Wait a minute. Rick Moranis? Musical numbers? That doesn't sound like a horror movie to me. Little Shop of Horrors has a long and colorful history behind it, being a black comedy in it's first incarnation released in 1960. It was a low budget production that was directed by Roger Corman, but was pretty well received at the time. In 1982, that movie became the basis for an off-Broadway musical of the same name written by Howard Ashman. The stage play retained many of the same story elements and characters as the film. And, finally, that musical became the inspiration for the 1986 film Little Shop of Horrors that was directed by Frank Oz. So, why am I reviewing a musical comedy in any shape or form for a Halloween monster marathon? Well, the giant man-eating plant in the film, Audrey II (voiced by Levi Stubbs) is one of the most iconic monsters of all time. Anytime someone thinks "killer plant" they don't envision Triffids or James Arness, they imagine a venus flytrap-style maw lined with pointed teeth. This image of the killer plant is as deep rooted in the popular consciousness as the image of Bela Lugosi as Dracula when thinking about vampires. Also, it's a wonderfully entertaining movie about people being eaten by a plant form outer space.
The majority of the story takes place in a corner floral shop in a run-down urban area. The store's owner, Mr. Mushnik, (Vincent Gardenia) employs the slightly bubble-headed Audry (Ellen Greene) and accident-prone Seymour (Rick Moranis) to staff his shop. Business is depressingly bad for the store, so much so that Mushnik is going to close the shop early one day, but Seymour has a brilliant idea to generate business. He shows his co-workers a tiny, strange plant that he as named Audrey II, since he is obviously crushing on Audrey and has been for some time. He sings a little do-op song about how he found in a open-air market that he has been unable to identify, in spite of his best efforts. The little oddity of a plant does draw people into the shop and generate some business, but the plant itself is slowly dying as Seymour is unsure of how to take care of it. After cutting himself on a thorn, he discovers that the plant reacts to, and seems to crave, human blood. Seymour reluctantly offers a few drops of his own blood, and the plant slowly recovers and begins to grow. Over the next several weeks, Seymour and his strange and unusual plant become celebrities. It isn't ling before the plant becomes too large for Seymour to keep fed with his own blood anymore. Craving sustenance, the plant begins to talk, and sing, about how it needs more blood and how, if Seymour provides, he will become rich and famous beyond his wildest dreams, and get the girl he loves. I am not normally a fan of musicals, but several of the songs in here, composed by Alan Menken, are distinctly influenced by Motown and rock and roll, and infuse the whole production with a tangible energy that keeps everything moving. The creature special effects in the film are all practical and beyond amazing, using nothing but foam rubber and camera tricks. Audrey II convincingly talks, acts, and sings to and with live performers and I would hold this monster up as the the best puppet character of all time and one of the best visual effects accomplishments in movie history.
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