★ 6 / 10
**_Prosaic and predictable slasher featuring the iconic spinach-eating
Wuchak
**_Prosaic and predictable slasher featuring the iconic spinach-eating mariner_** In the Northeast coastal town of Anchor Bay, a group of 20-somethings make…
**_Prosaic and predictable slasher featuring the iconic spinach-eating mariner_**
In the Northeast coastal town of Anchor Bay, a group of 20-somethings make the mistake of breaking into a defunct canning factory at night to make a documentary on the legendary “sailor man” who supposedly haunts the rundown facility.
"Popeye the Slayer Man" was one of three low-budget horror flicks to take advantage of the cartoon character entering the public domain in 2025; the other two are England’s "Popeye's Revenge" and Scotland’s "Shiver Me Timbers." This is the American rendition and pretty much on par with “Popeye’s Revenge” (I haven’t seen “Shiver Me Timbers” yet because the trailer and promo pics don’t look very interesting).
While this is too pedestrian and predictable, it is entertaining to have Popeye as the antagonist and there's no eye-rolling wokeness to be found. The inclusions of Wimpy, Olive Oyl and Sweet Pea are a plus. In addition, the filmmaking is proficient for low-budget fare; and I like the abandoned factory milieu, even though it makes the proceedings one-dimensional. Meanwhile, the no-name cast is serviceable despite glaring woodenness.
Speaking of which, the female cast is good with Elena Juliano standing out as brunette Olivia. There’s also redhead Mabel Thomas as Katie and blonde Marie-Louise Boisnier as Lisa. I suppose "Popeye's Revenge" is slightly better on this front. I shouldn’t fail to mention Asian-American Angela Relucio, who has a bit part as Margot Harrigan. She happens to be the vocalist for the modern rock/metal band The Man From Alphabet, which supply the excellent end-credits song “Sailor to Slayer.”
Like “Popeye’s Revenge,” I didn't find the story as compelling as other low-budget slashers, such as "Lurking Woods," "The Lake on Clinton Road" and "Crazy Lake" (all from a decade ago). Nevertheless, if you're in the mood for a modern slasher, this fills the bill in a run-of-the-mill way.
It runs 1 hour, 27 minutes, and was shot in Oneonta in east-central New York, as well as Cooperstown, which is 33 miles north of there.
GRADE: B-/C+
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★ 4 / 10
Entertaining Run-of-the-mill Slasher
The_Rider2004
Popeyes Revenge was a decently charming flick, that had some history, tension building and creative scares. The predecessor was more of the same, however his…
Popeyes Revenge was a decently charming flick, that had some history, tension building and creative scares. The predecessor was more of the same, however his history, design and creepiness is much improved here, instead of being a moronic killing-machine, atleast here he's scary and doesn't easily get-out-of-breath. The slowness makes him more creepy here, and his slow grovelled voice makes him even more eerie and scary as you don't know what to expect next.The low-budget film isn't a total ROTTEN APPLE, although the deaths are. There's a mixture of positives and negatives. Let's start with it's history. The focus of the pictures made it more heart-felt, and the connection felt better suited here, as it explained briefly, and shown it more so that's why it stood out, as the family dynamic was heavily hinted throughout the story even with the re-occuring characters. So it definitely felt slightly more natural and grounded in that respect. Although, I'd of liked to of seen the history progress further, as it does feel slightly rushed as it is mostly at the middle or the end, I feel as if the commentary on the last film gave it the edge in terms of overall character story and journey, this felt better at explaining his evil-side and family dilemma.The editing is perfectly swift and crisp, with no over-reliance on CGI, most of the film is practical effects, and that makes it feel more natural, and that's why I think this is more scarier then the other tale. I feel as I'd they used the building and the darker effects well, as the creepiness and the tension was built up by his equipment, the movement, and the dark atmosphere did give it that air of unpredictability and sofisticated twists and turns that were unpredictable for humans and movie-goers alike. I feel like the film could've also used the lighter-effect, as that was also very well executed I must say.The characters weren't bad, they were standard teenagers that made insanely bad decisions you may of hit them with a TV Remote. However the build up to the premise is quick, which sort of works, but not so much for development and expandability for the characters. But them wanting to take shots and film the abandoned place did give it the realism and add to the surrealism of their situation.It was like watching a fever dream, the deaths were creative, although they weren't as creative as could be, as some were fairly predictable and formulaic, it was the slowness that added to the thrills and the spooks of their surroundings. And the ending felt slightly rushed, I feel like it could of been a better moment If shorter, although I don't want to spoil anything.The characters acting was mostly fine too, nothing particularly noteworthy, and likewise with the script, mostly hauny teenagers in a dangerous environment, putting themselves at risk, although the rear family moments, emotional beats did add the dramatisation and the creativeness the film flawlessly managed.I'd rate this a 4 out of 10 Because it isn't terrible, it Isn't special, But there's also some fun to be had, call me stupid but this film was a Decent enough 'B' Movie. Not bad, 4/10.
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@Frikkie19179 After 95-years these book based stories are now public domain.