Popeye the Slayer Man turns the spinach-loving sailor into an absolute menace. 1428 Elm had the chance to talk to one of the actresses in the film, Sarah Nicklin, about what Popeye fans can expect and her love of the genre.
While the movie features a murderous Popeye, it's actually centered on a group of friends exploring an abandoned canning factory when all hell breaks loose. They attempt to learn more about a supposed haunting of the "Sailor Man," and get a lot more than they bargained for. The film hails from director Robert Michael Ryan and will be out in theaters and on VOD this month.
1428 ELM: You've done dozens of horror movie projects over the years, what keeps you coming back to the genre and making it feel fresh to you?
SARAH NICKLIN: I think the genre has some of the nicest people and most interesting stories. Horror has always been on the forefront of exploring the darker sides of humanity, questioning society, and pushing boundaries. I guess I’ve always been drawn to the darker side of humanity myself, too.
For a long time, horror was the industry's "ugly stepchild," but its outsider status has allowed it to explore unconventional topics, allow for more creativity, and give a platform to unique, often marginalized, voices. I think that’s been changing a lot over the past few years as the mainstream is becoming more accepting, but horror has a long history of being a home for the “misfits” and “outsiders” and I find that to be so much more interesting.
They’re also the most fun sets to work on. I’ve worked on a variety of non-horror projects, which I definitely enjoy, but they often lack the sense of camaraderie that horror sets have.
People in the horror community share a unique sense of humor, along with a deep appreciation and understanding of the genre. I sometimes struggle on non-horror sets to connect with people just because we don’t have the same common ground, references, or interests. With horror people, there’s an instant connection. It's like a shared language.
There’s also this understanding of the “ridiculousness” of some of the things you’re doing, especially when it comes to the gore and special effects - how far can you spray the blood, how much of the head can you explode. The more outrageous it is, the better. On comedy sets, all the laughs are saved for when the cameras are rolling, but on horror films, the best moments happen off-screen.
1428 ELM: Popeye the Slayer Man is the latest in a recent trend of twisting beloved and classic characters into something out of a nightmare. What do you think is so appealing to filmmakers about crafting scary versions of these characters?
SN: I think it’s so appealing because it’s two things that you wouldn’t expect to fit together. It’s familiar but also a little shocking and intriguing. I think there’s a good amount of curiosity that comes with turning these beloved characters into horror villains in that the audience wants to see how they’re going to do it.
I also think that in horror, similar to what I was talking about before, with the love of things that are “ridiculous,” there is an enjoyment of things that are “so wrong“ that they end up being fun. Where you’re both laughing and cringing at the same time. I think there’s an element of that, too, with these films.
1428 ELM: As one of the stars of Popeye, what attracted you to this project, and what can you tell us about what to expect?
SN: It was an opportunity to have some fun working with my friends, and I really didn’t put much more thought into it than that at the time. I didn’t expect the huge response that it’s received.
I’ve been friends with the producers Cuyle and Jeff and director Robert for a long time and I was already going to be in New England working on a different film roughly the same time they were going to be doing Popeye in upstate NY. That was too convenient of an opportunity to work together to pass up. The schedule of the two films allowed me to do both and everyone was on board with casting me. I read the script and I thought it was a fun slasher flick and also a character type that I don’t typically get to play which was a plus, and that was it.
You can expect a film that knows exactly what it is and delivers on everything that you want in a tongue and cheek slasher film that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The filmmakers are in on the joke. There’s a lot of gore, practical FX, fun creative kills, and maybe an appropriately timed pun or two.
1428 ELM: Anything like references or easter eggs that Popeye fans can look forward to, specifically?
SN: For sure! For starters, the movie takes place in a spinach canning factory, and there’s some Popeye catchphrases and tropes, like they show in the trailer “I yam, what I yam”.
I don’t wanna give too much away, but the storyline itself doesn’t follow Popeye as the main character. It follows students who are investigating the legend of “The Sailor Man” who supposedly haunts the old factory and nearby docks. So there is some creative license taken since it takes place in the modern world, but a lot of the iconic elements that you think of and associate with Popeye are present in the film.
That also allows for Popeye to be more mysterious and threatening since the audience isn’t going to know what to expect from him in terms of his capacity for carnage since he is somewhat outside of the world of the classic comic.
1428 ELM: Are you someone who is squeamish when it comes to the gory moments in horror, or do you embrace them?
SN: I absolutely embrace them at this point. I used to get squeamish and scared, covering my eyes, peaking through my fingers and all of that, and I really miss getting that thrill out of watching horror movies. But I think I’ve gotten so desensitized to them at this point, especially since I’ve seen behind the scenes and know how it’s all done that the “magic trick” has been ruined for me.
But I really love watching horror movies with someone who still has that and still jumps or screams. I get to vicariously live through them for a little while and remember what that was like, which is really fun. Every once and a while there will be a gore sequence where I’m like ewww or OMG! If it has to do with eyeballs or fingernails, that might creep me out a little. But it’s pretty rare these days.
1428 ELM: You're also starring in Garden of Eden, which appears to be more of a religious horror movie. What can you tell us about that project?
SN: Garden of Eden is a beautifully twisted morality tale. The writer Joe Knetter uses the film to show the hypocrisy that sometimes comes with religious institutions. The story follows a family who believe they are very devout and doing good, doing the Lord’s work, when in reality their motives and methods are perverted and sadistic. In a lot of ways, my character is the only “good” person in the film and as my virtue gets corrupted, it has devastating consequences, which is where the morality tale of the story really comes in.
I play a mother who is in so much pain over the loss of her daughter that she sets out to get revenge with the help of this devout family. It was a very emotional role for me and I really put a lot of work into exploring the complexities of grief and the anger, pain, devastation, and guilt that goes along with it in order to put together what is hopefully a multi-layered performance that really resonates with the audience. The feedback after our industry screening was very positive, so I hope that audiences are moved in the same way once it’s released as well.
1428 ELM: As a horror actress, what horror movies or characters do you look to for inspiration?
That varies from role to role. I literally have a "cheat sheet" I’ve made of scenes and characters that I found really compelling to use for inspiration later when I’m working on a character that has a similar quality. I'm a visual learner, so it helps me to see an actor who is a master of their craft doing something similar to what I’m working on for it to really "click" for me sometimes. That's definitely one of the ways I’ll get ideas for things to infuse my character with.
But overall, I really love Sarah Paulson, Toni Collette, and Mia Goth as horror actresses - or not even as horror actresses, just actresses since I don't believe that an actor should be defined by the genre they happen to work in the most - but I think everything they do is just brilliant and I love watching their work and find all of their performances really inspirational. I aspire to be as good as Sarah Paulson one day and to work on a similar range of characters.
I also find Jamie Lee Curtis to be incredibly inspirational as a person, “personality,” and in career. She is an incredible force and has such a strong captivating presence. She really is a queen and I greatly admire her poise, grace, morality, intelligence, and ability to very successfully cross-genres with her career.
Watch the first five minutes of Popeye the Slayer Man below!
Popeye the Slayer Man will be in select theaters starting on March 21.