---
title: "Little Shop of Horrors: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/little-shop-of-horrors/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/little-shop-of-horrors"
critics_score: 71
critics_reviews: 8
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Little Shop of Horrors (1986): what the critics said

Critics' score 71 from 8 reviews: 4 positive, 4 mixed, 0 negative.

The reviews lean warm, and none rejects the film outright. Most critics take it as a broad, energetic, deliberately silly musical that works on its own cartoonish terms, and the praise gathers around Ellen Greene’s strange, magnetic Audrey, the witty songs, and the ever-growing plant, which one critic counts among the great screen villains. Steve Martin’s scenes are picked out as a highlight even in the cooler notices.

The reservations are about staginess. Variety finds the move from stage to screen reluctant and the result fractured, and Empire thinks the musical numbers drag in places; Pauline Kael notes some stiffness and mechanical-looking effects, and Eye for Film calls it formulaic while enjoying it anyway. The spread is wide, from mixed to enthusiastic, and it splits by date: the warmest reviews come from Slant and Collider, assessing the restored director’s cut with its darker original ending, which both admire.

## Slant Magazine — Jordan Cronk

Rating 4.5/5. 10 October 2012. 

Cronk strongly praises the restored director’s cut as an irreverent, vivid musical with a tragic edge. He singles out the newly available apocalyptic finale and the Blu-ray’s impressive picture and sound restoration.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/little-shop-of-horrors/)

## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael

Fi1m's normalised score 76/100 (inferred from the text). 12 January 1987. 

Kael finds the film silly, energetic fun that succeeds on its own broad, cartoonish terms, despite some stiffness and mechanical-looking effects. She especially praises Ellen Greene’s strange, magnetic performance as Audrey.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1987/01/12/little-shocks-big-shocks)

## The New York Times — Janet Maslin

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 19 December 1986. 

The Times page is identified as a review of the 1986 film, but its text is inaccessible. The available page provides no basis for reporting the critic’s verdict or specific praise.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/19/movies/the-screen-little-shop-of-horrors.html)

## Time Out — SGo

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The page is identified as a review of the 1986 film, but the review text is unavailable. Its verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be established.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/little-shop-of-horrors)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1985. 

Variety finds the adaptation fractured and funny, but somewhat reluctant in its move from stage to screen. The review praises its silly chain of events while noting that little remains of the original film beyond its setting and story outline.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1985/film/reviews/little-shop-of-horrors-1200426871/)

## Empire — William Thomas

Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

The review finds the film amusing in places, though its stagey musical numbers sometimes drag. It singles out Steve Martin’s appearances and Ellen Greene’s performance as highlights.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/little-shop-horrors-2-review/)

## Collider — Rob Vaux

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 22 October 2012. 

Vaux gives the film and its Blu-ray presentation an enthusiastic endorsement, finding both endings successful on their own terms. He especially praises the witty, infectious songs and the way they blend comedy with social satire.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/little-shop-of-horrors-directors-cut-blu-ray-review/)

## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode

Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 5 April 2008. 

Kermode calls it a formulaic but exhilarating ride, praising the pitch-perfect performances and terrific songs. She singles out the increasingly elaborate plant as a great villain.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/little-shop-of-horrors-film-review-by-jennie-kermode)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/little-shop-of-horrors.md