Both adaptations have similar plots. Little Shop of Horrors tells the story of a young florist named Seymore who one day comes across a mysterious plant. Unbeknownst to Seymore, the plant is actually an alien creature from outer space. Seymore names the plant Audrey II after his secret love. The plant begins to grow, and attracts lots of customers to Seymore's shop. Unfortunately, the plant has an odd quirk: it feasts on human blood!
In order to maintain his shop's popularity and win the affections of Audrey, Seymore is forced to secretly kill people and feed them to the increasingly large and cruel Audrey II.
The storyline is generally lighthearted and silly, despite some gruesome scenes. The action is punctuated by several songs, most of which have a rock and roll or Motown feel.
In both the stage and film productions, Audrey II comes to life through the work of puppeteers. The film version of the plant was an extremly elaborate creation, and during Audrey II's final stage of growth, had to be operated by over 60 people.
The main difference between the stage and film versions of Little Shop of Horrors is the endings. The stage version has a sad ending in which Audrey II goes on a rampage and kills everyone, including Seymore and Audrey. This ending was originally filmed for the screen adaptation, but preview audiences[?] found it too depressing, so a new happy ending was created in which Audrey II is killed.
The movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song.
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