Based on the broadway stage play of the same name, Little Shop of Horrors is a huge conglomeration of so many talented and well-known filmmakers, each coming from different aspects of the film industry to bring the audience something that is truly special. Directed by legendary puppeteer Frank Oz with a screenplay by Howard Ashman and songs by the legendary Alan Menken, This infectiously fun and sinister movie is a joy ride from beginning to end and it never leaves your mind even after it’s all done.
In the streets of Skid Road, a plant enthusiast named Seymour (Rick Moranis) works at a failing plant business run by Mr. Mushnik (Vincent Gardenia). Seymour however suggests putting an interesting plant he found at a local Chinese shop in the window cell to possibly attract attention. He calls the planet Audrey II (Levi Stubbs) who is named after Seymour’s crush and co-worker Audrey (Ellen Greene). Sure enough, the plant in the window gets a lot of attention from customers and business starts to boom. However, the plant is no ordinary plant as it feeds off of human blood instead of water. Seymour uses as much of his blood as he can to feed the plant but the plant only gets bigger and bigger and it even starts to demand more blood which freaks out Seymour. Now Seymour finds himself going to extreme lengths to feed the plant while maintaining his popularity of being the owner of a mysterious plant.
This is the kind of story that is fun and upbeat but has an unexpected dark edge to keep things interesting. The story is told in the same vein as a broadway musical so you can definitely expect the film version to be told in the same way. There is a good romance between Seymour and Audrey and the tone of the movie feels like a total B-movie in the best ways possible. The film is not afraid to go dark though, not to the point where it is gruesome, but it has just enough of a horrific angle to make things seem twisted and warped. Believe it or not, there was actually a director’s cut ending for the movie that was removed because it was seen as too dark for the audience to handle. Moviegoers still debate weather this movie was better with the cut ending or not. Without giving too much away, I will say that in my opinion there are pros and cons to both endings of the movie. I feel like if they combined the two endings together, I think they would have had a perfect ending somewhere in the mix. Still, I really like the theatrical ending, but it’s still interesting to see what originally could have been if they chose to go with the director’s cut.
There are so many characters in this movie that leave quite a memorable impression no matter how big or small their roles are. There are many big names of the time that plague the cast of this movie and they include Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, and Steve Martian. Even the small side characters like John Candy and Bill Murry make impressionable cameos and their short time on screen does not go unnoticed. You can tell that all the characters are having a lot of fun in their respective roles and that kind of energy is great for getting the audience invested in the wacky shenanigans that happen during the story. The one character that surprised me the most is Rick Moranis as Seymour. I did not even know Moranis could really sing which greatly surprised me, but at the same time, he is just so dang likable. Another character that surprised me is the killer plant itself, Audrey II voiced by Levi Stu. As the main villain of the movie, he fricken kills it. The movie would almost feel naked without him so it’s great they got someone talented to have fun at being the bad guy.
Since the film is based on a broadway play, it makes sense for the cinematography to reflect that feeling. At the same time though, the sets and locations are giving a bit of an upgrade for they feel like actual three-dimensional places that feel like you can actually walk around in. Skid road feels like a low rundown New York setting with everything seeming drab with broken windows and rusty buildings. The choreographed musical numbers are so much fun and allow the film to get inventive with funky camera angles and creative uses of puppetry such as when we get to see the inside of a person’s mouth when Steve Martian’s character sings about being a dentist. Speaking of which, The biggest visual feat this movie offers us is none other than the puppetry of the killer plant himself, Audrey II. What starts out as a small plant eventually forms itself into a giant bloodthirsty killer that not only looks expensive to handle, but it’s also so huge that you wouldn’t think it would be convincing. Thankfully, Director Frank Oz is an expert with handling puppets so there was no doubt he would be able to direct his fellow puppeteers to make the plant as lively as possible, and by god do they ever succeed. Keep in mind there was no CGI during the ’80s which makes this effect even more impressive when you realize the limitations they had to work with at the time.
Out of all the people they could get to do the music and songs for the movie, they managed to pick out Alan Menken who needs no introduction as you most likely know his work for writing songs with his late friend Howard Ashman for Disney Renaissance Classics such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. Having such a well know composer to do your soundtrack definitely paid off for the filmmakers as almost all the songs are bouncy, catchy, and memorable in their delivery. I’ve never seen the Broadway version so I wouldn’t know if the songs are from the play or not. Either way, these songs are wonderful and are just as captivating as they are fun.
There are rumors that this movie might get the remake treatment in the future. I however would not want to see that as this movie is a near-solid experience that is as timeless as it is a cinematic achievement that can never be duplicated. It’s an example of having all the right people at the right time to bring their respective talents to create something unique but also memorable. I may actually be interested in seeing the Broadway play sometime in the future. Until then, this movie hits almost all the right notes and is a must-watch for musical junkies and moviegoers alike.
(Final Grade: A-)