Plants Take Manhattan

The final scene of the 1986 Frank Oz musical version of Little Shop of Horrors ends on a positive note: Audrey survives being chewed by the menacing man-eating plant and Seymour defeats it in a fight. Audrey and Seymour live happily ever after. But that was not the original version.

In the original ending, Audrey is eaten, Seymour loses the battle and the plant takes Manhattan.

A miniature effects team led by Richard Conway went to great lengths to create this dramatic finale during which Audrey II takes over New York City, attacks the Brooklyn Bridge, fights the U.S. Army, climbs the Statue of Liberty and, in homage to the 1933 classic monster movie King Kong, scales the Empire State Building. There are also various nods to the 1953 film The War of the Worlds. Finally, in the last shot after the title "THE END?!?" has appeared, the plant crashes through the screen of the film and laughs as the camera (the audience) comes closer and closer to its gaping maw. The sequence cost $5 million to produce.

Audiences apparently found that too disturbing. But now, thanks to the magic of YouTube, you can watch the ending as it was meant to be:




Happy Halloween!

(via Slice of SciFi)

Tags:Little Shop of Horrors, plants