Little Shop of Horrors (1960)

The Little Shop of Horrors is a 1960 American horror comedy film directed by Roger Corman. Written by Charles B. Griffith, the film is a farce about an inadequate florist’s assistant who cultivates a plant that feeds on human blood. The film’s concept may have been inspired by “Green Thoughts”, a 1932 story by John Collier about a man-eating plant. Hollywood writer Dennis McDougal suggests that Griffith may have been influenced by Arthur C. Clarke’s 1956 science fiction short story “The Reluctant Orchid” (which was in turn inspired by the 1905 H. G. Wells story “The Flowering of the Strange Orchid”).

Director – Roger Corman

Writers – Charles B. Griffith (screenplay), Roger Corman (co-writer)

Cast –
Jonathan Haze as Seymour Krelboined
Jackie Joseph as Audrey Fulquard
Mel Welles as Gravis Mushnick
Dick Miller as Burson Fouch
Myrtle Vail as Winifred Krelboined
Sandra De Bear (as Tammy Windsor) as Shirley Plump
Toby Michaels as Barbara Fridl
Leola Wendorff as Mrs. Siddie Shiva
Lynn Storey as Mrs. Hortense Feuchtwanger
Wally Campo as Sergeant Joe Fink / Narrator
Jack Warford as Officer Frank Stoolie
Meri Welles (as Merri Welles) as Leonora Clyde
John Herman Shaner (as John Shaner) as Dr. Phoebus Farb
Jack Nicholson as Wilbur Force
Dodie Drake as Waitress
Charles B. Griffith (uncredited) as Voice of Audrey Jr./Screaming Patient/Kloy Haddock
Jack Griffith (uncredited) as Agony Lush
Robert Coogan (uncredited) as Tramp

Watch “Little Shop of Horrors” (1960)

Plot

Penny-pinching Gravis Mushnick owns a florist shop staffed by himself and two employees, the sweet Audrey Fulquard and the clumsy Seymour Krelboined. Located on skid row, the rundown shop gets little business. When Seymour fouls up a floral arrangement for sadistic dentist Dr. Farb, Mushnick fires him. Hoping to change his mind, Seymour tells him about a special plant he has grown from seeds he got from a “Japanese gardener over on Central Avenue.” Seymour admits that he named the plant “Audrey Jr.”, which delights the real Audrey.

Seymour fetches his sickly, odd-looking potted plant, but Mushnick is unimpressed. When it is suggested that Audrey Jr.’s uniqueness might attract people to see it, Mushnick gives Seymour one week to revive it. The usual kinds of plant food do not nourish the plant, but when Seymour accidentally pricks his finger, he discovers that the plant craves blood. Fed on Seymour’s blood, Audrey Jr. begins to grow, and the shop’s revenues increase when curious customers are lured in to see the plant. Mushnick tells Seymour to refer to him as “Dad” and calls Seymour his son in front of a customer.

The plant develops the ability to speak and demands that Seymour feed it. Now anemic, Seymour walks along the railroad track; when he carelessly throws a rock to vent his frustration, he inadvertently knocks out a drunken man who falls on the track and is run over by a train. He tries to get rid of the body by throwing it away and burying it in a yard but is nearly caught twice. Guilt-ridden but resourceful, Seymour decides to feed the mutilated body parts to Audrey Jr. Meanwhile, Mushnick returns to the shop to get some cash and secretly observes Seymour feeding the plant. Mushnick considers telling the police but procrastinates when he sees the line of people waiting to spend money at his shop the next day.

Seymour arrives the next morning suffering from a toothache; despite not going to the police, Mushnick still confronts Seymour about Audrey Jr.’s eating habits; while not explicitly revealing what he knows about the plant. Seymour grows increasingly distressed as he realizes that his boss is onto him. After finishing his rant, Mushnick sends Seymour to the dentist; soon after, Audrey runs up and declares that the shop needs many more flowers. When Seymour visits Dr. Farb, the doctor tries to get even for his ruined flowers and attempts to kill him. Seymour, defending himself, grabs a sharp tool and stabs and kills Farb. Although horrified, Seymour feeds Farb’s body to Audrey Jr. The unexplained disappearances of the two men attract the attention of Sergeant Joe Fink and his assistant Officer Frank Stoolie.

Audrey Jr. has grown several feet tall and is budding, as is the relationship between Seymour and Audrey. A representative of the Society of Silent Flower Observers of Southern California comes to the shop and announces that Seymour will receive a trophy and that she will return when the plant’s buds open. While Seymour and Audrey go on a date, Mushnick stays at the shop to see that Audrey Jr. harms no one else.

While tending to his shop, Mushnick finds himself at the mercy of a robber who pretended to be a customer earlier that day and believes that the huge crowds he observed at the shop indicate the presence of a large amount of money. Mushnick tricks the deranged robber into thinking that the money is where the plant is, which crushes and eats him after Mushnick maneuvers him close enough to it. When Seymour is forced to damage his relationship with Audrey to keep her from discovering the plant’s nature, he confronts the plant and asserts that he will no longer do its bidding. The plant then hypnotizes Seymour and commands him to bring it more food. He wanders the night streets and (accidentally) knocks out a streetwalker, who he takes to feed Audrey Jr. Lacking clues about the mysterious disappearances of the two men, Fink and Stoolie attend a sunset celebration at the shop during which Seymour is to be presented with the trophy and Audrey Jr.’s buds are expected to open.

As the attendees watch, four buds open; inside each flower is the face of one of the plant’s victims. Fink and Stoolie realize that Seymour is the murderer; he flees from the shop with the officers in pursuit. He manages to lose them and make his way back to the now-empty shop, where he blames Audrey Jr. for ruining his life, but the plant instead asks to be fed. Seymour grabs a kitchen knife and climbs into Audrey Jr.’s maw saying, “I’ll feed you like you’ve never been fed before!”, apparently attempting to kill the plant. Later that evening, it is discovered that Audrey Jr. has begun to wither and die. One last bud opens to reveal Seymour’s face. He pitifully moans, “I didn’t mean it,” and the flower droops.