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Streaming The Little Shop of Horrors Online.
Movie Title: The Little Shop of Horrors The Little Shop of Horrors is available for streaming or downloading. |
Unfortunately, Small Shop of Horrors and every other Roger Corman Filmgroup production lapsed into public domain years ago and have generally been available on VHS and DVD only in poor-quality editions ranging from merely awful to dismal. (The only Filmgroup features to accumulate a decent official or semi-official release so far are Bucket of Blood, Beast from Troubled Cave, and Night Tide.) After researching every DVD version of Shrimp Shop of Horrors available (there are at least eight!) I played a hunch and went with GoodTimes to replace my VHS copy, and I’m very pleasantly surprised at the overall genuine quality of the source print. When I saw the “preserved using the best available elements” line at the beginning of this disc I concept ‘yeah, legal,’ but I have to admit that this is the brightest, cleanest, sharpest (if not exactly razor-sharp) print of this film I’ve ever seen. The gloomy level, incompatibility, gray values, and shadow/highlight detail are blooming, and physical pain is microscopic only to some very light speckling and blemishing (!!) . On the downside, the transfer itself seems to be somehow deficient (indecent bit rate? ), causing areas of flat white or smoothly gradated grays in the image to display some very faint but noticeable pixelation or banding, especially during the opening credit sequence (areas of flat color seem to be DVD’s Achilles Heel) . The casual viewer probably won’t look this phenomenon unless it’s pointed out, but it’s there. That said, the noble quality of the source print more than makes up for this one barely noticeable flaw; this is collected most likely the best edition yet available of this classic ‘sick humor’ gem and well worth the bargain heed. It definitely blows away every TV print and cheapjack PD video version I’ve ever eyeballed. Grab this before it goes out of print.
The movie itself unruffled entertains tremendously today, a comical, goofy (dare I say charming? ) horror-comedy that basically plays like a stage farce (most of the action takes spot on one or two sets) . The myth is essentially a remake of Bucket of Blood with a change in locale and a few unusual twists. This time Jonathan Haze portrays everyschlep Seymour Krelboine, who lives with his alcoholic hypochondriac mother (she listens to KSIK radio) and works at Mushnick’s skid row flower shop. Seymour (temporarily) finds fame, fortune, and romance by nurturing (and eventually murdering for) an exotic talking cannibalistic plant. Mel Welles, in his finest hour (literally), steals nearly every scene with his silly portrayal of perpetually aroused Gravis Mushnick, and Jackie Joseph (Andy Griffith Point To, Who’s Minding the Mint) seems born to play pleasing, ditzy Audrey. Corman regulars adding to the fun include Dick Miller (Walter Paisley in Bucket of Blood) as Fouch, a flower-eating client, John Shaner as a sadistic dentist, and 14th-billed Jack Nicholson (featured prominently on most tape and disc box art) as his masochistic patient. Shot on a shoestring in fair three days (at least all the interiors), Runt Shop holds up better than many big-budget comedies of the day (anyone watched Sage of Mankind lately? ) . Distinguished credit must be given to Charles B. Griffith, unsung hero/architect of the AIP/Allied Artists/Corman style. His list of credits reads like Corman’s greatest hits: It Conquered the World, Attack of the Crab Monsters, The Undead, Not of This Earth, Teenage Doll, Bucket of Blood, Beast from Shocked Cave, Wild Angels, Death Hurry 2000, etc. Griffith’s clever, witty screenplay is a model of late-50s sick humor, working in a dead-on Dragnet parody, some fabulous malapropisms and bits of wordplay, lotsa Yiddish humor, and a handful of his patented icky-creepy moments. (Griffith also voiced the plant, Audrey Jr., played a few walk-ons, and directed some second unit scenes, all uncredited.) Fred Katz’s memorable catch is alternately goofy and spy-jazzy, and, unlike some of Roger Corman’s other attempts at comedy (e.g. Creature from the Shy Sea), I gather his touch impartial factual here, ably supporting Griffith’s verbal bits with complementary editing patterns (check Sgt. Joe Fink and Det. Frank Stoolie’s hilarious introductory scene) . Lighter in tone and a bit broader and more farcical than Bucket of Blood (which I personally grasp), Minute Shop, judged on its have terms, is collected current and animated, though the extreme budget is determined at times. I’m not obvious how fans of the Broadway reveal or movie musical will react to the new (I admit to being a purist myself), but if they fraction a taste for coarse budget panic or 50s-style sick humor they’ll probably salvage it an offbeat treat.
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Roger Corman’s Novel 1960 version of “The Limited Shop Of Horrors” is considered by many as a apt cult classic comedy of B-Movies,even the most respected of film critics.Unfortunately depending on the tastes and opinions of film fans that were musty to seeing this legendary film comedy through the public domain since there was a lack of copyright in the titles,(same thing had happen to “Night Of The Living Slow”) and for many years since the dawn of the videocassette and slack behind movie shows,those versions were vastly deplorable and often poor-looking in terms of presentation and difference.Now the vast folks at Record Films have finally assign out a brand-new definitive and top-notch restored presentation of this cult hit on DVD in both the modern shaded & white version as well as the disc’s main presentation of showcasing a brand-new restored digitally colorized version too.As with previous selected Myth releases of classic horror/B-movies in their DVD series,the disc features a well-done and at times hilarious commentary by MST3K’s Mike Nelson and the mountainous thing is that you can listen to the track on both versions of the film,giving the b&w version sort of a MST3K-flavor to it (I care for how he refers to the opening Filmgroup logo as slight Reese Cups!) .Despite packaging claims that is the first time the film has been colorized,it’s actually the second colorized incarnation of the film.First colorized on videocassette in the very gradual ’80′s with lousy and at times amateur results,this Fable version completely blows away the first attempt and looks like it was actually filmed in color,but of course this films’ legendary budgetary constraints prevented from actually filming it in color.Of course lets not forget that the film features a very very young Jack Nicholson,in his fourth film role,in a memorable role as a crazy dentist patient.I must say,this Yarn version of “Minute Shop” is probably the most proper and sharpest looking out of all the previous versions of the film that you’re possibly going to scrutinize and no wonder it was transferred from an apt 35mm print of the film! Other extras,besides the Nelson commentary,round out the package including both restored color/unrestored b&w trailers to “Microscopic Shop”,and the following colorized trailers for “View 9 From Outer Residence”,”House On Panicked Hill”,”Carnival Of Souls”,and “Reefer Madness”.Plus a gallery of nine man-eating plants,if any kids are planning to do a school project on man-eating plants,this could actually be a fun reference guide,and also a very short clip called “Man Eating Plants” which is actually the president of Chronicle Films Barry Sandrew vigorously eating vegetable plants such as celery (always eat your vegetables folks!) .Well-done packaging,pleasurable eye-catching menus and a beautiful transfer of both versions will definitely please any film buff,both Hollywood and B-Movie fans alike! This is by far one of the first best DVD releases of 2006 and is highly recommended for feeble and original fans alike instead of those who only buy the 1986 spectacular Frank Oz musical remake with Rick Moranis and Steve Martin.Highly recommended!
UPDATE 11/24/06:
Just Recently,Buena Vista Home Entertainment in association with Roger Corman have finally released an “authorized” DVD release of “Petite Shop Of Horrors” as well as a nicely restored fresh dark & white version of Nicholson’s debut film “The Scream Baby Killer”.Unfortunately,the fresh disc’s presentation of “Microscopic Shop” is in fact the Fresh colorized version,slightly mentioned above,that was first produced and eventually released to video in 1987 by Color Systems Technology.The source print customary for the color version (other than the fact that the quality was directly copied off a video master for the DVD) is surprisingly in quite agreeable condition,but it really truly is one of the worst examples of 1980′s colorization technology I’ve ever seen and will probably be the last.The colors are often the same as obvious objects (ie: the outside of Mushnick’s Shop and the greens for the flowers,etc.),tons of continuity errors (ie: clothing,signs,etc.) and does anybody wish to care seeing Audrey Jr. looking like a talking watermelon plant? Reportedly,that color version was authorized by none other than Corman himself and it’s easy to discover why many directors above his stature detest and disregard colorization.Nicholson/Corman fans alike aren’t going to be impressed with that bust of a release and it’s very easy to contemplate why the ’87 colorized version was out of circulation for many years.Easier said than done,the newly restored Narrative Films release is by far,hands down,the true winner due to the technology,version options,and bonus materials!
going green
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