Little Shop of Horrors
Directed by Frank Oz
- horror
- comedy
The story
Seymour Krelborn is a nerdy orphan working at Mushnik's, a flower shop in urban Skid Row. He harbors a crush on fellow co-worker, Audrey Fulquard, and is berated by Mr. Mushnik daily. One day, Seymour finds a very mysterious unidentified plant which he calls Audrey II. The plant seems to have a craving for blood and soon begins to sing for its supper.
What it’s like
Saturated, deliberately artificial sets in a painted-backdrop Skid Row, with rain-slick streets under pink and green neon and a flower shop glowing like a sugary diorama. The camera moves with stage-musical energy, swooping through big production numbers, and the doo-wop and girl-group score bounces with bright, bouncy pop. Audrey II, the giant puppet plant, is the show's centrepiece, all glossy leaves and wicked grins. The vibe is campy, cheeky and sweetly sinister, the sort of thing to put on for a Halloween double bill or a giddy night in. Pacing is brisk and musical, with songs that land a hook and move the story along. Intensity sits in comic-horror territory: there is blood and some gleeful gore, with people devoured by the plant, but it plays for laughs and never for real dread. Its people are underdogs who grow in confidence, often through a tangled crush and a desperate scheme. It suits fans of musicals, horror-comedy lovers, and anyone wanting a bright, knowing spookiness rather than a frightening one.
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