Tweekums Seymour Krelborn lives and works at Mushnik's flower shop on Skid Row; it is not a successful business and looks set to close. Then Seymour produces a strange plant he'd acquired during total solar eclipse a few weeks previously. He has no idea what sort of plant it is and names it Audrey II after his co-worker, a woman he really likes but is in an abusive relationship with a sadistic dentist. Moments after he places it in the window people start visiting the shop and soon business is booming. Audrey II isn't looking well though and he doesn't know what to do. Then he makes a shocking discovery; Audrey II consumes blood. After a few drops it grows and later starts talking… now it wants more than a few drops and demands that Seymour kills to provide food. As Audrey II grows Seymour becomes famous and grows closer the Audrey and learns of Audrey II's ultimate ambition.When talking about comedy, horror musicals it is almost impossible not to compare it to 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'; this is not as good as that but trying to judge it on its own it is rather fun. The idea of a man eating plant is entertaining and Audrey II's design is pretty cool; the way it moves is also impressive; not surprising given that Frank Oz directed. The songs are okay but mostly forgettable but there are a couple that stand out namely 'Dentist!' and 'Mean Green Mother from Outer Space'. Rick Moranis and Ellen Greene do fine jobs as Seymour and Audrey but it is Steve Martin who provides the film's most memorable performances as Orin Scrivello the sadistic dentist; he steals every scene he is in. Bill Murray also puts in a fun cameo performance as a masochist who actually enjoys Martin's dentistry. Overall I'd recommend this as it is rather fun and doesn't contain much that might offend.

Screen_Blitz Based on a classic Broadway musical, this campy comedy-horror picture offers one of the most charming musical experiences of the 80s. Brought together by director Frank Oz, who's most known for providing the voice of Yoda in the popular 'Star Wars' franchise, this movie sets stone to a hodgepodge of B-movie homages and charming musical numbers that sum up to a sweet, campy good time. From the premise focusing on a killer plant, this movie operates on a reasonable level of absurdity. But it is not without its charms and laughs to fuel the heart of the viewers. It is silly, it is funny, and it is self-aware of its goofiness. Furthermore, it can't go wrong with a gift basket of cameos from some of Hollywood's most appealing comedic actors. If there are any flaws plaguing this experience, it may the dated humor that teen-aged youngster may not appeal to. Nonetheless, there is a spectacle to be admired here. This film stars Rick Moranis as Seymour Krelborn, a geeky urban florist who runs a floral shop with his Mushnik (played by Vincent Gardenia) and his flirtatious co-worker Audrey (played by Ellen Green) who he happens to have a crush on, but is in relationship with an eccentric dentist named Orin Scrivello (played by Steve Martin). And guess what, he's abusive. When he unexpectedly springs to life a carnivorous plant that consumes human blood, he finally sees a hope for a new life opportunity.A talking plant that preys on humans? That may sound an overly cartoonish idea. But the bright side is this film knows how to have fun with the concept. Opening with the titular song performed by a spectacular musical trio, this movie blends elements of 1950s B- movies with an endearing collage of sweet musical numbers that fun to listen to, that is if you are not prone to ear sores from 80s pop music. Rick Moranis steps into the role of a nerdy florist who is constantly faces the downs of a mundane life, from aggressively pursuing a girl he is deeply in love with, to desperately meeting the needs of his boss's floral shop. Much of this accounts of a charming mix of gut-busting slapstick humor and sweeping hilarity at every turn. There are also some more disturbing elements added to the mix however, and these include darkly funny scenes of the killer plant lunching on human blood. However, these scenes are intentionally play for laughs, if a little morbidity, and never meant to be nightmare-inducing. And lastly, how much joy could you inject into this musical without a nice surprise visits of cameos by Bill Murray, John Candy, James Belushi, and Christopher Guest -- all of whom make for decent comedic performance for their limited times on screen. Comedic veteran Steve Martin however, is easily the biggest show stealer aside from the killer plant. Shining with absorbing hilarity and comedic charm, Martin makes a satisfying presence in his role. Little Shop of Horrors is a delightful, campy musical spectacle that blossoms with spectacular musical numbers and a surprising amount of energy and wit that many musical (and comedy) fans can admire. Calling this film a musical masterpiece would be saying an awful lot, especially in the age of musicals like 'Grease' and 'Hairspray'. Nonetheless, this movie makes for an appetizing source of entertainment.

Bryan Kluger This 1986 version of 'Little Shop Of Horrors' holds a very special place in my heart. It was one of the first films I viewed in the theater. My parents took me to it when I was five years old, and I remember loving every minute of it. Back then, and even still today, I find that director Frank Oz perfectly mixed a musical with retro sci-fi and created this quirky masterpiece, based on Roger Corman's 1960 original of the same name and the stage musical. And with this blu-ray release, it still proves that after 26 years, 'Little Shop of Horrors' is an inspiring and highly entertaining film. Not to mention, that finally we get the rare never-before-released 20 minute original ending.'Little Shop of Horrors' centers around a shy and nerdy orphan named Seymour Krelborn (Rick Moranis), who was taken in by Mr. Mushnick (Vincent Gardenia), a local florist, when he was a kid. Seymour has spent his life living in the basement of Mr. Mushnik's shop and working for him. The only other employee at Mr Mushnik's plant shop is Audrey (Ellen Greene), a busty, beautiful blonde, whom with Seymour is secretly in love with. Although Audrey does dream about a life with Seymour outside of the plant shop and city, she does not share her feelings with him, for fear of her cruel and insane dentist boyfriend, Orin Scrivello (Steve Martin).However, Seymour's life is forever changed during a total eclipse of the sun, when a strange and interesting plant appears out of thin air at a rival local plant shop. Seymour purchases the bizarre looking plant in hopes to attract business to Mr. Mushnick's decaying shop. Instantly, people take notice of the plant and start doing business at Mr. Mushnik's shop, but at a life- threatening cost. The plant, which Seymour names Audrey II, only feeds on human blood. So days turn into weeks, and weeks turn into months where Seymour drains his blood on a daily basis to feed Audrey II. Since Seymour is so good about feeding Audrey II, the plant grows to an enormous size, thus needing more blood. Soon, Audrey II is speaking fluently and requesting that Seymour kill people so it can eat. It is soon revealed the true intentions of the plant, which prompts Seymour to take serious action.I'm so glad that fans of the film will finally get to see the original ending to this film. The ending we all saw in the theaters and on the last DVD release ends on a high note, however the ending originally intended, which was the ending in the stage version is a bit on the more grim side of things. This ending was approved by the studio, but test audiences were upset with it, so they canned the ending and made the new one that we have seen since 1986.Frank Oz did a perfect casting job on this film. Rick Moranis is amazing as Seymour. He brings his wit and nerdy charm to every second of the film, and who knew that Moranis could sing. Ellen Greene played Audrey in the stage version for a number of years, so it was a no-brainer that her impact on this character could not be matched. And her and Moranis's chemistry is incredible. And of course Steve Martin is the scene stealer as the bad guy dentist. He's funny and sadistic at the same time. Not too mention that Bill Murray, John Candy, James Belushi, Christopher Guest, Tichina Arnold, and Tisha Campbell all have cameos in the film.Then there is the ultimate star of the film, Audrey II. The plant is a milestone in special effects, puppetry, and animatronics in filmmaking. I still think Audrey II looks just as good if not better than any CG work done in film. That's right. Audrey II was 100% real, meaning there were no CG effects done on the plant. It took at the most 60 people to operate one of the Audrey II's, which made the plant's movement smooth, fluid, and very life-like. In the commentary, Oz says that the scenes with the large plant were filmed at 16 frames per second. Films are usually shot at the normal 24 frames per second, meaning that the human actors had to act in slow motion when doing scenes with the plant. When the 16 frames per second were played back at normal speed, you cannot tell that the slow motion acting was done, which means that every actor and special effects supervisor and technician were doing their job perfectly.The music in the film is some of my favorite music in a musical film. It's part 50's and part rock n' roll. Every actor's step and cue is done in sync with the music and it is all very catchy and will have you, well at least me singing the tunes for days after watching the film. This 1986 version of 'Little Shop of Horrors' is a perfect example of the remake being better than the original. When you have top notch talent, great music, great dialogue, and the best special effects crew of the time working together, you get the masterpiece that is 'Little Shop of Horrors'.

SnoopyStyle Seymour Krelborn (Rick Moranis) is a bumbling worker at Mr. Mushnik (Vincent Gardenia)'s flower shop on Skid Row. His co-worker Audrey Fulquard (Ellen Greene) gets beaten by her semi-sadist dentist boyfriend Orin Scrivello (Steve Martin). They both want to leave Skid Row. During the total eclipse of the sun, a strange plant appear out of the sky. Seymour and Audrey figure a strange plant at the window would bring in business and it does. Seymour calls it Audrey II. The plant has a need for blood. It demands blood and in return, it promises to bring good fortune to Seymour.This is a lot crazy wacky overblown Broadway music. It's fun for the most part. Steve Martin goes over the top. The craziness doesn't get that many laughs. Some of the songs are catchy. It's a fun musical but not many big laughs. Bill Murray as Arthur Denton should have been funnier but like a lot of the movie, he's a crazy character and the movie assumes that he's funny just because it's wacky.