Little Shop Of Horrors (1986) (40^th Anniversary) [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Frank Oz

Cast: Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Steve Martin

Release Date: October 6, 2026

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Release Rating: 9/10

Synopsis:

A comedy, a love story, and a cult classic starring a giant singing plant from outer space – what else could it be but Little Shop of Horrors? Seymour – an orphan and a nerd who works in a run-down flower shop on Skid Row – spends his time doing menial tasks and dreaming of his co-worker, Audrey. Then, one day, just after an eclipse of the sun, Seymour discovers a strange plant. The exotic plant draws customers, saves the flower shop from bankruptcy, and makes Seymour a hero in Audrey’s eyes. But the plant has a rather unique appetite … and it’s getting interested in Audrey too.

‘Little Shop of Horrors’ joins Seymour a kindhearted man who spends his days working at a flower shop in Skid Row and dreaming of more, including his co-worker Audrey who he’s infatuated with but happens to be in an abusive relationship with a local bad boy biker and dentist. When Seymour discovers a mysterious new plant like no one has ever seen it quickly becomes the talk of the town and brings some much needed business to the struggling florist. Yet when the plant begins to grow and he discovers that it needs fresh blood to survive, things take a dark turn; especially when Seymour must begin to feed it actual people to keep it flourishing.

Directed by Frank Oz from a screenplay by Howard Ashman, Oz does a spectacular job in the director’s seat of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ perfectly capturing the zany and offbeat tone with heart and style. The film’s terrific cast includes Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia and Steve Martin, along with Tichina Arnold, Michelle Weeks, Tisha Campbell and Levi Stubbs of The Four Tops as Audrey II, along with numerous notable cameos and more. Nearly all of the cast offer fully capable and rewarding performances in their roles that help this beloved classic to work as splendidly as it does.

Based on the off-Broadway play, ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ was initially released in theaters in 1986 and it took viewers for a darkly comedic musical journey that had to be seen to be believed. The beloved classic still holds up remarkably well a whopping forty years later with its catchy songs, tremendous performances and practical effects, as well as its snarky, dark humor. Initially crafted with a much darker ending that was more faithful to the source material but was drastically reshot after being hated by test audiences, the long-believed lost ending was eventually found and we now have the option to view both versions (and yes, both are included here in full 4K with Vision and Atmos) which is quite the treat. While I personally prefer the director’s cut ending due to its unexpected and shockingly bleak tone, it’s also easy to see why audiences at that point were unable to accept it.

‘Little Shop of Horrors’ has always been something special and it’s truly impressive just how well the effects (primarily the creation of Audrey II) still hold up and work, while keeping things fun, light and dark at the same time in a way that somehow just clicks. Filled with heart, humor and even some pretty surprising moments, it’s a rare gem of a film that’s managed to only become more beloved in the decades since its release and if you’ve never had the pleasure I can’t urge you strongly enough to make a point of rectifying that. Even those who aren’t overly fond of musicals as a whole should find plenty to love about this delightfully twisted and heartfelt tale.

The 1986 Frank Oz directed classic ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ comes home in 4K for the first time from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment in celebration of its fortieth anniversary. The 4K release features both the original Theatrical Cut and the Director’s Cut in full Ultra High Definition with Dolby Vision and HDR10 which looks truly stunning and is nicely paired with a fresh Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that together have this marvelous ‘80s romp looking and sounding better than we could have hoped. The new 4K UHD release also delivers a nice helping of bonus content new and old and along with the noteworthy video and audio upgrades it should easily make this one a must own for any dedicated fans that are fully 4K capable. If you’re already considering a purchase then this one is highly recommended and well worth picking up whenever possible.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10 for both the Theatrical and Director’s Cuts, presented in its original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks marvelous through and through and it offers up a clean, sharp and filmic presentation that’s richly detailed and absent of any notable troubles to be located throughout. Details are terrific and everything from character specifics to practical effects and backgrounds look great, while the Dolby Vision HDR offers some more vibrant and accurate colors on scenery, Audrey II and more without ever going too far and making things downright cartoonish. Black levels are also rich, deep and problem free. Overall, this is a wonderful Ultra High Definition presentation that has both cuts of the film looking spectacular and should easily thrill fans.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack on both cuts of the film (as well as the original Theatrical audio presentation in 2.0 DTS-HD MA included for the Theatrical Cut). Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentation. This multichannel soundtrack is a lot of fun itself and it provides a crisp, clean and consistently immersive audio presentation throughout. It takes advantage of all seven available channels in order to send music, various effects and more throughout the speakers whenever appropriate, while never allowing any dialogue or other audio elements to become negatively impacted in the process. Overall, this is a very nice Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that regularly adds to the fun and shouldn’t disappoint.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ features plenty of fun extras that fans of the film should enjoy. In addition to including both the Theatrical and Director’s Cuts of the film itself and an ‘Audio Commentary with Frank Oz’ included for the Theatrical Cut, the release also includes the new Featurettes ‘To Feed or Not to Feed: For the Love of Little Shop’ (running approximately 15 minutes in length) and ‘Mean Green Mother – Creating Audrey II’ (running approximately 8 minutes). Also included is ‘Frank Oz and Little Shop of Horrors: The Director’s Cut’ (approximately 11 minutes), ‘A Story of Little Shop of Horrors’ (23 minutes), plus a collection of ‘Outtakes and Deleted Scenes with and without Commentary’ (9 minutes altogether) and the ‘Director’s Cut Ending with and without Commentary by Frank Oz’ (22 minutes).

*Please note: The above images were provided by Warner Bros. and are not reflective of the actual 4K Ultra HD release or its quality. A standard Blu-ray copy of the film was not included in the release that could be used for screenshots therefore the above publicity stills were utilized. They are all the property of Warner Bros and any other respective owners.

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Release Rating: 9/10

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‘Little Shop Of Horrors’ is Now Available to Own on 4K Ultra HD disc & Digital from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment

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You can Purchase ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ on 4K UHD at Amazon HERE!

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