Popeye's Revenge isn't a sequel or prequel to Popeye the Slayer Man (despite the poster's implications), but an independent, British re-imagining of E.C. Segar's hero, now a source of public domain and as such, transplanted to the horror genre.
Directed by William (Children of the Night 2023) Stead and scripted by Harry (Cinderella's Curse) Boxley, the movie pulls inspiration from the backstories of Jason Voorhees, the Penguin (as in Batman Returns) and Cropsy (as in The Burning).
As with Popeye the Slayer Man, Popeye's Revenge deals with youths attempting to gain fame through Popeye's sordid legend, though in this case via a podcast, followed by plans to turn the sailor's childhood, woodland home into a haunted attraction. For this retelling, Popeye was once an odd, scorned lad, tossed into the river by rash residents, his wee body never found (ahem).
The energetic cast includes Steven Joseph Murphy as Popeye (aka Johnny), Danielle Scott as Mia, Danielle Ronald as Donna, Eva Ray as Cherry, Karolina (Ugrenyuk) Knight as Kathy, Amanda Jane York as Lora, Kathy DeCouto as Jane, Emily Mogliner as Tara, Oliver Mason as George, Conner Powles as Dylan and Kelly Rian Sanson as good ol' Olive Oyl. (Yes, folks, Olive does appear, and in the fateful time she lingers, she helps push the vengeful plotting.)
For the record, Murphy's brawny Popeye (with pipe and plenty of spinach to spare) holds the means to influence dreams, ala Freddy Krueger (even if more subdued), but for the most part, Popeye administers a pro-wrestler's hands-on ferocity, so powerful that if he catches you, he'll squeeze your head until your bloody eyes pop!
The movie's ambiance pervades with a hazy dreaminess, which works in contrast to the killer's grounded attacks: a successful tactic used by Tobe Hooper for the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Many segments are also racy, with a sex scene occurring less than ten minutes in, but lustful, gory unions have long been a staple of the Friday the 13th and Halloween chapters, so their inclusion here only perpetuates their gory, skin-flick legacy.
Popeye's Revenge is an exploitive throwback for sure, so much so that its public-domain novelty seems secondary to its scarlet-soaked nostalgia. It's sometimes silly, but on the whole, relentless and vicious. At an hour-and-twenty minutes, it also flies by, so dip in for a free-of-charge view on the ever popular Tubi, if you dare to redefine your views on this childhood favorite.
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