The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)

A clumsy young man nurtures a plant and discovers that it's carnivorous, forcing him to kill to feed it.

Director:

Roger Corman

Writer:

Charles B. Griffith (screenplay)

Stars:

Jonathan Haze, Jackie Joseph, Mel Welles

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jonathan Haze	...	Seymour Krelborn
Jackie Joseph	...	Audrey Fulquard
Mel Welles	...	Gravis Mushnick
Dick Miller	...	Fouch
Myrtle Vail	...	Winifred Krelborn
Karyn Kupcinet	...	Shirley (as Tammy Windsor)
Toby Michaels	...	Shirley's Friend
Leola Wendorff	...	Mrs. Shiva
Lynn Storey	...	Mrs. Hortense Feuchtwanger
Wally Campo	...	Sgt. Joe Fink / Narrator
Jack Warford	...	Detective Frank Stoolie
Meri Welles	...	Leonora Clyde (as Merri Welles)
John Herman Shaner	...	Dr. Phoebus Farb (as John Shaner)
Jack Nicholson	...	Wilbur Force
Dodie Drake	...	Waitress

Storyline

When clumsy Seymour Krelborn spoils two of a client's flowers, his boss Gravis Mushnick is ready to fire him from his flower shop until Seymour says he has mixed two different breeds of plant at home to create the "Audrey Jr." hybrid. Mushnick agrees to give Seymour another chance, and the next day Seymour brings in Audrey Jr., which becomes Mushnick's pride and joy and draws interest from his other employee Audrey Fulquard and more and more of their clients. Suddenly the plant ails, and Seymour accidentally learns that she likes blood. Upset because he doesn't know how to feed her, he walks along the railroad track and throws a stone that accidentally hits the head of a man who falls on the track and a train runs over him. Seymour takes pieces of the body back to the shop and discovers that the plant likes human flesh. The next morning, Audrey Jr. has grown and become the attraction of the shop. But how will Seymour feed his plant again?

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Plot Keywords:

black comedy | man eating plant | hit by a train | eaten alive | giant plant | 

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Taglines:

The flowers that kill in the Spring TRA-LA

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mr. Mushnik says that he is going to stay at the store overnight to take care of "that meshugganah plant". "Meshugganah" is a Yiddish word meaning "crazy".

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Goofs

Mel Welles's character name is spelled as "Mushnik" in the end credits, but appears as "Mushnick" on the sign outside his shop.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sgt. Joe Fink: [voiceover over a panning shot of a drawing of a sleazy neighbourhood] My name is Sergeant Joe Fink, working the 24-hour shift out of homicide. And this is my workshop. The part of town that everybody knows about, but that nobody wants to see - where the tragedies are deeper, the ecstasy's wilder and the crime rate consistently higher than anywhere else. Skid Row... my beat.

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Alternate Versions

The Slingshot DVD is a fabricated 3D version of the film that is viewable in razor3D system. This is of course just an artificial 3D gimmick as the film was shot in standard flat format and not in 3D

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Connections

Featured in The Schlocky Horror Picture Show: Little Shop of Horrors (1960) (2007)

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Soundtracks

I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls
(1843) (uncredited)
from "The Bohemian Girl"
Music by Michael William Balfe
Lyrics by Alfred Bunn
Sung off-screen and a cappella by Jonathan Haze

User Reviews

Great film!

Roger Corman's "The Little Shop of Horrors" is a perfect example of a fun,low budget cult film.It's very inventive black comedy that will keep you entertained.The film was shot on a budget of $27000 in a period of just two days.The direction is amazing,the acting is excellent(Jack Nicholson really steals the show as the world's most masochistic patient Wilbur Force)and there are some wonderful moments.All in all if you like Roger Corman's cheapies give this one a look.A must-see!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 August 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Passionate People Eater

Filming Locations:

Bunker Hill, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$27,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Filmgroup, Santa Clara Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (1987; Color Systems Technology) Color (2006; Legend Films) Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1