Queer Film Theory 101: Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

Oz, Ashman, and Menken’s iconically queer monster movie musical turns 40! Feed me, Seymour. Feed me all night long. Alarm goes off at seven, and you start uptown. You put in your eight hours for the powers that have always been. Ugh, ain’t that the truth, Chiffon? It’s been a hot minute since we’ve screened a musical for Queer Film Theory 101, so in honor of its 40th anniversary, we’re showing the melodic and incendiary critique of hustle culture, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, from powerhouse writing duo Howard Ashman and Alan Menken and director Frank Oz. Well ahead of its time, this film tackles hot topics like urban decay, abusive dentistry, aggressively sexual plants, and presages the rise of influencer culture. When dopey orphan-turned-beleaguered florist’s assistant Seymour (Rick Moranis) stumbles upon an exceptionally strange and exotic plant, he suddenly sees a way out of Skid Row for