The Little Shop of Horrors

The Little Shop of Horrors
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Roger Corman
Screenplay by	Charles B. Griffith
Produced by	Roger Corman
Starring	Jonathan Haze Jackie Joseph Mel Welles
Narrated by	Wally Campo
Cinematography	Archie R. Dalzell
Edited by	Marshall Neilan Jr.
Music by	Fred Katz Uncredited: Ronald Stein
Production companies	The Filmgroup Santa Clara Productions[1]
Distributed by	The Filmgroup American International Pictures
Release date	September 14, 1960 (1960-09-14)
Running time	72 minutes[2]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$28,000–34,000[3][4]
Box office	25,066 admissions (France)[5]

The Little Shop of Horrors is a 1960 American horror comedy film directed by Roger Corman. Written by Charles B. Griffith, the film is a farce about a florist's assistant who cultivates a plant that feeds on human blood. The film stars Jonathan Haze, Jackie Joseph, Mel Welles, and Dick Miller, who had all worked for Corman on previous films. Produced under the title The Passionate People Eater,^[6][7] the film employs an original style of humor, combining dark comedy with farce^[8] and incorporating Jewish humor and elements of spoof.^[9] The Little Shop of Horrors was shot on a budget of $28,000 (equivalent to $288,000 in 2023). Interiors were shot in two days, by utilizing sets that had been left standing from A Bucket of Blood.^{[10][11][12][13]}

The film slowly gained a cult following through word of mouth when it was distributed as the B movie in a double feature with Mario Bava's Black Sunday^[10][14] and later with Last Woman on Earth.^[10] The film's popularity increased with local television broadcasts,^[15] and the presence of a young Jack Nicholson, whose small role in the film has been prominently promoted on its home video releases.^[16] The film was the basis for an Off-Broadway musical, Little Shop of Horrors, which in turn was adapted into a 1986 feature film. The musical enjoyed a 2003 Broadway debut and a 2019 off-Broadway revival, amongst other productions.