The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) - Video On Demand

The Little Shop of Horrors - Movie Review

The Little Shop of Horrors is a 1960 black comedy film directed by Roger Corman. It tells the story of Seymour Krelboyne, an inadequate young florist's assistant who cultivates a plant that feeds on human blood and flesh. The film is famous for reputedly having been shot in two days.

The film is also noteworthy for featuring a young Jack Nicholson in a small role as Wilbur Force, the dentist's masochistic patient. Although Nicholson played only a small part, after he became famous many video releases showed him as the star, sometimes holding the plant on the front of the box, even though in the movie he never encounters it. Among some who haven't seen the movie, this has led to some confusion, causing them to believe that Nicholson played Seymour.

Although the film didn't get very much attention when it was originally released, it has since grown to cult classic status, thanks to its low budget and original style of humor. The film inspired a 1982 stage musical, and a 1986 feature film based on the musical.

The Little Shop of Horrors gained notoriety as the fastest film ever shot. According to Corman, he made the film because he temporarily had access to sets left standing from another film, and he decided to use the sets in a film made in the last two days before the sets were torn down. The fastest film Corman had shot previously was A Bucket of Blood, which was shot in five days. Other sources suggest that Corman had to complete a film before new industry rules were to go into effect which would prevent producers from "buying out" an actor's performance in perpetuity. After January 1, 1960, all actors were to be paid residuals for all future releases of their work. This meant that Corman's B-movie business model would be permanently changed and he would not be able to produce low-budget movies in the same way

The film was cast with stock actors that Corman had used in previous films. They rehearsed for three days before filming began.[5] Principal photography of The Little Shop of Horrors was shot in two days and one night by Corman, with other material shot over two successive weekends. He used three cameras at once and shot every scene with only one take. As a result, some scenes run continuously for two or three minutes. According to Corman, the total budget for the production was $30,000. Other sources estimate the budget to be between $22,000 and $100,000

The Little Shop of Horrors - Cast & Crew

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