Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

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:

Audrey, according to Alan Menken, is based on Judy Holliday's character of Billie Dawn in Born Yesterday (1950).

Goofs:

Continuity: During "Skid Row" when Seymour walks down the alley to the gate and homeless people crawl it up and sing, there is a black man in a black beret, who, a few seconds later, when Seymour turns and runs out of the alley, is standing on the sidewalk with a bottle in a paper bag.

Quotes:

Seymour: Wait for me, Audrey. This is between me and the vegetable!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Grim & Evil: Little Rock of Horrors/The Pie Who Loved Me/Dream a Little Dream (#1.13)" (2002)

Soundtrack:

Somewhere That's Green

A Wacky and "Out There" Musical that's a lot of Fun...

The 1986 film version of the Broadway musical LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS is an entertaining movie based on the black comedy from the 1960's about a nerdy milquetoast who raises a man-eating plant that gets totally out of control. Rick Moranis is perfection as Seymour, the nebbish who is at a loss at what to do when his own Frankenstein grows too big for him to control and Ellen Greene (reprising her role in the original musical) is delightful as Audrey, the object of Seymour's affections. Moranis and Greene make one of the most engaging screen teams I've seen in a while. Vincent Gardenia plays the greedy flower shop owner, Mr. Mushnik and Bill Murray is hysterically funny in one scene as Arthur Denton, a man who seems to enjoy going to the dentist a little too much. Tischina Arnold, Tisha Campbell, and Michelle Weeks are awesome as the Greek Chorus known as "The Urchins" and Steve Martin practically steals the movie as "Orin Scrivello, DDS". His song "Be a Dentist" is hysterically funny. The voice of the plant, Audrey II, is provided by Levar Stubbs of The Four Tops and he is superb. A fun musical comedy that the whole family can enjoy.