Little Shop of Horrors

It started as a 1960 Roger Corman horror comedy, filmed in two days; it then inspired a lavish 1982 Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. Finally in 1986, Little Shop of Horrors (1960) graduated into a multimillion-dollar, all-star film musical. Rick Moranis plays ...more

This very entertaining film may be the only movie musical to contain an Elvis-inspired number that celebrates a dentist's sadism. This song, shocking, funny, and very catchy, neatly summarizes the charms of this simultaneously light and dark movie musical. The major share of the film's success belongs to lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken. Their songs straddle the line between joy and satire. Musically they invoke recognizable styles ('50s doo-wop, saccharine Broadway love song), ...more