Little Shop of Horrors

Movie review by Joly Herman, Common Sense Media
Little Shop of Horrors Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 12+

Comic book creepiness, jazzy tunes, and fab cast.

PG-13 1986 94 minutes
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Parents say

age 11+

Based on 24 reviews

Kids say

age 10+

Based on 63 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this musical has dark themes and is not for children or very sensitive viewers. It's campy noir not meant to be taken seriously, but the dark comedic plot involves a sinister dentist who tortures his patients, and a flesh-eating plant that devours human parts in a graphic feeding scene. Some of the serious issues, like abusive relationships and ultimately murder, twitch under the plot's campy mechanics.

Community Reviews

movie-reviews-2003
movie-reviews-2003 Adult
December 27, 2021
age 16+

Upsetting to watch

The domestic violence/sadism in the relationship between Audrey and the dentist is really upsetting, and definitely would be for children as well. The movie is aggressively sexist, with racist undertones. It aged terribly, but I don’t really know how they got away with a movie this violently sexist being so famous or being viewed as a comedy. Audrey is an extremely upsetting portrayal of a super submissive, gentle woman/basically a servant stuck in an abusive relationship, and an awful female role model. Kids have nothing to gain from watching this movie.

This title has:

Too much violence
3 people found this helpful.
Gassenhauer
Gassenhauer Adult
December 27, 2020
age 12+

Upsetting moments

Watched this when I was a kid and our babysitter let us sit up to see it on TV. I must have been around 9. I remember loving it, but found certain scenes really disturbing and they really haunted me. It was actually particularly the dentist scenes, and the girl coming out of the room with a hideous structure screwed into her face. It really upset me, and made me afraid of dentists for a long time.

This title has:

Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
See all 24 parent reviews

What's the Story?

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS is a little twisted, through and through, which makes for a creepy, and very entertaining, musical. It is set on "Skid Row," a dreary and depressed section of "Downtown," where on a grubby corner sits a little flower shop owned by Mr. Mushnik. He is assisted by a buxom blonde named Audrey and his tenant, Seymour, who seems to do everything wrong. One day, an unexpected solar eclipse catches the residents of the city unaware. Shortly thereafter, Seymour finds a fascinating plant on his shopping route that he adopts. Business is bad for Mr. Mushnik's flower stand -- he is about to close shop when Seymour suggests that his strange plant be placed in the window to attract customers. Sure enough, customers begin to pour in, and Seymour is left with a conundrum: just how will he feed his new plant when it begins to demand more than meager drops of his blood? Enter the demented dentist (played to the hilt by Steve Martin) and throw in the fact that the dentist treats Audrey like trash, and the stage is set for "foul play."

Is It Any Good?

No it's not for the faint of heart, but LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS is a classic. With Frank Oz of SESAME STREET and THE MUPPET MOVIES at the helm, the premise of a man-eating plant charming its way to stardom isn't too hard to imagine. The plot is campy sci-fi at its best, which works well with the do-wop soundtrack. The music is very good -- with Levi Stubbs of The Four Tops doing the plant's voice -- and the solos by Rick Moranis and Ellen Greene hit unexpected emotional notes. Cameos from Bill Murray, John Candy, Jim Belushi and Christopher Guest increase the star power of this talented ensemble.

Though it's thoroughly entertaining, there are some scary scenes in THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS that may not be appropriate for some viewers. All those misgivings about going to the dentist are played upon like a raw nerve. Some viewers might want to fast forward through the dentist scenes altogether -- which is why discerning parents should preview this DVD for themselves. Other viewers may not be fazed at all, but be warned nonetheless.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about abuse and bullying in relationships. Why is Audrey dating such a creep? Is Seymour right to want to off the dentist?

  • What could have happened to Audre if she had not been "saved" by Seymour? How does her treatment in the movie make you feel?

  • Music and the role it plays in the movie. What do you think this would have been like on Broadway, as it originally was?

Movie Details

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