Original Coverage & Source Attribution: www.empireonline.com
For 40 years now, Little Shop Of Horrors has been a cinematic cult classic, gleefully devouring new generations of fans with its vibrant musical sequences, cast of comedy legends, and still-mind-blowing puppetry and effects, courtesy of the legendary Frank Oz. Released in 1986, Oz’s film – adapted from the stage musical, itself adapted from Roger Corman’s original 1960 film – is packed to the gills with some of the greatest talents of its day, mashing up genres with riotous abandon. And it’s even better than ever before in an all-new 4K Ultra-HD transfer that makes every moment shine.
As its title suggests, Little Shop Of Horrors is a monster movie at heart, in which extraterrestrial entity Audrey II invades a down-on-its-luck flower shop on 1960s Skid Row, New York, growing out of control as it gains a taste for human blood; making the film ripe for a Halloween re-watch. Given Oz’s legendary talents – as one of the original Muppets crew, and the man behind Yoda – the puppetry of Audrey II is nothing short of jaw-dropping as the creature grows increasingly large and animated, a remarkable feat of fluid movement and personality-led performance, voiced by Motown legend Levi Stubbs (of the Four Tops).
Stubbs and the rest of the cast throw themselves into a string of stellar musical numbers, penned by legendary duo Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. The pair, who wrote the stage musical, channel the story’s satirical streak into funny and absurdist songs filled with energy – beginning in an R&B and doo-wop Motown mode, with a Supremes-style Greek chorus of singers, before Audrey II crashes in and brings rap and rock’n’roll into the mix with wild numbers like ‘Feed Me’ and ‘Mean Green Mother From Outer Space’. And all the while, there’s real heart too in the songs from love-struck shop workers Seymour and Audrey, blending sincerity into the smarts. Ashman and Menken went on to write the songs for Disney mega-smashes The Little Mermaid, Beauty And The Beast, and Aladdin, but Little Shop is where it all started.
Those legendary songs – and Oz’s effects – are compounded by a beloved cast. Rick Moranis stars as Seymour Krelborn, the nerdy shop worker who stumbles upon the mysterious intergalactic flora and tends to its vicious appetite, growing in confidence and notoriety himself as Audrey II spreads its tendrils further; all while struggling to make his feels known for his colleague, the human Audrey (Ellen Greene, who reprises her role from the stage show). Along the way, you get a who’s-who of ‘80s comedy greats: Steve Martin gets a sizeable role as Audrey’s despicable dentist boyfriend Orin Scrivello; John Candy pops up as a local DJ; Moranis’ Ghostbusters co-star Bill Murray briefly appears as a dental-surgery enthusiast; and you’ll spot Jim Belushi (in the theatrical cut) and Christopher Guest too.
Put it all together, and you get a campy fun horror story, a genuinely hilarious comedy, and a musical of the highest pedigree – all decked out in glorious B-movie trappings. Corman was the master of cinematic schlock, and filtered through the minds of Ashman, Menken, and Oz, Little Shop Of Horrors becomes an anarchic and sharply drawn riot, in a lineage of other botanical sci-fi horror classics like Day Of The Triffids, and Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. There’s truly nothing else quite like it.
Not only is Little Shop Of Horrors now available in 4K Ultra-HD – in both the original theatrical cut, and the thrillingly darker restored Director’s Cut, with a completely different ending – but it can be found in various formats too. There’s a standard release, as well as a SteelBook edition – packed with special features, including new featurettes, a Frank Oz commentary and more. Or go bigger with the Collector’s Edition box set, which includes the SteelBook, as well as a 34-page booklet, posters, art cards, and more, all housed in a rigid slipcase.
Whether you’re a Little Shop devotee, or discovering the delights of Audrey II for the first time as Halloween comes around, it’s the perfect time to check out a movie like no other. Is it a monster movie? A musical? A horror? A comedy? All of the above: it’s Little Shop Of Horrors.
