The classic musical “Little Shop of Horrors” was released back in 1986 and quickly became a cult classic for both horror and theater fans alike. Based on the hit Broadway show, “Little Shop of Horrors” tells a brilliant story about greed, temptation and evil while also delivering great musical numbers throughout. What’s especially interesting about this movie is the rarely seen “dark ending” that had to be scrapped from the movie before its theatrical release due to poor reactions from test audiences. The movie is directed by Frank Oz, known for his involvement in "Star Wars" (as Yoda) and for his work on classic Muppets projects (as a writer, producer and as a bunch of characters... too many to list.)

SPOILERS FOR “LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS” IN THIS ARTICLE

People who have only seen the Broadway show and not the movie won’t know much about this “two endings” situation, to them there’s only one ending and it's definitely pretty dark! It wasn’t an issue for Broadway audiences, so why did the ending have to change to be a bit more tame for Hollywood? The real ending for “Little Shop of Horrors” is perfect because it deals with the consequences of one's actions and how you can’t just turn back on the decisions you’ve made.

If you’ve seen the movie you know the basic story. A “loser” named Seymour works at a struggling plant shop when one day he comes across a strange, talking plant that appeared to him following a solar eclipse. The plant is a sight to behold and draws in huge crowds, Seymour receives massive media recognition and earns the attention of Audrey... a girl he’s been in love with for years. He even names his plant after her, calling it The Audrey II. The puppet used to control the movements of Audrey II is absolutely stellar and it's astonishing how real and fluid it is back in 1986 Hollywood. It honestly shouldn't look as good as it does, it could've been very easy to make this cheap-looking.The effort put into filming scenes with the puppet (which you can see in behind-the-scenes videos) adds so much admiration in my opinion. It's complete eye candy to see it bobbing its head around and singing.

Seymour quickly discovers that the only way for the plant to grow is to feed it human blood. Initially starting with his own blood, Seymour later realizes that Audrey II is only going to need more and more and he can’t provide it alone. This leads Seymour to make questionable decisions to maintain his fame, this character arc is the heart of what “Little Shop of Horrors” is all about! It’s about man’s temptation and about how we as humans will go above and beyond, even betraying our own morals if the price is right and all your dreams are beginning to come true.

NOW ABOUT THAT ENDING...

So as the movie continues, Audrey II begins to speak to Seymour and encourages him to kill more and more people so that it can thrive. The best songs in the movie are the ones sung by Audrey II to Seymour because they are very sinister in tone and really drive home the theme (temptation) that’s so present in the film. In the theatrically released ending (the ALTERED ending, so we’re clear) Seymour gets in a fight with a fully-sized Audrey II. Seymour is victorious and electrifies the plant, blowing it up. Seymour runs away from the dumps of Skid Row with Audrey and they live happily ever after in a small suburb, far from any troubles. The last shot is an identical plant to Audrey II growing in their backyard, overall the movie has a happy ending. This is the ending most people see when they first watch the movie, it was for me.

HEY, BUT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT *REALLY* HAPPENS?

The real ending is much more crazy and chaotic but stays true to the tone of the story you already spent an hour and a half watching. In the real ending, Audrey begins to catch on to what Seymour has been doing behind her back. During this discovery, she’s lured to the plant shop by Audrey II who begins to eat her (so that Seymour's secret can remain private). Seymour arrives just in time and rescues her, but he’s too late. Audrey dies in his arms and insists that Seymour feed her to the plant so that she can always be near him, and so that the plant can continue to grow and make Seymour even more famous. In tears, Seymour feeds Audrey to the plant and then rushes out of the shop to go jump off the roof and end his life. Yeah, suicide ends up playing a minor role near the end of the film.

Before he can jump, he’s approached by a businessman who admits to having taken samplings from Audrey II a few weeks back so they can produce even more plants, unaware that the secret to making the plants grow is human blood. Seymour rushes back into the shop to confront Audrey II, getting into a similar brawl to the first one accompanied by the song “Mean Green Mother From Outer Space.” What’s different in this scene is that it doesn’t end with Seymour blowing up Audrey II. Nope. The scene actually ends with Audrey II one-upping Seymour and grabbing him with its tentacles/vines/things. Seymour is eaten by his own creation. That’s right, the main character of the movie dies along with the love interest. Fun, right?

What follows is a montage showing how this process has occurred in other states across America subsequently. Other forms of The Audrey II have coerced people into feeding it blood and by the end of the movie the plants have completely taken over the world. The final 10 minutes in this original ending is just a bunch of humans in big cities running in terror from these Godzilla-sized plants, all the while the chorus sings a song warning “Don’t Feed The Plants!”

It still boggles my mind that they changed this ending, I’m surprised there wasn’t more outrage over changing the Broadway show’s ending. Apparently, the story is that the movie was presented as it was originally filmed to test audiences who all unanimously opposed the dark ending. I truly don’t understand what they were expecting, the ENTIRE movie is dark and upsetting (despite having very catchy musical numbers and entertaining jokes throughout, just look out for the John Candy and Bill Murray cameos.)

The movie may have flashy, show-stopping moments but the overall story is like something out of Edgar Allen Poe or "The Twilight Zone." I definitely wasn’t expecting a traditional “happy ending” when first watching the movie, I don’t see why these test audiences were so die-hard about the movie ending happily. The altered ending seems incredibly out-of-place and it was because it was filmed last minute.

Regardless of what ending you watch, “Little Shop of Horrors” is such a treat. With talents such as Rick Moranis, John Candy, Ellen Greene, Steve Martin and a guest-cameo by Bill Murray, this movie is a great Halloween watch. I think it’s a good thing that the original ending will be playing in theaters Halloween weekend, it’s an ending that deserves to be seen on the big-screen for those who missed it originally. A few years ago, the only way to watch the original ending was through YouTube and that version was all black-and-white. The original ending has since been remastered and released with the Blu-Ray release a few years ago, so I was able to see the movie in its completion when that Blu-Ray came out. I think it’s great for the original ending to now get some mainstream attention because it really is the “true” ending of the movie and tells the story in a much better way than the hastily put-together altered ending.