Blu-ray Review: ‘Little Shop of Horrors: The Director’s Cut’

CHICAGO – Frank Oz’s “Little Shop of Horrors” was one of my favorite movie musicals when I was a kid but I’ll admit that I hadn’t seen it i decades and was a little concerned that my nostalgia for the film was misguided. Mere minutes into the new Blu-ray release, I knew the opposite was true — this is an even better film than you remember, now fully enhanced by the legendary alternate ending that the studio forced Oz to cut after test screenings nixed it. This is a great release.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

If you don’t remember, “Little Shop of Horrors” is a clever musical about a schlub who gets the girl after he tends to a man-eating plant. In the original ending, the plant kills Seymour and Audrey before going on a rampage Godzilla-style with all of her plantlings. It’s an insane final reel featuring carnage and giant plants crashing through major cities. And, again, our heroes DIE.

Test audiences hated it. The ending went (including a ton of great special effects work) and one was reshot that looks pretty horrendous now that I’m old enough to notice. The original ending became the thing of urban legend and has now been perfectly remastered into the rest of the film. It’s pretty great. Take the trip back to “Little Shop of Horrors.” You may be as pleasantly surprised by this not-so-pleasant take of alien invasion through flora as I was.

Little Shop of Horrors: The Director’s Cut was released on Blu-ray on October 9, 2012
Photo credit: Warner Bros.

Synopsis:
A comedy, a love story and a cult classic starring a giant singing plant from outer space - what else could it be but Little Shop Of Horrors? The 1986 film has a surprisingly complex history; it began as a short story, then became a low-budget film, before turning into an Off-Broadway play, when finally Frank Oz and his team created this quirky, dark screen version. Many fans do not know that this adaptation originally had a far more sinister ending, which everyone can now see in the Director’s Cut of the film included in this special edition package.

Special Features:
o Theatrical Version Of The Film With Optional Commentary By Frank Oz
o Optional Commentary By Frank Oz On The Director’s Cut 20-Minute Alternate Ending
o Frank Oz And Little Shop Of Horrors: The Director’s Cut - Introduction By Frank Oz and Richard Conway
o A Story Of Little Shop Of Horrors - Behind The Scenes Documentary
o Outtakes And Deleted Scenes With Optional Commentary By Frank Oz
o Two Theatrical Trailers

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com