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The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
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Villain(s)  Carnivorous plant

Actor(s):  Jonathan Haze, Jackie Joseph, Mel Welles, Dick Miller

Brief Description  The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) is a legendary low-budget American horror-comedy film directed by Roger Corman. Celebrated as a triumph of cult cinema, this farce tells the story of an awkward florist's assistant who breeds a sentient, carnivorous plant that feeds exclusively on human flesh and blood. The film is famously known for its frantic two-day shooting schedule and for featuring a young Jack Nicholson in one of his earliest, most memorable roles.

Plot:
The story is set on Skid Row in Los Angeles, inside a failing flower shop owned by the miserable, penny-pinching Gravis Mushnick (Mel Welles).Seymour Krelboyne (Jonathan Haze) is a clumsy, socially inept employee constantly on the verge of being fired. In a desperate bid to save his job and impress his sweet coworker, Audrey Fulquard (Jackie Joseph), Seymour presents a strange hybrid plant he has been nurturing at home. He names the exotic plant "Audrey Junior". Mushnick is unimpressed because the plant is sickly and dying. However, while tending to it, Seymour accidentally pricks his finger. He discovers that Audrey Jr. does not want water—it craves human blood. After a night of feeding on Seymour's blood, the plant miraculously grows overnight, attracting crowds of curious customers and saving the shop from bankruptcy. As Audrey Jr. grows larger, Seymour runs out of blood to give without draining himself. The plant develops the ability to speak, loudly demanding, "Feed me!"

Distressed and wandering the streets at night, Seymour accidentally kills a man by throwing a rock that knocks him onto railroad tracks into the path of an oncoming train. Panicked, Seymour chops up the body and feeds it to Audrey Jr.Over the next few days, the plant's appetite becomes insatiable. Seymour gets caught in a series of absurd, dark mishaps resulting in more food for the plant. Seymour goes to a dental appointment where he accidentally kills an sadistic dentist during a struggle. Seymour then steps in to pose as the dentist, treating a masochistic patient named Wilbur Force (Jack Nicholson) who hilariously enjoys oral agony. The dentist's body is fed to Audrey Jr.

A local prostitute and a few others meet a similar fate as Seymour is forced into a Faustian cycle of killing to keep his newfound fame and love. Audrey Jr. grows massive and begins blooming large buds. Mushnick eventually figures out Seymour's horrific secret and tries to flee. During a high-profile town unveiling of the plant's massive flowers, the buds open to reveal the faces of the people Seymour killed. Horrified, Seymour flees into the night, pursued by the police. He returns to the empty flower shop, completely broken by guilt. Armed with a knife, Seymour climbs directly into the giant open maw of Audrey Jr. to destroy it from the inside. In the final scene, Audrey and Mushnick return to the shop to find a new bud blooming on the plant. The bud opens to reveal Seymour’s face, which pathetically groans, "I didn't mean it!" before wilting dead.


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