PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Horror comedies can be entertaining and a lot of fun if done right. The writing has to be on point. The gore must be plenty. The characters? I don’t care if they’re likable because they’re probably going to die anyway, and if it’s a comedy, most likely laugh about it too. This is why I really liked the new movie from Ricky Glore, who wrote, directed, starred in, and even edited the new Troma film, Sweet Meats. Not only is this film about cannibals and is chock full of practical effects and tons of blood, but it’s also a motherfucking musical to boot. Fuck. Yes.
Bobby Sweet is a country music legend and has been the world-renowned face of “Sweet Meats” since establishing his first restaurant with his wife. Sometimes a “secret ingredient” should stay that way.
To celebrate the world premiere of Sweet Meats, I chatted with Ricky about how Sweet Meats came to be, the Hands Across Tromerica Marathon, horror movies, and more!
PopHorror: I had a lot of fun with Sweet Meats so I’m super excited to talk to you about What inspired the story and how did the project come about? What made you make this a musical?
Ricky Glore: We had a different film, Open House (proof of concept HERE,) which was also a horror musical comedy that we tried raising funds for on Kickstarter, and we just couldn’t raise the minimum $10,000 to make it. Within the story of Open House is a restaurant called Sweet Meats, and it had the jingle, logo, everything we ended up using for the film Sweet Meats. We kept going back and forth between cannibalism and these restaurant commercials until it is revealed how it all connects. While we were trying to raise the funds for Open House, Pearl, Ti West’s prequel/sequel to X, had come out and I started developing a “Macbeth-like” backstory for this restaurant and this family. Not only do I enjoy the “southsploitation” drive-in films of the 70s, but I also love the country pop rock that came out around that time from artists like Jerry Reed, Don Williams, Crystal Gayle, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. I’m a big fan of the Smokey & the Bandit (1, 2, & 3) soundtracks, Every Which Way but Loose and Any Which Way You Can. When Open House didn’t come to be, I quickly pivoted and figured out we could make this “prequel” idea for less. Oddly enough, we ended up WAY surpassing even what we were trying to raise for Open House, and because of that, got to make Sweet Meats even better than imagined!
PopHorror: You not only wrote, directed, and edited the film, but you also starred in it and had to sing too! Did you write the film with you in mind to play Bobby Sweet? What are some of the challenges of wearing so many hats on the production? What do you find most rewarding?
Ricky Glore: So many hats…TOO MANY hats, but that is the nature of low/no budget filmmaking. Sweet Meats cost only $21,000 but it feels like a much bigger film due to the crazy talent on and off screen. I didn’t intend to star in the next film we did, but due to budget and necessity, I wrote the script with me in mind, knowing what I could and couldn’t do, giving a lot of heavy lifting to much more talented/funny people like Andrew Gordon (Nick), Timmy Barron (Jerry), and Eileen Earnest (Laddie). I love a lot of stages during production, from the writing, to directing, to the editing. Being able to watch a thing get its shape and the process is exhilarating! I would say my favorite is ultimately directing and collaborating with everyone while filming. It’s great to play together.
PopHorror: Please tell us about your upcoming world premiere at the Esquire in Cincinnati and how you became a part of Troma’s Hands Across Tromerica Marathon with Lloyd Kaufman.
Ricky Glore: I selfishly wanted to have our movie Sweet Meats screen and play in front of as many people as possible, so I came up with and pitched Hands Across Tromerica to Troma, they loved the idea of a road show and ran with it! Can’t wait to experience the movie with a packed house who have no idea what they’re about to get into. One reviewer described it as – their words not mine – “it’s like if Christopher Guest made a John Waters movie.” That is much too high of a praise, but I’ll take it. What did YOU think of the movie, Tiffany?
PopHorror: I thought it was hilarious! I imagine that watching it on the big screen with a crowd of like-minded people will be a riot. And you came up with Hands Across Tromerica? Wow, that’s pretty cool and exciting! After the film’s premiere, where can our readers watch it? And where can they find more information on it?
Ricky Glore: Because Troma owns it, its further life will ultimately be determined by them, but I imagine after the Hands Across Tromerica tour, it’ll probably have some other screenings within the year and eventually get a “Troma Blu Ray” release and then end up on the TromaNow streaming service.
PopHorror: What draws you to horror? Why do you feel people resonate with the genre?
Ricky Glore: I don’t think I could ever make a “straight up” horror, like something that fully has the intention to be terrifying, but I do like mixing comedy and horror because I think they are a great yin and yang. We figured this out on our first film All Your Friends Are Dead.
PopHorror: I can agree with that! One last question for you, Ricky. What’s your favorite scary movie?
Ricky Glore: OG A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), and then honorable mentions are Psycho (1960), Wicker Man (1973), Phantasm, and Scream (1996).
Thank you so much to Ricky for taking the time to speak with us. Sweet Meats premiers at the Hands Across Tromerica Marathon happening on March 22, 2025, at The Esquire Theatre in Cincinnati, Ohio! Ticket to just Sweet Meats can be found HERE, or tickets for the whole marathon can be found HERE.
