The Little Shop of Horrors
The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
At what point does
ambition become an insatiable monster?
Poor Seymour Krelboyne—his carnivorous hybrid becomes his ticket to fame
and ultimately his undoing. Much like a teenager, the plant Audrey Junior
comes alive at night demanding food.
Seymour accidently discovers his plant’s desire for human blood and
through a series unfortunate events provides victims for Audrey Jr. Seymour’s boss is horrified at the plant’s
diet, but is reluctant to relinquish the steady stream of customers drawn to
his flower shop by the monster plant.
The 1960 film is populated with quirky characters and
incorporates elements of black comedy and farce. It
features an early glimpse of young Jack Nicholson’s killer smile in a cameo
role as a masochistic dental patient. The film gained cult status as a double
feature and later became an off-Broadway musical which became the basis for the 1986 remake. Even with its unique style of humor, the 1960
film is not light-hearted romp and is much darker than the 1986 musical
version.
Fast facts:
Screenwriter Charles B. Griffith also provided the voice of
Audrey Junior as well portraying some of the minor roles including a flower
shop burglar.
Most of the photography for the film was shot in two days
and one night.
