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NEW ULM - Join the New Ulm Film Society on Skid Row for a screening of "Little Shop of Horrors."
The screening begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14 at the New Ulm Public Library.
This is the eighth film in the New Ulm Film's Society's (NUFS) musical film series and was chosen to represent musicals of the 1980s. Though "Little Shop of Horrors" was released in 1986, the film was heavily inspired by different eras. "Little Shop of Horrors" is actually a remake of a 1960 horror comedy made by low budget producer Roger Corman.
Corman was famous for making low-budget genre films. The original "Little Shop of Horrors" was intended as a horror comedy about a down-on-his-luck loser named Seymour Krelborn, who gains fame after discovering a rare plant. Unfortunately, this rare plant drinks blood instead of water. At first Seymour feeds the plant with his own blood, but as the plant’s appetite grows he has to get creative with his food supply.
The original 1960s film was not a musical, but in the early 1980s, writer Howard Ashman saw potential to adapt the story for the stage. With the help of composer Alan Menken, Ashman was able to release "Little Shop of Horrors" as an off-Broadway musical in 1982.
The musical version of "Little Shop of Horrors" borrowed heavily from the song styles of the 1960s, featuring doo-wop, R&B and Motown inspired songs. The physical look of the sets were designed to look like a throwback to an earlier time period.
The stage musical was a huge success upon its release and there was an early attempt to transfer the musical into a full Broadway projection, but writer Ashman felt the musical worked better off-Broadway. This better reflected the story of the lower-class main characters who literally live on Skid Row.
"Little Shop of Horrors" would become one of the longest running off-Broadway productions and would become a cult favorite among theatre crowds. It was only a matter of time before Hollywood took a swing adapting it for the big screen.
The film version of "Little Shop of Horrors" tried to keep as close to the stage musical as possible. Though the movie has a relatively high budget, the producers were committed to making the sets look as cheap as possible, reflecting the story's origin as a low-budget B-movie.
Ashman was quoted as saying the film should "look stupid" because the story is intended as a satire.
Despite the film’s dedication to looking cheap, there was one area in which the production spared no expenses. That was on the look of the carnivorous plant at the center of the story. In the stage musical, the killer plant, named Audrey II, was created as a sophisticated stage puppet.
For the film, Audrey II was brought to life using some of the best puppeteers in the business. Many were veterans of the Jim Hensen company. In fact, the film's director, Frank Oz, was the original puppeteer and voice behind Miss Piggy of the Muppets. Oz is also the performer behind Yoda in the Star Wars films.
"Little Shop of Horrors" was a critical hit when it was released in 1986. The film's success further popularized the off-Broadway production of the musical and has led to many community theatre productions across the country.
Today, "Little Shop of Horrors" is seen as one of the best musicals to come out of the 1980s, which was a low point for the genre. The musical even helped kick off a revival of movie musicals through its main writer, Howard Ashman.
After the success of "Little Shop of Horrors," Ashman began working for Disney. He was the main influence for merging musicals with animation, which led to "The Little Mermaid" in 1989. The brought new life into Disney, which would spend the '90s releasing movie musicals.
The theatre world would ask to take a cue from "Little Shop of Horrors," and reimagine old films as stage musicals, a trend that continues to this day on Broadway.
The New Ulm Film Society's screening of "Little Shop of Horrors" is free to the public. Before and after the film, there will be a discussion about the movie's place in film history.