Well, blow me down! The beloved sailor man, Popeye, already had two horror movies coming this year between last month’s Popeye’s Revenge and Popeye the Slayer Man this spring, but his third public-domain fright fest is now locked in for April. Shiver Me Timbers just released its official trailer, confirming its spring arrival and unveiling a new take on the classic Thimble Theatre character that promises to be both haunting and hilarious. Gravitas Ventures will sail the film into U.S. theaters, though the new look at the horror-comedy comes as it prepares to head to the European Film Market in Berlin to secure a release overseas.
Where Popeye the Slayer Man depicted Popeye as a supernatural legend haunting an abandoned spinach factory, Shiver Me Timbers instead paints him as a more tragic victim of circumstance. The film primarily follows Olive Oyl, who, during one summer in Northern California in 1986, joins her brother Castor and their movie-obsessed friends on a camping trip to get the best view of a once-in-a-lifetime meteor shower accompanying the passing of Halley’s Comet. Instead of a relaxing evening watching the stars, however, they find themselves trapped in a slasher movie come to life after a meteor crashes into Earth and warps Popeye into an out-of-control killing machine. Their fight for survival is packed with “thrilling 80s slasher references and comedic twists,” invoking the classics of its era throughout the short 75-minute runtime.
The trailer leans into the low-budget 80s feel of it all as it introduces a reimagined Olive Oyl and Popeye. While Olive is set up as the stereotypical final girl with good friends, a loving brother, and a bright future at MIT, Popeye is an older sailor living a simple fisherman’s life until the meteor transforms him into the muscle-bound, “strong to the finich” slayer man. Once he begins his rampage, the footage becomes a montage of teenagers screaming through the woods and piles of gore that hint at the violence ahead. A mix of “sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll” adds to the sleazy, gritty tone similar to classics like Friday the 13th, complete with a scrappy survivor in Olive who isn’t afraid to fight back with a chainsaw. It all ends with Popeye uttering one of his many catchphrases that are likely to be heard before the credits roll—”Well, blow me down.”
Who Is Behind ‘Shiver Me Timbers’?
Paul Mann writes and directs Shiver Me Timbers in what will be his feature debut. He has a long career in film dating back to the early 2000’s where he mostly worked as an editor or producer. Among his previous credits as a producer is Trance, a 2002 psychological drama starring Karate Kid and Cobra Kai star Martin Kove. In addition to helming the project, he’ll play a small role in the cast, joining Tony Greer and David Hallows as Popeye, Paul Dwedney as Homeless George, Amy Mackie as Olive Oyl, and Leona Roberts as Lizzy. Mann also partnered with Keith Montgomery and Alastai Statha to executive produce the flick, while Eric Zapata produced.
Shiver Me Timbers premieres in theaters in the U.S. in April. Check out the trailer in the player above.
