Your Daily Horror Digest for September 19th, 2025
Shiver Me Timbers

Table of Contents
Movie of the Day: Shiver Me Timbers

Last night I watched Shiver Me Timbers. It was released digitally way back in April, but I’m glad I waited until it landed on Tubi. Not that I hated it, but it’s definitely a movie I’d rather watch on an ad-supported service rather than having to pay a rental fee.
Shiver Me Timbers is a Popeye-inspired slasher that falls into the category of public-domain-inspired horror movies that don’t use the original characters or ideas as much more than just an easy way to grab people’s attention. The story here is about a group of friends going camping when an old sailor with a pipe is turned into a monster by a random encounter with a meteorite. The sailor gets a lot of muscles and a weird CGI face, and he proceeds to kill the campers and anyone else he comes across.

That’s really all there is in the story. If the killer didn’t look sort of like Popeye and say “shiver me timbers” once, then there would be almost no connection to the original IP. Names of characters (Olive Oyl, Castor Oyl, Bernice, etc.) are used, but that’s really all there is to it. Just names, but with no real connections to the original ideas of the cartoon or comic strip. Actually, there are probably just as many references to Army of Darkness in this movie as there are to Popeye. Contrast this with a movie like Popeye the Slayer Man that actually does try to weave familiar elements from the cartoons into the story, and Shiver Me Timbers gets very few points for creativity. This could be any random no-budget slasher movie and it would feel no different.

As a random no-budget slasher movie, Shiver Me Timbers is just okay. The kills have potential, but they’re filled with an abundance of awful CGI. Terrible CGI can have its charm—I’m thinking of wonderfully dumb Syfy monster movies—but I just wasn’t feeling it in this. I mean, there are some practical effects and blood, but they’re almost always obscured by CGI “enhancements.” Popeye’s face is CGI, and there are even entire, full-body CGI creations of Popeye in a few shots. It just seems unnecessary. And sure, the movie is over the top to the point of intentional ridiculousness, but there are many moments when gallons of actual fake blood would have been better than going overboard with the digital stuff.

I like bad movies. I love bad movies. But I think the reason I didn’t connect with Shiver Me Timbers is because the tone of the movie is that winking kind of humor that tries too hard to be “so bad it’s good.” That rarely works for me personally, but I know other people like it. It’s all about taste, and that can be difficult to define and qualify. I do see the irony in referring to Syfy movies while saying I didn’t enjoy this movie because it’s dumb, but it’s a case by case basis. Some dumb movies I like, some I don’t. I feel like most people are the same way when it comes to humor. So, some of you reading this will absolutely enjoy Shiver Me Timbers. It’s just not for me.
Star Rating: 2 out of 5
Shiver Me Timbers is on Tubi, so the price is right if you want to check it out. I don’t recommend it, and I’ll go even further and say that I suggest you watch Popeye the Slayer Man instead, which is also on Tubi right now.
In the News
- Sleepaway Camp is getting a reboot written and directed by the original film’s writer and director, Robert Hiltzik. Kenen Thompson’s production company, AFA, is producing. (Deadline)
- Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim are writing a script for a horror movie. Heidecker spoke about it at the premiere of Him, saying the script “is going to be much sicker than most people are going to want to watch.” Heidecker and Wareheim are the creators of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! As of now, there is no indication that their horror script has been (or will be) picked up by any studio. (Variety)
- Justin Long and Kate Bosworth are working with the original creators of Grave Encounters for a reboot of the franchise. Colin Minihan and Stuart Ortiz wrote and directed the first Grave Encounters, and they will produce this new incarnation with Long, Bosworth, and original producer Shawn Angelski. (Variety)
- Brandon Perea will be the lead in the upcoming Insidious sequel. Perea played Angel Torres, the Fry’s Electronics worker, in Nope. (Deadline)
- Scott Mescudi, Willow Smith, Teyana Taylor, Anna Sawai, John Cho, and John Boyega have been cast in the animated monster movie Slime. (Deadline)
- Producer Graham King (Dark Shadows) and the writing duo of Josh Miller and Pat Casey (Violent Night) are working together on a horror-comedy titled Dead Drunk. The film will be about a divorcee and her best friend trapped in a vineyard during a wine tasting and realizing that the best way to survive is to stay drunk. (Deadline)
- More trailers/clips released yesterday:
- The Carpenter’s Son (expected Fall 2025)
- The Last Footprint (begins its festival run later this year)
Birthdays

David Hess was born on September 19th, 1936. David is best known for playing the vile Krug Stillo in The Last House on the Left (1972). That was his first on-screen film role, and it typecast him in villainous roles which led to memorable parts in the movies Hitch-Hike (1977) and House on the Edge of the Park (1980). David continued acting until his death in 2011, but he was also a musician. His music can be heard on the soundtrack of films including The Last House on the Left (1972), Cabin Fever (2002), and many more. He even wrote songs for Elvis Presley in musicals like Frankie and Johnny (1966) and Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966).

Danielle Panabaker was born on September 19th, 1987. She’s probably best known for The Flash series from The CW, but she had prominent roles in horror movies prior to that. She played Jenna in Friday the 13th (2009), the character who seems to be established as the final girl, until she isn’t. Danielle was also in The Crazies (2010), The Ward (2010), and Piranha 3DD (2012).
Events on This Day

Kevin Smith’s Tusk was released in theaters on this day in 2014. It flopped at the box office, but I was one of the few people who did actually go see it on the big screen. I’ve loved it since that day not just because it’s weird, but also because Michael Parks gives a wildly fantastic performance throughout the entire film. #WalrusYes

Also released on September 19th, in 1980, was Mother’s Day. Robert Ebert might have hated this movie, but I love it. It’s certainly trashy, and it’s kind of an amalgamation of Friday the 13th (1980), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), and I Spit on Your Grave (1978). But that’s part of what makes it fun.