Little Shop of Horrors

Buy This Item Little Shop of Horrors  Available from Amazon  Click 'BUY IT NOW' to get price.  on 11-15-2008     Hilarious, cheapie black comedy from 1960 that may be the best film by B-picture master Roger Corman, other than <I>Bucket of Blood</I>, made about the same time with the same writer, Charles Griffith. Seymour (Jonathan Haze) is an assistant in a skid-row flower shop who's on the point of losing his job when the unusual plant he's developed turns the store into a major attraction. The only problem is that the plant needs human blood to live, all the while crying, "Feed me! FEED ME!" Luckily, Seymour causes a series of inadvertent deaths that more than make up for the food shortage. Jack Nicholson provides a comic sidebar as a nutjob masochist visiting a dentist's office. Giggling and wild-eyed from the same impulse that might lead others to read scandal sheets, he can be seen in the dentist's waiting room reading aloud from <I>Pain</I> magazine. Famous for having the shortest shooting schedule on record (two days and a night), <I>The Little Shop of Horrors</I> spawned an off-Broadway musical that was in turn made into a successful film in 1986, starring Rick Moranis and Steve Martin. It was in just this quick-shoot atmosphere that Corman nurtured the careers of many of America's most celebrated film directors; this little shop of honors included Francis Ford Coppola, Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Scorsese, and Jonathan Demme. The DVD has optional Japanese subtitles, very generous bios of the stars and filmmakers, and a clean, crisp transfer. <I>--Jim Gay</I> Reader Reviews After discovering a rare and interesting plant, which he names Audrey II, florist's assistant, Seymour Krelborn (Rick Moranis), is shot from a life of poverty on Skid Row to fame and fortune. However, his success comes at a price, as Audrey II demands to be fed a diet of blood, and later human bodies, which Seymour must supply. "Little Shop of Horrors" is one of the earliest examples of a movie being remade as a musical and one of the best. The songs are great; the actors can actually sing; and what's more, everyone involved looks like they are having a thoroughly good time, which makes the audience also enjoy themselves. Although the film's plot and its title suggest that this is a horror film, it is actually a comedy and I can't imagine anyone, except perhaps a young child, being remotely scared by this film. Everything is played over-the-top and for laughs and it works too. Highlights of the film include a scene involving Steve Martin as a sadistic (singing) dentist meeting his match in the form of a masochistic patient (Bill Murray), and the grand finale song, "Mean Green Mother From Outer Space", which earned this film a Best Song Oscar Nomination. However, for me at least, the best thing about this film is that it was done using puppets for the plant instead of CG. Considering the fact that just about every movie made now days includes some sort of computerization, it is hard to remember a time when animatronics and puppets were the big thing. "Little Shop of Horrors" was made back in 1986, before CG, and as I was rewatching this film last night, I found myself feeling grateful that this was the case. No matter how good CG gets interactions between humans and CG creatures just don't look as realistic as interactions between actual objects (ie. puppets) and humans. The puppets in this film are great and they are directed by the best puppet director in the business, Frank Oz. The film also features a large number of cameos from assorted comedians including John Candy, Jim Belushi, and Christopher Guest. Oh and for the record, the original Roger Corman version of this film is nowhere near as good as this "remake" and is only really worth watching as a curiosity piece, to see the origins of this classic.

Little Shop of Horrors Available from Amazon Price: Click 'BUY IT NOW' to get price. Updated on 11-15-2008.

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