Each week Groovie Movie Reviews will watch a film that really we should have watched by now. And this week Russell watches the cult musical Little Shop of Horrors.

Little Shop of Horrors is a musical that has a special place for me, as it is the show my wife and I watched on our honeymoon. It’s a sweet romance, a sci-fi horror epic and an uproariously hilarious musical. And yet I have never seen the cinematic adaptation of it, a smash hit in the 80s and beloved by audiences across the world. But recently I changed this and… I too loved it!

A film adaptation of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman immediately cult musical comedy, itself based off a 1960 Roger Corman film (which had a cameo from Jack Nicholson), Little Shop of Horrors tells the story of a lovelorn florist shop worker who begins to bond with a strange flower that can talk and has an unusual source of food. His new friend brings him fame and closer to the object of his unrequited affection but at a terrible cost.

Little Shop of Horrors has a wealth of reasons that makes it almost immediately loveable. The soundtrack is packed with toe-tapping boppy audible delights, with standout tunes including ‘Suddenly Seymour’ and ‘Mean Green Mother From Outer Space’. It helps that the cast performing them are brimming with talent and personality. Rick Moranis’ Seymour is a joy, an endearing figure who remains likeable even as he hands get bloodier and bloodier. Moranis has oodles of chemistry with Ellen Greene, a sweet figure with a fabulous singing voice, while Vincent Gardenia is a prickly counterweight to Moranis. But this being a musical, it comes down to the singers, with the likes of Levi Stubbs, Tichina Arnold, Michelle Weeks and Tisha Campbell-Martin all having moments to shine, lyrically.

But the real gem of the ensemble is an exuberant Steve Martin, who properly lets go as a demonic dentist. Equipped with some of the best lines and musical numbers, Martin clearly is having the time of his life, with the film coming after a series of underappreciated lead efforts from the comedian. In fact the cast swells with some of the crème of American comedy of the 80s, with cameos from the likes of Jim Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Guest and Bill Murray. Part of the charm of Little Shop of Horrors is the dawning realisation as each of the familiar faces pop up.

Little Shop of Horrors is a testament to its director Frank Oz (his previous films were The Muppets Take Manhattan and The Dark Crystal, plus he is the voice of Miss Piggy and Yoda). Not only does Oz manage with the razzle dazzle that’s required for a big screen musical (the film is heightened enough to burst free of its stage roots) but he also brings a delicate intimacy that makes this a much sweeter movie than you’d expect. The juxtaposition of this with a blockbuster scope (this was a nominee for Best Effects at the 1987 Oscars) makes this one of the best big screen musical adaptations of the era.

Plus the film has one of the great alternate endings. Originally meant to have an apocalyptic climax, closer to the one in the stage musical and reaching truly epic proportions, it tested poorly and the team quickly put together the finale Little Shop of Horrors now has. It is very much worth checking out the bonkers fun we could have had had the studio stuck with what was first planned.

If you’re looking for a slice of pure cinematic escapism, then Little Shop of Horrors is certainly worth your time. Particularly now as a Chris Evans-starring new film is in the work. Watch it and fall in love with Seymour and Audrey, plus you can learn why you really shouldn’t feed the plants.