayer Man is streaming for free on Tubi.
