The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)

91% of critics liked it
(11 reviews)
53% of users liked it
(53,087 ratings)

Perhaps the greatest movie ever shot in two days, Little Shop of Horrors was originally conceived as a followup to Roger Corman's black comedy A Bucket of Blood (1959). Jonathan Haze plays Seymour Krelboin, a schlemiel's schlemiel who works at the Skid Row flower shop of Mr. Mushnick (Mel Welles).… More Perhaps the greatest movie ever shot in two days, Little Shop of Horrors was originally conceived as a followup to Roger Corman's black comedy A Bucket of Blood (1959). Jonathan Haze plays Seymour Krelboin, a schlemiel's schlemiel who works at the Skid Row flower shop of Mr. Mushnick (Mel Welles). Experimenting in his spare time, Seymour develops a new plant species that he hopes will lead him to fame and fortune. Unfortunately, the mutated plant -- named Audrey Junior, in honor of Seymour's girlfriend Audrey (Jackie Joseph) -- subsists on blood and human flesh. It also talks, or rather, commands: "Feed Me! FEEEEED ME!" Before long, the luckless Seymour has fed his plant the bodies of a railroad detective, a sadistic dentist, and a flashy trollop. Meanwhile, Mr. Mushnik, who has stumbled onto Seymour's secret, has inadvertently offered up a burglar (played by Charles Griffith, who also wrote the script and supplied the plant's voice) as a midnight snack for the voracious, ever-growing Audrey Junior. (When the plant blooms, the faces of its various victims are reproduced in its flowers.) Ignored on its initial release, Little Shop of Horrors began building up a cult following via repeated TV exposure in the 1960s. By the mid-1970s, it had attained classic status, spawning a big-budget Broadway musical (and followup feature film) in the 1980s and a Saturday morning cartoon series in the 1990s. Enhancing the original Little Shop's reputation was the brief appearance by star-in-the-making Jack Nicholson as a masochistic dental patient (Nicholson is often incorrectly referred to as the star of the film, though in fact he barely receives billing). Much as we love Nicholson, our vote for the most memorable Little Shop cast member goes to the ubiquitous Dick Miller ("No thanks, I'll eat it here"). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 10 min.
Directed By: Roger Corman
Written By: Charles B. Griffith
Genres: Horror, Classics, Comedy, Cult Movies

In Theaters: Sep 14, 1960 Wide
On DVD: Apr 30, 1998
Studio: The Filmgroup Inc.

Critic Reviews

Steve Biodrowski, Cinefantastique
Whether the film fully lives up to its reputation is another matter, but there is no doubt that The Little Shop of Horrors has earned its small place in cult movie history.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Aside from all this surface nonsense, there's something interesting about the film (perhaps all the emphasis on eating and mouths).
Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum
A campy Corman classic. Drink some beers and have fun with it!

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Featured Audience Ratings

Spencer S

Like the seminal 1986 musical with a similar title, this 1960 film has some very sick dark humor, this shorter film actually very innovative and grotesque for the time it was set in. Much of the musical and the movie it is based of off are similar in some respects: the character of… More
Like the seminal 1986 musical with a similar title, this 1960 film has some very sick dark humor, this shorter film actually very innovative and grotesque for the time it was set in. Much of the musical and the movie it is based of off are similar in some respects: the character of Audrey is bubble gum adorable but lovable, Seymour is down and out, and strangely the voice of the plant is still very deep and soulful. A bit less upbeat as the remake, Little Shop was filmed in only two days, which shows in the overhead tracking shots, and some scenes where the dialogue trips all over itself. Still, between the great scene involving Seymour feeding Audrey Jr. human appendages, and the hilarious humor this is certainly a classic. Besides that we get to watch a very young Jack Nicholson as a deranged dental patient, which Bill Murray would soundly emulate years later with the help of dentist Steve Martin. Yes, the ending is significantly different, playing out more like a morality tale than a science fiction/fantasy crossover, but with the nostalgia angle of a black and white picture that wasn't given all too much confidence, it was surprisingly good.
Greg S

Meek Seymour Krelboyne grows a weird and very hungry plant that brings fame to Mushnik's Flower Shop on Skid Row in this black horror comedy. Great comic supporting characters (including a young Jack Nicholson as a masochistic dental patient) and snappy dialogue are the reason… More
Meek Seymour Krelboyne grows a weird and very hungry plant that brings fame to Mushnik's Flower Shop on Skid Row in this black horror comedy. Great comic supporting characters (including a young Jack Nicholson as a masochistic dental patient) and snappy dialogue are the reason it's considered the best movie ever shot in two days.
Tim S

Low budget, fun, and silly. It's obvious this was shot over 3 days, but it's much better than you would expect it to be. Yeah, it's campy and funny without meaning to be at times (despite being a dark comic tale), but it's way too enjoyable to be written off as… More
Low budget, fun, and silly. It's obvious this was shot over 3 days, but it's much better than you would expect it to be. Yeah, it's campy and funny without meaning to be at times (despite being a dark comic tale), but it's way too enjoyable to be written off as mere B movie fodder. Hell, it even has Jack Nicholson in a bit part. :)
AJ V

This is the original Little Shop of Horrors movie! And no, Nicholson doesn't play a huge part, but he has a great scene. It's a low budget sci-fi horror that comes off as more of a comedy, and I really like it.
Film C

saw the orignal now yay!! i liked it i think i preferred the remark but i did like this it was funny as well!!
Anthony L

It's a great idea and I love Roger Corman but this was a poor follow up to Bucket of Blood. Dick Miller and Mel Welles are ace as always but again the poor quality and ridiculous editing let it down. Great ending though!
Jennifer D

How is Jack Nicholson in the first billed? He was in for six seconds... still it was pretty funny.
Wahida K

This Movie reminds me of another Movie, but the Plant was not bloodthirsty, it was infact a very nice and helpful Plant and at the End there were baby plants. Regarding this Movie If I am not mistaken not really a creepy Movie but nice classic.
Lafe F

Jack Nicholson does not star in this! He's a minor character. I wish they'd quit plastering his face all over the marketing. Overall, a funny low-budget comedy with sci-fi horror elements. No songs in this one. It's like a school play in scale. There's no music to… More
Jack Nicholson does not star in this! He's a minor character. I wish they'd quit plastering his face all over the marketing. Overall, a funny low-budget comedy with sci-fi horror elements. No songs in this one. It's like a school play in scale. There's no music to entertain. I prefer the colorized version, which enhances the cartoony feeling.
Jose Z

nice movie. Some fine dark humor. Jack nicholson was very good
Michael G

This movie was made in a day and it shows. But I love it.
Byron B

This was in a cheap set of horror DVDs. Even though it was made by Roger Corman, so I probably shouldn't have been surprised, I was surprised by how much this movie goes straight for the laughs. It contains almost nothing that anyone would really consider to be part of the… More
This was in a cheap set of horror DVDs. Even though it was made by Roger Corman, so I probably shouldn't have been surprised, I was surprised by how much this movie goes straight for the laughs. It contains almost nothing that anyone would really consider to be part of the horror genre. The rock bottom budget is evident at every turn. The opening credits are sketched street scenes of skid row even though long shots on location in skid row are used a few times in the film. The dialog is pretty ridiculous and mostly consists of jokes about Yiddish stereotypes. The prat falls and humor derived from the brief scenes with the sadistic dentist and masochistic dental patient (Nicholson) are banal after the first instance of each. OK, the names of the cops, Detectives Fink and Stoolie gave me a laugh. So many strange coincidences lead Seymour to continue killing and the plant to continue growing. You can see all the starting points that became the more familiar musical, but I only thought this was funny in a bad way.
Matthew Y

Little Shop of Horrors was made largely on a bet that Roger Corman couldn't make a movie in two weeks before a condemned flower shop was to be demolished. He wrote the script in two days and filmed the movie in another two. The film is probably the earliest form of a dark… More
Little Shop of Horrors was made largely on a bet that Roger Corman couldn't make a movie in two weeks before a condemned flower shop was to be demolished. He wrote the script in two days and filmed the movie in another two. The film is probably the earliest form of a dark comedy, people get eaten by the plant of course but we're never afraid as an audience nor do we feel a ton of remorse for the victims. A campy goofy fun little film that was unfortunately outdone by its musical remake largely due to the improved effects and characterization of the Audrey plant. The final act when the plant's flower buds begin to open is still a delightful surprise and campy horror gold.
Jacob P

....This film is too cheesey for me, I'm sorry..
Chris B

Campy and strange as can be, "The Little Shop of Horrors" is one of the best films made in only two days of filming. While this fact shows in some scenes that look and sound clumsy and silly, isn't that the point of the film in it's entirety? This is a film that… More
Campy and strange as can be, "The Little Shop of Horrors" is one of the best films made in only two days of filming. While this fact shows in some scenes that look and sound clumsy and silly, isn't that the point of the film in it's entirety? This is a film that just has to be seen and digested and while the absurdity is at insane levels, the movie itself is a culmination of multiple genres and unlike most other films out there. This is the original film from Roger Corman who was famously cheap and enjoyed the cheesy feel and look of his work and he holds nothing back here. You will see what I mean when the plant starts talking and the many other outrageously campy scenes throughout the film. Make no mistake the mood and feel is the intention of Corman and his crew and once you get that and are able to grasp the silliness you will be able to turn your brain off and just enjoy it for the piece of campy fun it is.
Sylvester K

It's an actually pretty impressive film, shot in only 2 days. The film's black humour was just about right for my liking, it's also a treat to see Jack Nicholson too. One of the best low budget films ever.
Jason R

Jack Nicholson in one of his first roles, and he was as crazy and hilarious back then as he is now. The production was cheesy and goofball just the way I like it, and I really enjoyed the film, but it dragged a little bit in the middle and the ending left me feeling a little cheated,… More
Jack Nicholson in one of his first roles, and he was as crazy and hilarious back then as he is now. The production was cheesy and goofball just the way I like it, and I really enjoyed the film, but it dragged a little bit in the middle and the ending left me feeling a little cheated, but it is the very definition of a cult classic, and is Roger Corman at his best.
Marcus W

Not horrifying enough to be scary and not funny enough to be a comedy. Surprisingly, the remake is better - though still poor. This one doesn't have the songs (or Steve Martin overacting), and it also lacks the attention to detail that Oz bought to it. There is a great idea here,… More
Not horrifying enough to be scary and not funny enough to be a comedy. Surprisingly, the remake is better - though still poor. This one doesn't have the songs (or Steve Martin overacting), and it also lacks the attention to detail that Oz bought to it. There is a great idea here, but it needs a director like Dante, Silberling or Burton to do it justice
Remi L

That giant plant gave me nightmares as a kid