FAQ

Skid Row flower shop assistant Seymour Krelboyne (Jonathan Haze) develops an unusual plant, described as a cross between a butterwort and a Venus flytrap, that he names Audrey Junior after his coworker (and romantic interest) Audrey Fulquard (Jackie Joseph). Audrey Jr attracts so much attention that flower shop owner Gravis Mushnick (Mel Welles) begins making a profit. The only problem is that Audrey Jr is bloodthirsty and forces Seymour to kill in order to feed it.

The Little Shop of Horrors is the brainchild of American screenwriter Charles B. Griffith and director Roger Corman. It's rumored that the film's concept is based on a 1932 short story about a man-eating plant, "Green Thoughts" by English writer John Collier. Another possible idea source may have come from British science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke's 1956 short story "The Reluctant Orchid", in which a nerdy botanist discovers a new species of orchid that feeds on blood. A musical remake of The Little Shop of Horrors, Little Shop of Horrors (1986) was released in 1986.

Hortense Fishtwanger (Lynn Storey), the representative from the Society of Silent Flower Observers of Southern California, along Seymour's supporters, including his ever-ailing mother Winifred (Myrtle Vail) and Detectivess Joe Fink () and Frank Stoolie (Jack Warford), arrive at the flower shop to witness the opening of Audrey Jr.'s buds and the presentation of Seymour's award. To everyone's awe, the buds begin to open, each one revealing the face of one of the plant's victims. Seymour flees from the shop, leading the police and Mushnick in a pursuit in a junkyard and managing to elude the detectives by hiding in a toilet. When the coast is clear, Seymour returns to the flower shop and is confronted with Audrey Jr. screaming for yet more food. Seymour grabs a knife and climbs inside the plant in an attempt to kill it. In the final scene, Audrey, Mushnick, and the others return to the shop in time to see the last bud open, revealing Seymour's face. "I didn't mean it!" Seymour cries as the bloom droops.

Numerous viewers have recommended two classic films: (1) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) (1956), in which people are replaced by alien pods that duplicate them, and (2) Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! (1978) (1978), which needs no explanation. A more recent killer plant movie also recommended is The Ruins (2008) (2008) in which tourists are held captive on a hill surrounded with carnivorous vines.

Yes. Countless distributors specializing in public domain movies have released The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) onto VHS and DVD. Beware. Some small distributors market copies of both public domain and copyrighted films with poor picture and sound. Others are more reputable and deliver good transfers of the best available prints. Shop around. DVD Talk gives high marks to the Legend Films edition, which offers a black-and-white print and a colorized version: "Decry their desire to colorize movies but Legend Films does a dynamite job of remastering the monochrome image." Michael J. Nelson of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988) fame provides audio commentary. It can be purchased here at Amazon.com.

However, it is not known as of yet to be available on Blu-ray.

Horndog Studios may have a widescreen print of the film.