Day 26: Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

Day 26 of Calloween Movie Month

Content warnings: medical malpractice, domestic abuse, intimate partner violence, casual racism, dental trauma

Recommended?: Yes

Spoilers and discussion of many of the mentioned topics below. You have been warned.

Heterosexual rights propaganda film.




Little Shop of Horrors follows Seymour Krelborn, a nerdy, clumsy, but well meaning young man who works for and lives with his adoptive father and boss at an unsuccessful flower shop. His life begins to turn around for the better when he displays a weird plant in the shop's window, naming it Audrey II after his coworker and crush. He finds out this sudden streak of good luck comes with a price, however, because this plant can only be sustained by human blood.

Little Shop of Horrors takes the best aspects of musical theatre and Hollywood movies and expertly ties them together in a neat and gorgeous package. The performances, both musical and otherwise, are all stellar and fun from top to bottom. Everyone is acting like they have bills to pay here, it's great. The musical numbers are fun, catchy, and electric. The practical effects are top notch and still look great so many years later. The characters, especially the leads, are so well written that even the scumiest members of this cast are likeable in their own ways.

I want to dig a little deeper into it's plot, though. I could talk about how well made it is for thousands of words, but I want to focus in on it's through-line of sympathy for the poor.

For starters, it doesn't feed into the "poor people are poor because they're stupid and make bad decisions" trope. The people of Skid Row are only there because of unfortunate circumstances or losing the birth lottery. Not once does the film blame the poverty of it's characters on them being stupid or not planning out their lives correctly, which is very refreshing.

Secondly, it shines a light on the things poor people must do to find success or even survive. Seymour's bargain with Audrey II is Faustian in nature. He'll kill people to feed it blood, and it will keep bringing him fame and fortune. It never even seems particularly good to Seymour, and he resists actually killing someone even when presented with an abusive sadist to slaughter. But when he thinks back on his life just before putting it in the shop window, it seems like a no-brainer.

Audrey II puts this man through hell, letting him slowly sink into depravity and violence all while using the bargaining chip of a comfortable life to push him into it.

And then we have Audrey herself. The original, not the literally bloodthirsty evil alien plant monster.

Audrey is stuck in an abusive relationship with a dentist, Orin, who takes advantage of the poverty and lack of access to proper dental care in Skid Row to his advantage to take pleasure in abusing his power and purposefully causing his patients pain for his amusement. She knows that he's bad for her. Not only does everyone who gives half a fuck about her tell her as much, but she knows she wasn't made to withstand this level of pain and torment, even with her low self esteem. But when asked why she doesn't just break up with him, she not only mentions fear of retaliation to her attempts to leave him (very much a real threat in abusive relationships) but she also mentions that he has money. She needs the money, but she also wants it. She has a taste for expensive, beautiful things. Particularly clothes and makeup. But notably, she's not portrayed as vain or selfish, and she's also not portrayed as stupid for not leaving him. She's written with an understanding that these things don't make you evil or stupid as well as an extreme level of empathy to her situation.

In the end, Seymour sacrifices his position and success to be with Audrey and stop Audrey II from hurting people. He almost sacrifices his life in the process. Despite the level of ease and comfort it gave him, he realized that it wasn't worth hurting people to get it.

There's no telling whether Seymour and Audrey's life after marriage will be any richer or easier than it was in Skid Row, but it will be better. That's a guarantee.

When you're in poverty, especially the kind that makes you uncertain whether you'll have a place to sleep and some food in your stomach by the end of the week, you have to rely on the people around you. Not just for money or the aforementioned needs, but for love and warmth.

Clawing your way through life and barely surviving day to day is always going to be unbearable. But with another person there to kiss your calloused hands and tired knuckles through the pain, it's a hell of a lot easier.