The Little Shop of Horrors: Amazon.ca: Jonathan Haze, Jackie Joseph, Mel Welles, Dick Miller, Myrtle Vail, Karyn Kupcinet, Toby Michaels, Leola Wendorff, Lynn Storey, Wally Campo, Jack Warford, Meri Welles, Archie R. Dalzell, Vilis Lapenieks, Charles B. Griffith, Roger Corman: DVD

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Amazon.com Essential Video

Hilarious, cheapie black comedy from 1960 that may be the best film by B-picture master Roger Corman, other than Bucket of Blood, made about the same time with the same writer, Charles Griffith. Seymour (Jonathan Haze) is an assistant in a skid-row flower shop who's on the point of losing his job when the unusual plant he's developed turns the store into a major attraction. The only problem is that the plant needs human blood to live, all the while crying, "Feed me! FEED ME!" Luckily, Seymour causes a series of inadvertent deaths that more than make up for the food shortage. Jack Nicholson provides a comic sidebar as a nutjob masochist visiting a dentist's office. Giggling and wild-eyed from the same impulse that might lead others to read scandal sheets, he can be seen in the dentist's waiting room reading aloud from Pain magazine. Famous for having the shortest shooting schedule on record (two days and a night), The Little Shop of Horrors spawned an off-Broadway musical that was in turn made into a successful film in 1986, starring Rick Moranis and Steve Martin. It was in just this quick-shoot atmosphere that Corman nurtured the careers of many of America's most celebrated film directors; this little shop of honors included Francis Ford Coppola, Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Scorsese, and Jonathan Demme. The DVD has optional Japanese subtitles, very generous bios of the stars and filmmakers, and a clean, crisp transfer. --Jim Gay

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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

3.9 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Plant Food..., Jun 12 2004

By

Bindy Sue Fr�nk�nschtein "bigfootsalienbaby" (under the rubble) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Little Shop of Horrors (DVD)

Yes, this is the original LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, with the original talking carnivorous plant known as Audrey jr. Produced and directed by schlock-meisterburger Roger Corman, LSOH is about the trials of poor Seymour Krelboined (Jonathan Haze) and his interesting life in and around Mushnick's florist shop. Seymour works at Mushnick's, where a steady stream of eccentric characters happen through (including Dick "Bucket Of Blood" Miller as a guy who loves to eat flowers). Seymour is growing his own new type of plant, which he names Audrey jr. after his cutie pie co-worker (Jackie Joseph). Well, Audrey jr. doesn't seem to be very healthy, until Seymour accidentally cuts himself, getting some of his blood in Audrey jr.'s soil. The little plant responds and begins growing big and strong. The little green monster starts talking too, demanding more FOOD! Soon, Seymour is bringing in the bodies of people he's met, who just happen to have fallen victim to a series of unfortunate accidents. LSOH is hystrically funny and dark as well. Seymour's mom is unforgettable, as are Mr. and Mrs. Mushnick, and of course, the great Jack Nicholson in his debut role as a masochistic dental patient. Buy this one right now! Highly recommended...

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3.0 out of 5 stars Wrong movie reviewed, April 11 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Little Shop of Horrors (VHS Tape)

Your review of Roger Corman's low-budget "Little Shop of Horrors" by James G. Mack actually reviews the musical version, made many years later. You need to correct that.

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5.0 out of 5 stars And all along it was a YIDDISH COMEDY!!!, Dec 17 2003

By

Rabbi Yonassan Gershom (Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Little Shop of Horrors (DVD)

As every film buff knows, this is the schlock horror movie that later became the hit Broadway musical of the same name. Like the musical, this was never intended to be a scare -- it was done tongue-in-cheek and is really a spoof .

I had heard of this movie, but did not see it until after viewing the musical. What surprised me was the amazing amount of Jewish humor in the original. Mr. Mushnik, the flower shop owner, speaks with a decidely Yiddish accent, and is constantly making puns like "Aloha -- OY!" Then there's Mrs. Shivah (her name refers to a Jewish funeral custom), who is always buying flowers for some relative who died. Never mind that traditional Jewish funerals don't use flowers -- it's a good gag. So is Seymour's hypochodriac mother, who is the exact opposite of the usual Jewish Mother -- she DOESN'T want Seymour to get married, but if he does, he should at least get a girl with a really serious disease, not this healthy Audrey he brings home. The dinner at Mom's is hilarious -- everything she serves is some sort of home remedy. Cough syrup liquers, cod liver oil soup.... kosher, but YECCCCH!!!!

All of this gets lost in the musical rewrite, which went from Yiddish theater mode to Motown. That was funny, too -- but if you are into collecting old Jewish humor, then the original "Little Shop" should definitely be on your shelf. I give it five stars, not because it's a great cinematic acomplishment (it's not!) but because I see it as a part of Jewish-American cultural history. And besides, it's funny!

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Another opinion needed!!!
This is THE Roger Corman classic. Made in three days on very little money it's an absolute classic of demented renegade film making. Read more

Published on Feb 8 2004 by Mike McAuley

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the funny version
I didn't realize there were other versions of "Little Shop of Horrors." This one is kind of creepy if your looking for the Rick Moranis version. Read more

Published on Nov 27 2003 by Sara Swihart