Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

Director:

Frank Oz

Writers:

Charles B. Griffith (1960 screenplay)
Howard Ashman (musical)

Release Date:

19 December 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sci-Fi | Horror | Musical

Tagline:

Don't feed the plants.

Plot:

A nerdish florist finds his chance for success and romance with the help of a giant man-eating plant who demands to be fed.

Plot Keywords:

Plant | Orphan | Shop | Florist | Blood

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 10 nominations

Cast

Rick Moranis	...	Seymour Krelborn
Ellen Greene	...	Audrey
Vincent Gardenia	...	Mr. Mushnik
Steve Martin	...	Orin Scrivello, DDS
Tichina Arnold	...	Crystal
Michelle Weeks	...	Ronette
Tisha Campbell-Martin	...	Chiffon (as Tisha Campbell)
Levi Stubbs	...	Audrey II (voice)
James Belushi	...	Patrick Martin
John Candy	...	Wink Wilkinson
Christopher Guest	...	Customer #1
Bill Murray	...	Arthur Denton
Stan Jones	...	Narrator (voice) (as Stanley Jones)
Bertice Reading	...	'Downtown' Old Woman
Ed Wiley	...	'Downtown' Bum #1

Runtime:

94 min | 102 min (original version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Geffen Company, The

Trivia:

The bizarre equipment used by sadistic dentist Orin Scrivello has made numerous appearances in other Warner Bros. productions, notably as Jeremy Irons' gynecology tools in Dead Ringers (1988) and as the Joker's plastic surgeon's tools in Batman (1989). (Jack Nicholson (as the Joker in "Batman") and Bill Murray, in a twist, had both played the Arthur Denton patient in their respective films.)

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Audrey II fires the gun through the glass, sparks are visible from the pyrotechnic charges.

Quotes:

Audrey II: [singing] I'm just a mean green mother from outer space and I'm bad!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Tripping the Rift: Creaturepalooza (#2.11)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Mean Green Mother From Outer Space

Not as great as the original Corman version, but original in its own way

I am usually not a big fan of musicals turned into film (except in the case of films like "Fame" or Busby Berkeley films), but "Little Shop of Horrors" surprised me. I rushed right out and bought the soundtrack! The music is excellent, very tongue-in-cheek, great lyrics, music reminiscent of the 50s (the female chorus members are named after girl groups: Crystal, Ronette, Chiffon), and just fun to listen to.

The ensemble cast is one of the best in recent history. Everybody in the film acts in a role tailor-made for them! Rick Moranis as a geek, Ellen Greene as a bubbly blonde, Steve Martin as a cool biker dentist, Bill Murray as a giggling masochist, Vincent Gardenia as a slob flower shop owner, etc.

Fans of the original Corman film will be deeply disappointed. Gone is all and any dark humor from that film. I deeply miss the scene where Seymour considers getting a hooker to feed to Audrey II (Seymour: "You're too bony?" Hooker: "Bony? [exposes torso] What do you think this is? Chopped liver?")! But all that is missing is replaced by fun musical numbers, sleazy sets, and a much better Audrey II plant. The musical version ended with Audrey being eaten and Seymour sacrificing himself to the plant, but the movie's ending is made to be happier...sort of...

Recommended for everyone, even those who aren't fans of musicals!