CLASSIC MOVIES IN REVIEW: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

It is hard to choose a genre for the 1986 cult classic Little Shop of Horrors. On one side it is a musical, and the other a horror movie (of sorts). But there is also romance to consider and a bit of science fiction. Whatever you want to call it, it is a film that merits a watch at least once. The iconic Frank Oz directed this delve into hilarious bordering on downright silly flick and it starred:

• Rick Moranis
• Ellen Greene
• Vincent Gardenia (how ironic)
• Steve “I’m a wild and crazy guy” Martin

The voice of the malicious man eating plant (will get to that plot twist in a sec) was given by Levi Stubbs. There are also a number of very funny special appearances by some of the top names in comedy at the time:

• James Belushi
• John Candy
• Christopher Guest
• Bill Murray

Once you look at the list of stars that make this movie you realize that at its core, it has to be a comedy. The premise of the movie is taken from an off-broadway play by the same name. Audrey II, a venus fly trap gone mad who inhabits the florist shop owned by Moranis. The plant survives only by feeding on the blood of humans which causes very serious concerns for her owner for which Audrey II has a plant sized crush.

Plot Premise

Audrey, the human, works alongside Seymour inside of the florist shop which is struggling to stay afloat. Seymour brings his unusual looking plant in to attract customers, who soon flock to gape at the vicious Audrey II. Before long, Seymour realizes the plant has a taste for human blood and feeds it so that it can grow and impress his crush- the human Audrey. Human Audrey is dating a sadistic dentist, brilliantly played by Steve Martin. The scene of him at work will ensure that you use your electric toothbrush religiously. That is the scariest, yet most hilarious dentist chair scene in the history of movies. Not only will you brush to avoid that, you’ll invest in a water flosser. Upon seeing her being slapped by the dentist, Seymour decides to enact revenge, win the girl and sate his plants lust for human blood. He kills the crazy dentist and feeds it to the plant who grows and becomes insatiable in her pursuit for blood. There are two conflicting endings that were shot for this movie, and we recommend that you watch both. The more graphic and less happy of the two was the original plan, while the happy ending is a result of Hollywood watered down. Watch them both and make your own opinion. Despite the violence, this is a family styled movie for kids who are old enough to take silly violence. Add it to your list of much see flicks and see for yourself why it has gained such a huge cult following.