2
(nothing direct)
6
(dismembered body parts)
5
(see this at least once)
I think the enjoyment most people will get out of "The Little Shop of Horrors" will depend a lot on expectations. If you think you’re going to get a straight up horror movie with creepy atmosphere and nightmare-inducing scares then you’re watching the wrong thing. This is more of a horror comedy. It does have some mildly disturbing moments, but often it is intentionally silly. By the way, I’m talking about the original black-and-white Roger Corman movie not the 80’s musical remake (although now that I mention it I'm wondering if that has been released on DVD yet EDIT: It has).
The plot revolves around Seymour, a bumbling boy who works in a floral shop. Life seems to be going nowhere for him until he happens across a strange plant. Nobody knows anything about it nor how to care for it. In a fit of desperation Seymour discovers that it survives on blood. Armed with this discovery he is able to get the plant to flourish causing all those around him, not knowing the gruesome details, to be impressed with his ability to cultivate the mystery plant. As it grows it requires greater and greater amounts of blood so if he’s to keep his popularity alive Seymour will have to find a way to feed it. How far will he go and how can he get back out?
The acting in this is over the top and goofy but works well enough considering it’s a comedy. A young Jack Nicholson has a small role that is rather odd but amusing. Dick Miller and a variety of lesser known actors like Jonathan Haze make this an entertaining bit for the most part.
One of the odder plot points is that the plant talks. It has a comical voice that is not well matched to its “mouth” movements. Some better puppetry to sell the realism of it more would have been a good idea.
The goofiness of the whole concept can be amusing though it can also be annoying. It kind of teeters between the two. This could have potentially been a more disturbing movie if it had gone for a darker tone, but some of it is still comically upsetting (in concept if not in depiction). It's one of the few Roger Corman movies I've been willing to sit through more than once.
Morality
There is nothing sexual or revealing, and I don’t recall hearing any strong language at all.
Some of the content is gruesome such as feeding body parts to the plant. It’s perhaps a little more graphic than the average black and white horror movie since we do see some of the dismembered parts but is nothing by modern standards.
Spirituality
Seymour gets himself into a difficult position. He doesn't set out to do anyone harm, and yet he gets caught up in the fervor to the point that he leaves himself feeling trapped. It seems like that is what happens often in real life. We don't mean anyone harm, but just because of our human nature we easily find ourselves swept up in circumstances we can't control. Getting out isn't always the same as getting off the hook, but thankfully God gives us hope and a future even when there are consequences needing to be faced.
Final Thoughts
"The Little Shop Of Horrors" an amusing movie. I am entertained by it and have found myself enjoying it more and more with subsequent viewings. It's worth checking out if you're in the mood for a very old example of dark comedy.
Buying Guide
"The Little Shop of Horrors" is like other old public domain flicks in that it has a horrific number of releases to sort, but this little gem of a horror comedy has gotten far better treatment than most.
Most notably is a Blu-ray which also has a DVD version of the same release. A different Blu offers it with a variety of other old films. There's a Collector's Edition with some extras, a digitally remastered version from GoodTimes, a 3D Horror Classics release, a Digital Gold Collection that is remastered, and any number of other unremarkable DVD's. In addition to those are numerous multi-packs few of which stand out except the Roger Corman Classics Collection 1.
The Blu contains both the colorized version and the original black-and-white. The ratio is the standard 1.33 that all of the releases have. The video is a 1080p transfer. The screenshots that I've seen blow every version I've ever watched out of the water but reviewers say that it's still not perfect with trash, damage, and missing frames. The mono soundtrack is presented in high-def DTS 2.0. Again, it sounds like it is far better than any version I've seen but still very much imperfect. The only extra is a commentary by Mike Nelson of Mystery Science Theater 3000 fame.
The DVD version of this release appears to offer pretty much the same thing although I never saw a mention of the commentary being included.
The Blu collection just uses the data capactiy of Blu to hold a bunch of movies. There is no HD with it.
The digitally remastered version from GoodTimes has gotten some positive comments about the quality. There's no mention of extras.
The 3D version offers no helpful comments and has no reviews that I found.
The Digital Gold Collection mentions being remastered and sports a 5.1 digital surround mix. The quality is supposed to be pretty good though I didn't see people praising this one like they did the others I mentioned. The package offers bios of stars and filmmakers.
The Roger Corman Classics Collection is remastered. The quality is reportedly pretty good although none of the reviews had much useful info. There are no extras.
Final Recommendation:
The Platinum Disc Collector's Edition DVD (detailed below) is nothing special. The Horror Classics 50 pack is a good bargain overall, but you get what you pay for as far as quality goes. The Blu or its DVD counterpart is the way to go if you are concerned about quality and probably have the best extras offered even though they still don't have much to them. Other than that I say just go for the best deal on one of the remastered releases if possible.
The first one I'll talk about is a stand-alone “collector’s edition” by Platinum Disc Corp. (which is also available a box set that includes "The Terror," another old Corman flick). It's remastered but don't let that get you too excited.
Video
1.33:
This is perhaps the best of the ones I've seen, if only slightly so, being less washed out and not as soft as the others. It's still not at all good, though. It's a little fuzzy and grainy although the amount of trash in the image is notably lessened.
Audio
2.0 mono:
The sound quality is not really any better than any other I've seen. It's still distorted and hard to make out at times. There's not much white noise but still some crackles and pops.
Packaging
It comes in a standard plastic case. I'm not sure why the art features a close up of Jack Nicholson's face.
If you get the box set with "The Terror" you'll get the 2 plastic cases in a larger cardboard box.
The interface features some graphics of the plant and a loop of the score.
Extras
-Quiz: First is a quiz that features 3 easy questions. Choose the answer and see if it’s correct or not, that’s all there is to it.
-Bio: It covers Jack Nicholson only. It’s short and inaccurate saying he played Joker in “Bat-Man2.”
Next up is the “Horror Classics” 50 pack .
Video
1.33:
This seems to be the only aspect ratio offered for the movie; I can't find a widescreen presentation. The video is often washed out making it difficult to make out some of the details of the picture. It has the typical trash, fuzzy image, and other imperfections of an old unrestored movie but is perhaps worse than average.
Audio
2.0 mono:
The sound quality is rough and so distorted that it is sometimes hard to make out the words.
Packaging
This particular disc is housed in a cardboard sleeve contained in a Velcro-fastened box (more recently repacked in plastic). You can read about the set as a whole in great detail in the Horror Classics (50 pack) guide.
Extras
There are none for this one.
Next up is from a 20 pack called “Chilling.”
Video
1.33:
The image is little less washed out than the others I've seen but is very soft looking. It's a trade off I suppose. It still has plenty of trash in the image. It can be a bit pixelated, but it's only enough to bug me when there are large sections of black in the scene.
Audio
2.0 mono:
Of the versions I have the audio in this one is marginally better if only because it is not quite so distorted and is therefore easier to make out. It's not quite as loud (the others being TOO loud is what caused much of the distortion), but it's easier on the ears.
Packaging
The disc comes in a paper sleeve that lives in a plastic case. You can get more details about the set as a whole by checking out the Chilling (20 pack) guide.
Extras
There are none for this one, either.