What actually happens
A plant bought during an eclipse
A trio of singers named Crystal, Ronette and Chiffon open the movie by warning the audience that something horrible is coming. Seymour Krelborn, an orphan, works with Audrey at Mushnik's Flower Shop on Skid Row in New York City, a neighborhood they sing about being unable to escape. Business is so slow that Mr. Mushnik decides to shut the shop, but Audrey suggests displaying the unusual plant Seymour owns. Seymour says he got it at a Chinese flower shop on the day of a solar eclipse and calls it Audrey II. It brings in customers, then starts to wither. Seymour pricks his finger and discovers the plant needs human blood to thrive. It grows rapidly after that, and Seymour becomes a local celebrity with a spot on Wink Wilkinson's radio show. Meanwhile Audrey suffers under her sadistic biker boyfriend Orin Scrivello.
Reading this instead of watching it is the correct decision. Scaredy Cat makes that decision automatic, for free.
The dentist has a bad night
Seymour keeps feeding Audrey II his own blood, which drains his energy. He tries to ask Audrey out, but she has a date with Orin, who turns out to be a dentist that likes watching his patients suffer. After Seymour closes the shop, Audrey II speaks for the first time. It demands more blood than Seymour can give and suggests he murder someone, promising a fortune and some fame that would win Audrey over. Seymour refuses until he sees Orin abuse Audrey in the street. After Orin finishes with a patient named Arthur Denton, who asked for a long, slow root canal, Seymour pulls a revolver on Orin but cannot use it. Orin puts on a mask to breathe nitrous oxide, breaks the valve, and suffocates while Seymour watches. Seymour cuts up the body and feeds it to Audrey II, now enormous, while Mushnik secretly watches and runs away.
Mushnik makes an offer he cannot collect on
Audrey feels guilty about Orin's disappearance, and Seymour comforts her. Both of them confess how they feel. That night Mushnik confronts Seymour about Orin, holding him at gunpoint. He threatens to call the police but then offers a deal: he will stay quiet and let Seymour leave Skid Row if he gets the plant and its profits. When Audrey II opens its mouth to feed, Seymour starts giving care instructions and steps Mushnik toward the plant, and the plant swallows him whole. Seymour is successful but worries about Audrey II's appetite. Audrey tells him a botany TV show has offered him a contract, with the money arriving from the producers tomorrow. Seymour proposes to her, planning to take the money in the morning, escape Skid Row with Audrey and leave the plant to starve. Audrey II catches him leaving and demands another meal, and Seymour agrees to find meat from a butcher.
The plant makes a phone call
While Seymour is at the butcher, Audrey II phones Audrey, talks her into coming to the shop and goes for her. This is the scene to brace for, and the two cuts handle it differently. In the theatrical cut, Seymour returns in time and gets Audrey out of the shop. In the director's cut, he pulls her out of the plant's mouth, but her injuries will kill her. Her dying wish is to be fed to the plant so it can live and Seymour can finally earn the success he deserves. Seymour does as she asks. In both versions the next stretch is about Patrick Martin, a botanical company executive, who wants to grow Audrey II in bulk and ship the saplings everywhere.
The ending, explained
Theatrical ending: Seymour sends Patrick Martin away and decides he has to stop Audrey II to protect humanity. At the shop, the plant reveals it is an alien from outer space, traps Seymour and wrecks the building. Seymour finds a live cable in the rubble and electrocutes it, then reunites with Audrey. The two marry and move to the suburbs, where a small Audrey II sprout sits unnoticed in their garden. Director's cut ending: after Audrey is fed to the plant, Seymour tries to end his life by jumping off the shop roof, then learns Martin will sell Audrey IIs with or without his consent. Seymour decides the plant has to go. Audrey II reveals it is an extraterrestrial, tears down the shop and eats Seymour alive. The singers explain that the buds became a worldwide craze and turned into a monstrous plant army that topples buildings and eats people, and the real army fights them on the Statue of Liberty. Finally a plant lunges out of the screen, apparently to eat the viewers.
The post-credits ruling
Nobody has confirmed whether Little Shop of Horrors has a scene after the credits.
✓ Spoiled safelyDog status: fine, no dog dies.
Questions people ask at 1am
Is Little Shop of Horrors scary?
Barely. Little Shop of Horrors is a 2 out of 10 with low dread. It is a comedy musical with some gory moments, and the bleakest part is the director's cut ending.
How does Little Shop of Horrors end?
In the theatrical cut, Seymour destroys Audrey II, marries Audrey and moves to the suburbs, with a sprout in the garden. In the director's cut, Audrey and Seymour both die and the plants take over the world.
Does the dog die in Little Shop of Horrors?
No dog dies in Little Shop of Horrors. One song mentions shooting dogs, but nothing happens to one.
Is there a post-credits scene in Little Shop of Horrors?
Nobody has confirmed whether Little Shop of Horrors has a scene after the credits.
What is Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors?
Audrey II is an extraterrestrial plant that Seymour buys during a solar eclipse. It needs human blood to grow, and it turns out to be an alien from outer space.
