Director: Robert Michael Ryan

Cast: Sarah Nicklin, Scott Swope, Angela Relucio, Steven McCormack, Mabel Thomas

Popeye: The Slayer Man is a 2025 American horror film directed by Robert Michael Ryan, reimagining the iconic cartoon sailor as a murderous urban legend. Clocking in at 88 minutes, this low-budget slasher puts a grim spin on a beloved pop-culture figure, turning childhood nostalgia into something far darker.

What is Popeye: The Slayer Man about?

When a tight-knit circle of friends decides to break into a long-abandoned spinach canning facility, they are chasing more than teenage thrills. Local folklore warns of a violent apparition — a deranged mariner said to patrol the crumbling plant and the fog-drenched docks nearby. What begins as a dare quickly escalates as the group realizes the stories may not be legend at all. Isolated, outnumbered, and cut off from help, they must confront a relentless presence that has claimed the factory as its domain and has no intention of letting trespassers leave alive.

Cast & crew

Director Robert Michael Ryan helms this indie horror outing with a cast of genre regulars. Sarah Nicklin and Scott Swope lead the ensemble as the central pair navigating the factory's dangers. Angela Relucio, Steven McCormack, Mabel Thomas, Rich Lounello, Sean Michael Conway, and Joel Frometa round out the group of ill-fated friends, each bringing a distinct energy to the survival scenario.

Context & significance

Horror films built around distorted pop-culture icons have long held a special appeal for diaspora audiences who grew up watching dubbed versions of Western cartoons. Popeye: The Slayer Man taps into that exact vein of nostalgic dread — taking a figure instantly recognizable from childhood Saturday mornings and warping him into something sinister. For Persian-speaking viewers who consumed decades of dubbed animation, the premise carries an extra layer of eerie familiarity. The film is available with a Persian dub on K-Time, meaning the dialogue and atmosphere are fully accessible without needing to follow subtitles, making it easy viewing even on a TV across the room.

Where & how to watch

Popeye: The Slayer Man is available on K-Time with a Persian dub, so you can watch the full film in Persian audio on any screen — web browser, smart TV, or phone. No VPN is required, no geo-blocking applies anywhere in the world, and you can cancel your subscription anytime.