Little Shop of Horrors is the 1986 movie based on the 1982 musical of the same name, which in turn, was based on an even earlier movie of the same name that came out in 1960. Over the course of three decades, Little Shop of Horrors has managed to become a classic in its own right, which is even more impressive because it underperformed at the box office when it came out. Regardless, it is interesting to note that Fathom Events is planning to bring the movie back to the theaters on October 29 and 31, but this time, it will be featuring its original ending as opposed to the revised ending that was seen in the movie theaters the last time.
What Was the Original Ending?
People who watched Little Shop of Horrors should remember that it concluded on a positive note, seeing as how Seymour managed to kill the man-eating plant named Audrey II before getting married to his crush Audrey, who turned out to have reciprocated his feelings for her. However, it is important to note that this was the revised ending that had to be shot when test audiences reacted in a negative manner to the original ending, which was based on that of the source material.
In the original ending, Seymour attempts to rescue Audrey from Audrey II, but arrives too late to prevent her from receiving a mortal wound from the man-eating plant. Seymour still makes the attempt to kill Audrey II when he learns its true nature, but this time, he is crushed by the collapsing shop before being eaten by Audrey II. As a result, the buds of the man-eating plant become a worldwide consumer sensation, thus resulting in a worldwide catastrophe when the buds sprouted.
Why Was the Original Ending Replaced?
When the people behind Little Shop of Horrors showed the movie to test audiences, they learned that said individuals loved it right up until the point when Audrey II won out over the protagonist and by extension, the rest of the human species. It turned out that what was fine for the stage was not so fine for the movie screen. The exact reason for this is unclear, but it has sometimes been speculated that people were willing to accept the musical version because they could see the actors after the ending, whereas a movie version provided no such psychological comfort. As a result, there was a rush to make a revised ending that would conclude Little Shop of Horrors on a much more positive note, which caused the release of the movie to be pushed back for some time.
With that said, there are a fair number of people who are interested in the original ending to Little Shop of Horrors, which is why it was included in the DVD when Warner Bros. went through the trouble of restoring the movie. As a result, a lot of people were introduced to the original ending of the movie in this manner. Now, with Little Shop of Horrors about to make a return to the movie screen, it seems that even more people will become familiar with the original ending as well as the revised ending than ever before.
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