Alyssa VanPelt-Cathcart, Staff Writer
Popeye: The Sailor is an animated series produced by Warner Brothers between 1960 to 1962. The series starred Jack Mercer, the voice of Popeye, and Mae Questel, the voice of Olive Oyl. Popeye, the sailor, gets his strength from eating spinach in order to save the day, or his girl.
Popeye: The Slayer Man is an adaptation of the original series, but with a twist. Director, Robert Michael Ryan, has spent most of his career acting, but began directing in 2012. He acted in popular movies or series such as Girl Meets Boy and How I Met Your Mother. He directed the TV series Revelations where he also acted as Sniper and the movie Dark Revelations where he also played as Cody. Ryan seems to specialize in horror, or the supernatural, so his adaptation of Popeye would follow a scary theme.
Popeye: The Slayer Man, according to IMDb, follows, “a curious group of friends sneak into an abandoned spinach canning factory to investigate the legend of the ‘Sailor Man,’ who is said to haunt the factory and local docks.” The group of friends, as they get closer to the truth, find themselves in graver danger. Popeye: The Slayer Man follows the standard slasher horror as Popeye murders characters in brutal, grotesque ways. The film is reminiscent of other classic slashers such as Friday The 13th and Halloween.
Jason Robert Stephens plays the role of Popeye. Stephens also is very familiar with the horror genre. Stephens had also acted in Girl Meets Boy and Things II with Ryan. Additionally, Stephens was a producer for Revelations and an executive producer for Dark Revelations that Ryan had worked for. The two of them have a long history of working together, so Stephens must have played a role in the production of Popeye: The Slayer Man. Also acting in this film includes Sarah Nicklin, Angela Relucio, Elena Juiliano, Marie-Lousie Boisnier, Mabel Thomas, Scott Swope, Steven McCormack, Doug Decker, Jeff Thomas, Ricard Lounello, Joel Frometa, Sean Michael Conway, Amanda Catapano, Clayton Turner, Paul Konye, Christian Elan Ortiz, and Nathan Todaro.
The reason this almost obscure horror slasher is of popular interest to The State Times is because scenes of the film take place locally in Oneonta, New York. A year ago, a section of campus was being held for filming. Additionally, The Black Oak, a popular bar in Oneonta, was used as one of their settings within the film. The Black Oak is located right near Main Street. The bar hosts events such as live music, Drag Shows, and Mario Kart events. With the uniqueness of The Black Oak, and their small town, rustic look, it is no surprise that they were chosen.
The film was released earlier in March of 2025 at the local Southside Mall for viewing. The last viewing of the film in theaters will be April 2nd, 2025. However, for horror lovers, or anyone who wants to see locations from Oneonta, the film is available on Apple TV, Fandango, and Prime Video.
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