Review #503: 'Little Shop of Horrors' (1986)

Based on the off-Broadway musical by Howard Ashman, which was based on Roger Corman's 1960 film that was apparently shot in two days, Little Shop of Horrors sees lonely plant shop worker Seymour Krelborn (Rick Moranis) discovers a strange venus fly-trap-alike plant while wandering uptown. With the shop failing and facing a possible sacking from owner Mushnik (Vincent Gardenia), Seymour tries the plant in the shop window to instant success. He names the plant Audrey II, a dedication to his squeaky-voiced love Audrey (Ellen Greene) who is in an abusive relationship with sadistic dentist Orin (Steve Martin). Not knowing how to feed his new sensation, Seymour accidentally cuts his finger one day, and discovers that Audrey II has a lust for blood. With his fingers drying up, and Audrey II becoming bigger every day, Seymour must resort to other means to find fresh blood.

Like most straight men of my age, I don't tend to warm to musicals. There are, of course, some greats in the genre - Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), Singin' in the Rain (1952), West Side Story (1959) - but I usually find them to be three hours of singing and dancing based around a simple concept or plot. The genre has seen its fair share of oddball productions, and Little Shop of Horrors is one of these - one part a loveable homage to B-movies and the work of the likes of Roger Corman, and one part an impressive musical, featuring some very catchy numbers and staying true to the ideals and traditions of the genre. The film is also surprisingly (and therefore pleasantly) dark, featuring axe mutilation, domestic violence, dental torture, and a sadomasochistic patient.

Of all the cameos that pop up, Bill Murray's (as you would expect) is the most memorable. Taking over from Jack Nicholson's baby-faced role in Corman's original, he becomes visibly sexually aroused while Orin ploughs through his draw of many horrific-looking dental instruments to create a hilarious and quite edgy scene, given its PG rating. John Candy, James Belushi (taking over from an unfortunately axed Paul Dooley after the climax had to be-shot due to negative test screenings while Dooley was unavailable), and Christopher Guest are less successful. But Steve Martin manages to steal the film even from the fantastic Levi Stubbs, who voices Audrey II, playing the ridiculously over-the-top, motorbike-riding, gas-addicted Orin, whose musical number is the best in the film (the part in which he punches the nurse in the face had me giggling). It's a nice reminder of how Martin used to be one the most watchable comedians of his day. This is the Martin of The Man With two Brains (1983) and Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982), before he became the go-to guy for middle-class suburban dads in those wretched American family movies.

I've yet to see the original ending (also the ending of the off-Broadway musical), which was seen as too nihilistic and satirical for test screening audiences. I have read what the other ending is though, and sounds far more memorable than the rather simplistic one that was re-shot (it was preferred by director Frank Oz and practically everyone else involved in making the film), but it isn't the first, and certainly won't be the last time a mainstream audience would hide behind their hands in the wake of watching something a bit different. This film was one of my favourites as a kid (my brother said that I used to sing and dance around the house to the opening song - a claim I staunchly deny!), and watching it as a 27 year old, I can appreciate it as a B-movie fan, something that obviously flew over my head as a child. It eclipses Corman's cheap-as-chips original, and is ultimately a rather trashy, silly, but undeniably fun experience.


Directed by: Frank Oz
Starring: Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, James Belushi, Christopher Guest, John Candy
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie