Popeye The Slayer Man Review: our fave sailor is back, and he ain’t happy

He's Popeye, bit instead of popping open cans of spinach he's crushing heads! The post Popeye The Slayer Man Review: our fave sailor is back, and he ain’t happy appeared first on JoBlo.

Mar 21, 2025 - 18:03

Popeye The Slayer Man Review: our fave sailor is back, and he ain’t happy

PLOT: A group of college students embark on an investigation into the legendary Sailor Man. Unfortunately for them, they find him.

REVIEW: He’s Popeye the Sailor Man! For decades, the animated character has delighted young fans. From the cartoons to the live-action Popeye featuring Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall, he is an iconic and beloved character. And just like Winnie the Pooh, the copyrights have lapsed, sending the spinach-guzzling hero into the Public Domain. And my, oh my, Popeye is kinda pissed. With his puffy, bloated face and ridiculously cartoonish arms, Jason Robert Stephens is undoubtedly having a good time killing off numerous victims in wacky ways.

Popeye the Slayer Man is what you’d expect from a B-movie horror flick. It tells of the local legend rumored to be stalking the abandoned Anchor Bay Cannery – look for more than a few fun Easter Eggs. After plans surface that the city is tearing it down, a group of “college-age” kids decide to go inside to investigate the creepy stories of The Sailor Man. Sean Michael Conway is Dexter, and the gang he brings with him includes his BFF Lisa (Marie-Louise Boisnier) and a mysterious girl named Olivia (Elena Juliano). This crew of amateur filmmakers makes the work of Heather, Josh, and Michael from The Blair Witch Project appear near Kurosawa-level in their talent.

Once the group arrives and discovers that Olivia has the talent to pick the lock to get in, they find what you’d expect: a spooky warehouse. As they wander around with ‘Director Dexter,’ he sets up a few cameras, and they begin investigating. Meanwhile, Joey (Steven McCormack), Olivia’s jealous boyfriend, brings his buddies along to see what his girl is really up to. All the fodder lines up for a nice bit of slaughter, and the sailor man begins his reign of terror. And when it comes to the practical effects, they are certainly loaded up on some goofy gore.

If you are looking strictly for the red stuff, it may not be at Terrifier 3 levels, but it’s got the bloody goods. You’ve got a scalping, a man beaten by his own severed arm, twisted heads, and much more. Yet it’s not gonna keep you up at night with fright. Nah, this Popeye is happy with over-the-top gore and a couple of groovy cameos. As gruesome as it can get, the kills do tend to feel the same after a while. Popeye loves smashing heads. Regarding weird cameos, my favorite moment is a man seeking a cheeseburger at the local pub. I won’t spoil anything more about who that happens to be, but the reveal was too much fun for this viewer.

A clip and music video have been unveiled to promote this weekend's release of the horror film Popeye the Slayer Man

As far as a creepy location, Popeye offers that. And yes, the Anchor Bay shout-out delighted me to my core. And I even found several of the actors to be quite charming. Sarah Nicklin gives a solid performance, and I enjoyed Steven McCormack as “bad boy” Joey. Sean Michael Conway and Elena Juliano do fine work. And strangely, I found the odd relationship between Lisa (Boisnier) and Seth (Thomas) fun all the way up until their final scene together. Funny stuff. The two worked rather well together. While nobody will be sneaking away with “a surprise Anora win” at the next Academy Awards, they do what they need to do.

It sure sounds like a blast, doesn’t it? Well, as much fun as it can be, sometimes it felt like spoiled spinach. The characters occasionally make jaw-droppingly dumb decisions. Many of the kills are repetitive. Tonally, it was a bit of a mixed bag. Regarding the balance of humor and horror, it worked much better when it focused on the silly stuff.

As for Popeye himself, Jason Robert Stephens is rather menacing when needed. I wouldn’t want to face this fellow in a dark alley. Although, as a whole, the character’s look didn’t necessarily send shivers. The script by John Doolan, with story credit going to Cuyle Carvin and Jeff Miller, has a few funny moments, but it ultimately felt a bit predictable. However, it has affectionately goofy moments of Popeye lore. And that’s when Popeye is the most fun. The Robert Michael Ryan-directed flick is best when it isn’t taking itself too seriously.