Customer Reviews

Little Shop of Horrors [VHS]

5 star:		(187)
4 star:		(42)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Recently checked this out over the weekend, prepared to merely re-watch an old favorite-but boy, is there a lot of cool "add ons" in this version made for DVD! First of all, the film comes letterboxed-only (some people like having the choice, but if you've seen this in a movie theater, you notice a LOT of stuff cut off at the edges by "blowing it up" to full screen), a walk through commentary by legendary puppeteer (voice of ms. piggy/grover) turned director-Frank Oz that lends a humourous and insightful (if sometimes technical)overview from the one guy most qualified to talk about its behind the scenes trials and tribualations. You'll be surprised at just how much work and planning really went into it. And, best of all-the legendary original ending! Yes, it's true, the off-broadway musical (and even the Corman B-movie original) had a VERY different ending. This is where Oz's comments come in particularly handy as first hand guide to the very tough decisions a filmaker has to make regarding his work if the people paying for it ultimately call the shots. So why is it not available? Well, turns out the lost ending footage is owned by producer David Geffen, who did not clear or approve its inclusion on the disc. Could be because presented with another choice, fans of this movie may agree with Oz (and screenwriter Howard Ashman, who died in 1991) on the original ending having a much greater impact. So if you can find this disc, by all means check it out!

This dvd was released around March of 1998. (Which makes it rare to begin with, since dvd's really didn't even catch on until 2000.) Warner Bros. released this dvd, and about 1 or 2 days later, all the copies were recalled. Apparently, The alternate ending (which has the audrey II spawning, and creating more plants, and then using this plant army to dominate the entire world!!) was left on the cutting room floor, because, according to the commentary, when they screened this ending with a test audience, they were horrified... so it was relpaced with the happy ending. (The plant dies, everyone lives, yay!!!) However, when they released the dvd, they added this alternate ending in the special features, apparently without the permission of Frank Oz, the director. So he filed a lawsuit against warner bros., forcing them to recall all the unsold copies of the film. (The dvd was later re-released, without the alternate ending......)

Alright. If you saw Little Shop, you saw this ending;
Seymour electrocutes Audrey 2 and Audrey and Seymour escape.
This is how is really ends;
Audrey 2 tries to eat Audrey but Seymour pulled her out. They go outside, but it was too late. Before Audrey dies, she sings a reprise of Somewhere That's Green that will tear your heart out. She sings it so Seymour can understand that as soon as she dies she wants to be in the plant. So he'll understand that they'll always be together. As soon as she's done singing she sadly dies.
Lyrics to Somewhere That's Green (Reprise)
You'll wash my tender leaves,
You'll smell my sweet perfume,
You'll water me and care for me,
You'll see my bud and bloom,
I'm feeling strangely happy now,
Contented and serene,
Don't you see...
I'll finally be...
Somewhere That's Green...
Seymour feeds her to the plant, runs to the top of a building and tries to commit suicide, but a man named Patrick Martin, tells him that he took one of Audrey 2's cuttings and made hundreds of Audrey 2s. Seymour walks back in. Audrey 2 sings Mean Green Mother (as he did in the present version)
but swallows Seymour whole. It turns out,when people buy Audrey 2, they all are talked into feeding it blood. It all comesto world destruction and a song,Finale (Don't Feed the Plants).
Audrey 2 had won.
The script is on [...]

This 50's-style musical/comedy/satire is sure to put a smile on your face and have you rockin' to the tunes. Rick Moranis stars as Seymour, a clumsy, nerdy florist who secretly pines for his ditzy co-worker, Audrey. Seymour gets a mysterious plant that amazingly brings him fame and fortune, but it grows at an alarming rate, and it drinks... blood. What is Seymour to do?

Rick Moranis gives his best performance to date as the quintessential loser who melts your heart. He has that puppy dog face and over-sized glasses, and a lot of talent. In the film's funniest scene, Steve Martin plays everybody's nightmare: a sadistic dentist (with Bill Murray as his too-willing patient). There are a lot of fun, bouncy songs, plenty of laughs, and some touching moments, too. Heartily recommended.

Kona

What can I say, I think that this is a wonderful movie and musical. The setting takes place in a plant shop that is on the verge of bankruptcy. Mr. Mushnik is the boss and Audrey and Seymour work for him. Seymour buys a human eating plant for Audrey and names it Audrey 2. Seymour is hopelessly in love with Audrey, but unfortunately Audrey already has a boyfriend, Orin. Orin is a dentist and treats Audrey like dirt. Deep down, Audrey would rather be with Seymour than wit Orin. Finally Seymour kills Orin and feeds him to Audrey 2.

OK, here is why I did not give this movie five stars. As I imagine you all know, the play and the movie are different. In the play at the End Audrey 2 eats Audrey and Seymour feels so lonely without her that he commits suicide by feeding himself to the plant. In the movie on the other hand the shop caught fire and the plant didn't survive, but Audrey and Seymour got married. Another problem with the movie was that the poignant love song, "Suddenly, Seymour," was well overdone. Missing also is the catchy song "Closed For Renovation."

Other than that, this is a wonderful movie, and I would chose to watch it time and again. So go ahead, buy it. You will not be sorry.

In the early 60's in the grimiest part of New York City, Plant shop owner Mushnik (Vincient Gardenia) and worker Seymore Krelborne (Rick Moranis) are having bad business with their store. However during one day when Seymore was looking for unusual and weird plants while during an esclipse of the sun, he discovers a strange venus-flytrap at a Chinese plant shop and buys it. With the plant being the main attraction of the store, the flower shop becomes very successful on Skid Row for Seymore and he falls for a girl named Audrey (Ellen Green) who has been physically abused by her mean and insane dentist boyfriend (Steve Martin). The plant nicknamed Audrey II (Voiced by Levi Stubbs) is actually a man-eating alien plant creature from space that wants to make Seymore's wishes and successes come true if he can dismember some people.

Featuring appearences by Jim Belushi, Bill Murray and Christopher Guest this is a marvleous musical horror Sci-fi comedy extraganza. Based on a successful broadway musical from Alan Menken and Howard Ashman which was inspired by a cult 1960 Sci-fi horror comedy cheapie flick, director Frank Oz really captures the spirit of both the broadway play and the Roger Corman classic in every way. The performances by the cast are just outstanding including the musical numbers which are very memorable, the Audrey II effects still hold up today as they are just amazing especially the lip synching of the creature.

This DVD has great picture and sound with cool extras like audio commentary, deleted scenes and outtakes, Info facts behind the movie, cast and crew info, Trailers, TV Spots and behind the scenes documentary.

It's a musical, it's a horror film, it's a love story and because it's all three it's a comedy! It's "Little Shop of Horrors", the Frank Oz film based on the 1982 David Geffen produced musical based on the 1960 Roger Corman film. I've loved this film ever since I first saw it. It's colorful, its funny, its goofy, its got Rick Moranis and its got some great puppetry in it. All that and the songs are catchy and quotable too!

Awkward but kind hearted Seymour (Rick Moranis) works at a gardening shop along with sweet, passive Audrey (Ellen Greene) and gruff Mr Mushnik (Vincent Gardenia). He works there, yes, but there's not really much to do, as the store doesn't get a single customer. On the day of an unexpected solar eclipse, however, Seymour finds a very special, very unusual plant in the wholesale plant markets, kind of like a Venus flytrap except he can't identify exactly what it is. He takes it back to the gardening shop, names it Audrey II, and puts it in the window, where its exotic features attract the passers by into the shop, and soon they are back in business. Little does Seymour know that this plant is mean, green and from outer space and feeds on human blood! Not only that, it can talk and sing (vocals by Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops) and it is very persuasive. Will Seymour be seduced by this spacey shrub? Will Audrey II get its fill of blood? Will this innocent shop become a little shop of horrors?

I love 1980s comedies and 1980s comedians and there's plenty of them here. Keep an eye out for Christopher Guest, who plays the first customer, Steve Martin, who plays a sadistic dentist, Bill Murray, who plays a masochistic dental patient, and John Candy, who plays a quirky radio DJ. Rick Moranis, who stars, is his usual goofy self, and he's actually a pretty good singer. I love the colour scheme of the film as well, which Frank Oz claims to be an imitation of technicolour. The sets are great as well, I love the look of the bricks and the gritty but cartoony Skid Row. Then of course there's the puppet(s) of Audrey II, which are brilliant. If they remade this film today, and did the killer plant with computer animation, it wouldn't look half as good as the puppetry here, I'm sure. I love the way its mouth moves, I love the snake-like vines, the leaves and the tongue. It's all so great!

Special features on this DVD include a music only track, a couple of original 1980s TV spots and two original theatre trailers. There's also a reel of "outtakes and deleted scenes", and while it contains many a bizarre blooper, the only "deleted scenes" you will see in the reel are the ones for which there were outtakes (including two giant Audrey II's attacking a city and Rick Moranis running through a foggy nothingness with glowing columns for some reason). You also get an original 1987 documentary covering the making of the film, the origins of the musical and clips from the original 1960 film "Little Shop of Horrors" starring Jack Nicholson, along with interviews from Frank Oz, Rick Moranis, David Geffen and Ellen Greene. To top the special features off, there's the audio commentary from Frank Oz (recorded in 1997) which is rather meticulous and rather technical, which I found fascinating. I'm sure aspiring filmmakers and puppeteers would get a lot out of it too.

Recommended to lovers of musicals, Rick Moranis, puppetry, B-grade horror films and of comedy. I love it!

(...)

for those that dont know, this ending is entirely different than the one you normally see. it has all main characters being eaten by the plant, the plants being cloned and sold throughout the world, and the solution of the whole movie, a world takeover. that is the ending in the fewest words that anyone can use. this ending is considered by some including myself, better than the happy ending that was released. this ending WAS released, but without permission, so it was recalled and the new version of the movie is sold now. well, enjoy.

When I first saw this movie I was amazed. It was breezy and fun, yet a very dark comedy underneath. It was a perfect blend of the two genres and it reminded me why "Rocky Horror" was so successful. I believed this movie would be playing at midnight shows, but it never took off. I blame home video for that and Warner Brothers for not recognizing its full potential.

Casting was perfect. The special effects were cheesy enough. The cameo appearances were flawless. Steve Martin as a S & M dentist really steals the picture. The musical numbers are fine, the sets are great and the story is classic.

"Little Shop of Horrors" is a piece of work. In the story of a geeky shopboy, an abused girl, a wicked dentist, and one hungry plant, everything flows together smoothly. The story, first a cheapy B-film, then an Off-Broadway musical success before landing in this film, is ridiculously off-beat - so peculiar that it makes perfect sense and is incredibly fun. Alan Menken and Howard Ashman put together a memorable lot of songs that are bested by nothing else. Most notably, `Suddenly, Seymour' and `Somewhere That's Green' ooze with the stuff that dreams are made of. Rick Moranis is wonderfuly pathetic as Seymour, and it's surprising how well he can actually sing. Stealing the show, however, is the delightful Ellen Greene as Audrey. Her voice is sharp enough to etch into Baccarat crystal and then some. It's no wonder they carried her over from the original production. Whenever Audrey is on screen, nothing falls flat - but that's redundant because this film never falls flat. Speaking of the original production, this film strayed from it quite a bit. I'm sure no one gives a hoot about revising one song into another and cutting some altogether - However there is much controversey surrounding the infamous Alternate Ending. That is the only thing keeping this disc from the most prominent spot in my collection. The alternate - and orginal ending consisted of Audrey and Seymour being devoured by the plant and Audrey II rampaging the city. Test audiences booed it, prompting the change. The original DVD didn't have the final product of this ending either - just a black and white workprint. Allegedly, for an anniversary down the line, David Geffen will rerelease the film in theatres with this ending. Until then, the otherwise wonderful disc is devoid of one vital bonus.