WHAT: Little Shop of Horrors (1986, DCP, Director’s Cut)
WHEN: Wednesday, October 25, 2023 1 PM & 7:30 PM
WHERE: Pickwick Theatre, Park Ridge, IL
HOW MUCH: $12/$10 advance or $10 for the 1 PM matinee
Advance Tickets: Click Here!
Giant plants run amok in New York City? Come on, who doesn’t want to see that on the big screen? Over the course of ten seasons, we’ve presented pure horror films and horror comedies, but this is the first horror-comedy-musical! Little Shop of Horrors (1986) is an offbeat, quirky film stylishly made by Franz Oz. The film remains extremely popular and is considered a “cult classic.” We will be showing Oz’s “Director’s Cut,” which is a darker version more apropos for Halloween. The film has a fascinating production history which we will detail prior to the screening.
Little Shop of Horrors had first made it to the screen in 1960 with a version produced and directed by Roger Corman. This non-singing, low-budget film featured Jack Nicholson in a supporting role. An off-Broadway interpretation later followed in 1982, and it was this version that was adapted for the screen by producer David Geffen. At one point, Martin Scorsese was interested in directing, but the task finally fell to Frank Oz, best known for his work with The Muppets. The screenplay was written by playwright/lyricist Howard Ashman.
In the 1960s, nerdy Seymour Krelborn (Rick Moranis) works as a florist in a little shop run by Mr. Mushnik (Vincent Gardenia). His co-worker is Audrey (Ellen Greene), whom he is fond of. However, due to his lowly position and being overshadowed by Audrey’s abusive and sadistic dentist-boyfriend (Steve Martin), Seymour doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. His luck changes, however, when he buys a mysterious Venus flytrap off a Chinese vendor in the street. Seymour soon discovers that the plant– which he calls “Audrey II”– not only lives on blood, but can secretly talk and sing. His fortunes change with his potted attraction and he becomes famous. More importantly, he is finally recognized by Audrey. But can he keep up with the demands of Audrey II?
Besides Steve Martin, the film features cameos by John Candy, Christopher Guest, and Bill Murray. Paul Dooley portrayed an opportunistic marketing executive in the original ending (which will be shown). When the film was re-shot with an alternate ending, Jim Belushi took over the part.
The theatrical version of the film featured a happy ending, which had only been added when early audiences rejected the original ending. With Halloween as our excuse, we are screening this bleaker version of the film which features some remarkable special effects sequences that were never seen in theatres in 1986. Considering that this will in fact be our last movie presented on the Mega-screen, the final image we’ll see is perfect for the occasion!
~MCH