When I was about seven years old, I remember channel surfing on my grandmother’s television (she had cable; my parents couldn’t afford it) and came across a scene with a blond woman and a talking plant monster. It captivated me, and I watched until he tried to eat her, then quickly changed the channel, believing I was watching something I shouldn’t have seen at my age.

This was my earliest exposure to Little Shop of Horrors, which has since become a favorite of mine and essential viewing around the Halloween season.

Based on the Broadway musical by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken – which was inspired by the 1960 film by Roger Corman – Frank Oz’s adaptation is a delightful, tongue-in-cheek comedy horror musical, boasting a stellar cast of Rick Moranis (Ghostbusters, Spaceballs), Ellen Greene (who reprises her role from the stage production), and the scene-stealing Steve Martin (The Jerk, Three Amigos).

Its breakout star, however, is Audrey II, a carnivorous plant monster (voiced by Levi Stubbs) that remains, to this day, one of the most impressive puppets in film history. Forty years later, it still floors me how realistic the movements are, how accurate the lip sync is, and how larger-than-life it looks on screen.

Little Shop has continued to enjoy a dedicated cult following, and for the first time, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has released the 1980s classic on 4K UHD.

Packaging 2/5

This edition of Little Shop comes in a standard amaray 4K UHD case. The first pressing includes an O-ring slipcover. A digital copy code pamphlet is included.

Cover art is uninspired. I don’t care for the “collage of cast members” style many new releases of older films use. The original theatrical poster would have been a far better choice; it’s iconic and more striking than the unsightly abomination plaguing this cover.

Video Quality 5/5

Presented for the first time in 4K, this new restoration is gorgeous. Details are crisp, and the HDR is rendered beautifully, providing a rich viewing experience and the best it’s ever looked.

The 4K screenshots do not accurately represent the HDR and should only be considered for comparing detail and aspect ratio improvements.

A major upgrade from the original 2012 Blu-ray is the aspect ratio, which has been corrected to the proper 1.85:1 rather than the 1.78:1 featured on the old release.

No Blu-ray copy is included, but the 4K disc is Region Free.

Audio Quality 5/5

One of the biggest improvements over the 2012 Blu-ray is the inclusion of the film’s original theatrical stereo mix in DTS-HD Master Audio, which was frustratingly absent in the previous release. For more immersive sound, both cuts have been remixed to include Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Surround Sound mixes, which sound phenomenal and are especially powerful during the movie’s many musical numbers.

The theatrical cut also includes Spanish and French audio tracks.

English, Spanish, and French subtitles are also included.

Special Features 5/5

This new edition includes all the extras from the original 2012 Blu-ray release, plus two brand-new features exclusive to this reissue.

• Audio Commentary with Director Frank Oz for the original theatrical version
• To Feed or Not to Feed: For the Love of Little Shop – A new retrospective featurette featuring interviews with Frank Oz and Ellen Greene
• Mean Green Mother: Creating Audrey II – A new featurette focusing on the creation of the Audrey II puppet featuring interviews with Frank Oz, Ellen Greene, Bran Ferren, and Richard Conway
• Frank Oz and Little Shop of Horrors: The Director’s Cut – a discussion centered on the film’s original ending with Frank Oz and Richard Conway
• A Story of Little Shop of Horrors – an archival 1987 promotional documentary chronicling the history of Little Shop from the original Roger Corman film, the Broadway musical adaptation, and the film adaptation of said musical, featuring interviews with Roger Corman, David Geffen, Frank Oz, Rick Moranis, and Ellen Greene
• Deleted Scenes and Outtakes – with optional commentary from Frank Oz
• Director’s Cut Ending – with optional commentary from Frank Oz

Overall Thoughts

Forty years after its original release, Little Shop still holds up as a thoroughly entertaining musical and a technical marvel of puppetry. This new release is the definitive way to experience this cult classic. With an outstanding restoration, incredible sound, and plenty of supplemental material to satisfy dedicated fans, this is a worthwhile upgrade.