Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

This musical horror comedy is an adaptation of the stage musical is Produced David Geffen and directed by puppeteer Frank Oz. Frank Oz was the director for The Dark Crystal (1982). I cannot believe for the fact that I am hugely satisfied with this. This is a musical masterpiece for all of my sensibilities! Frank Oz really means serious business for his effective direction; he has provided some perfectly paced timing and movements for the camera work and the comedy and strong visual style in certain places to make this film work, while others including Howard Ashman who is responsible for the screenplay and Robert Paynter for the cinematography gives it a unique blend of a dark comic book illustrations for the imagery that contributes engaging entertainment and theatrical energy for the brightly energetic personality. Not only that this is a strangely fun and campy horror musical about a carnivorous plant, it also has an emotional aspect that ranges from horribly dramatic to beautifully heart-warming; it is so stirring with a surprising amount of heart to it. The cast was an exquisite choice and the characters that were played by the cast has given this movie a soul, not to mention that they are fleshed-out with considerable depth and strong characterizations: Seymour Krelborn (Rick Moranis) is a nerdy orphan with low self-esteem, but he went from nothing to a celebrity to a generous big-hearted hero (but not in a fictional superhero way, it was portrayed more realistically like friendship that goes deeper than normal) as he sings the poignant song "Suddenly Seymour". Audrey (Ellen Greene) is a lovable radiant woman with a squeaky voice that's soft and sweet as a kitten, but the combination of all of this and the terrible life that she has been through makes her a vulnerable victim. The chemistry between Seymour and Audrey contains a lot of authentic sweetness because they are very considerate role models towards each other and so much in common with each other because they are both weak targets to the dangers around them, and they are both desperate to get out of the miserable town called Skid Row, and as the movie progresses, the story brings a great moral about generosity, empathy, and being famous is not important in life. I really enjoyed Orin Scrivello (Steve Martin), his character earns two effective responses: Laughs because of how hilarious he is with his goofy charm, and Disgust because he is a sadistic maniac to everyone when he is either a dentist, abusing Audrey, and killing pets when he was a child. Mr. Mushnik (Vincent Guardin) is very amusing with theatrical execution to his presence. Let's not forget the hilarious cameos from John Candy and Bill Murray. Audrey ll is one of the greatest antagonists ever! the puppetry for the practical effects of the alien plant is absolutely convincing and wonderfully built. Levi Stubbs provided the boisterous and groovy voice for the plant to deliver an energetic performance for some wild fun. But there's another aspect to Audrey ll: What makes this character so scary is that she is very manipulative and so malevolent, especially for the fact that she has a sweet taste for human blood with man-eating pleasure. As a musical, it is very dynamic and I love every catchy song in the soundtrack; they all reflect the character's personalities and has a variety of styles and moods. The original score by Miles Goodman is a major asset that was used for the emotional aspect of the soundtrack as well as for the movie itself, and it is perfect. Unlike the original stage musical, this film has an entirely different ending, and this ending is exactly how it should. The final resolution on how this film ends literally warms up my heart with pure joy. In conclusion: whimsical and dynamic; this dark musical comedy has great campy style, a wonderful soundtrack, and very effective characters. Highly Recommended!

One of my all time favorites, BUT-- be warned! This particular release is missing one of the absolute best songs. In the theater and on the old VHS release, the credits rolled across an extended scene of Seymour and Audrey in their tract house, etc: living an extended version of her earlier daydream sequence, while the very funny but slightly eerie song "Don't Feed the Plants" closed the movie to a close-up of baby space plants on a trellis. NOT IN THIS VERSION! Replaced with a black screen credit roll and a montage of earlier songs. HUGE disappointment!

It doesn't get better than outer space plant life with a fat attitude & an appetite for humans! I grew up on this movie & watched it so often with my bro & his best friend, that we'd acted out (AND sang!) the flick in our living room more times than I can remember! EVERYONE should at least see it 10x's to get the full Audrey ll experience! «🌵»