The latest horror movie to put a gory twist on beloved pop culture icon Popeye is Shiver Me Timbers, and director Paul Mann’s bloody slasher is NOW AVAILABLE on digital at home. Blending classic slasher thrills with off-the-wall comedy, Shiver Me Timbers pays homage to 1980s horror classics while bringing Popeye into “his most terrifying […]
BD: Shiver Me Timbers features a final girl version of Olive Oyl. Can you tell us a little bit about your take on the iconic character?
PM: Yes, Olive Oyl is our final girl, and our take on this iconic character is quite different. For one, our Olive Oyl isn’t Popeye’s girlfriend—she’s a young teenager, hanging out with her friends, who ultimately becomes the hero. She’s also a goth-loving girl, influenced by the likes of Siouxsie and the Banshees and the 1980s goth scene. She’s far from the damsel in distress Popeye is always rescuing. She’s an incredibly smart, nerdy character who transforms into an action hero.
Her arc is a journey from the brainy, goth nerd to a full-on Sigourney Weaver-style action hero, all delivered with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor.
BD: The trailer for Shiver Me Timbers is extremely bloody. Can we expect all classic practical effects from the film?
PM: One thing I was determined to achieve was over-the-top blood. Our makeup artists went all out, creating barrels of blood and crafting every kind imaginable. Then we enhanced it all with CGI, adding even more blood—because you can never have too much blood.
As for Popeye, he’s a blend of makeup and CGI. Everything started with practical effects, which were then enhanced with CGI to create the best possible look.
BD: Your film is set in the 1980s. Why did you choose that time period?
PM: We set the film in the 1980s because that’s when all the horror movies I love were released. Those are the films I grew up watching, renting on VHS from the video stores. In the UK, where we had the infamous Video Nasty list, I was lucky enough to discover these films before the list was created. As a 12 to 13 year-old, I was renting Driller Killer, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Cannibal Holocaust—all the classics—followed by Return of the Living Dead, Reanimator, The Evil Dead, Toxic Avenger, Flesh for Frankenstein, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2; the list goes on. I really wanted to make one of those films: the tongue-in-cheek, campy, horror flicks that also made me laugh. To this day, I’m still a huge fan of ’80s synthwave and those iconic soundtracks.
Another reason we set it in the ’80s is that Halley’s Comet passed through in 1986, and in our story, the comet transforms old man Popeye into the monster he becomes. Our characters are also huge movie buffs, constantly referencing those great films from the ’80s. References to the ’80s, the occasional nod to the ’90s, and even one from the ’70s. Shiver Me Timbers truly pays homage to the genre, peppered with little Easter eggs that, hopefully, fans will appreciate.
BD: Do you have any plans to turn other public domain characters into horror icons?
PM: We do have plans to transform other public domain characters into horror icons. I can’t reveal who just yet, as we’re still in pre-production on the sequel, but I can tell you that they’ll come from that same era and share a similar type of character. They won’t be fairy tale characters— other companies are already doing those brilliantly—but they will be drawn from the public domain. I’m keeping it under wraps for now, as we don’t want to spoil anything. But yes, more is definitely on the way.
Watch Shiver Me Timbers on digital today!
