Little Shop of Horrors

1986 Musical

It started as a 1960 Roger Corman horror comedy, filmed in two days; it then inspired a lavish 1982 Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. Finally in 1986, Little Shop of Horrors (1960) graduated into a multimillion-dollar, all-star film musical. Rick Moranis plays nebbishy Seymour Krelborn, who works in a rundown flower shop on Skid Row. While his boss (Vincent Gardenia) bemoans the lack of business, Seymour seeks a way of bringing the shop -- and himself -- fame and fortune. He purchases a strange plant from an even stranger oriental street vendor (Vincent Wong), naming the plant after his girlfriend Audrey (Ellen Greene, one of the few carry-overs from the Broadway version). Gradually, Seymour learns to his horror that "Audrey II" (given the voice of R&B performer Levi Stubbs) craves blood and flesh. With each of Audrey II's "FEEED MEEE"s, Seymour must scare up human food to satisfy the plant's appetite. One such victim is dentist Steve Martin, a leather-jacketed Elvis type (the dentist's ultra-masochistic patient played by Jack Nicholson in the 1960 original is here impersonated by Bill Murray). The lighthearted tone of the film darkens as Audrey II grows in monstrosity, but the unhappy ending of the Broadway version is avoided herein. more..

Director: Frank Oz

Starring: Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Steve Martin, Vincent Gardenia

Reviews

  • Little Shop of Horrors is consistently amusing and churns with non-stop musical momentum, plus a few old-time Disney touches. This time, it's easy being green.

    - The San Francisco Chronicle

    26 April 2013

  • The Little Shop of Horrors is a thoroughly original adaptation, if that's possible. With its toe-tapping cadences, its class cast and its king-sized cabbage, it's destined to become a classic of camp comedy. It's vege-magic.

    Rita Kempley - The Washington Post

    26 April 2013

  • A lot of this horrific Little Shop is not only sweet, melodic, funny and oddly idealistic, it's even, well, tasty.

    Michael Wilmington - Los Angeles Times

    26 April 2013

  • This musical about a plant that craves blood has a smart and snappy score -- and Steve Martin in a hilarious bit as a dentist who gives himself laughing gas as he treats his unanesthetized patients.

    Julie Salamon - The Wall Street Journal

    26 April 2013

  • This is the kind of movie that cults are made of, and after Little Shop finishes its first run, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it develop into a successor to "Rocky Horror Show," as one of those movies that fans want to include in their lives.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    26 April 2013

Awards

  • Best Effects, Visual Effects

    Academy Awards (1987)

     
  • Best DVD/Blu-Ray Special Edition Release

    Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films (2013)

     
  • Best Special Effects

    BAFTA Awards (1988)

     
  • Best Casting for Feature Film, Comedy

    Casting Society of America (1987)

     
  • Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical

    Golden Globes (1987)