Little Shop of Horrors: The Original Ending

[Fausto]

Usually, the "alternate endings" on most DVDs are (in my experience) a waste of time, and usually the theatrical ending with a few seconds of pointless dialogue that deserved to be cut. However, every once in a while, you find an ending that changes the story dramatically. The original ending of LSOH (The 80's musical version, not the original with Jack Nicholson) is one such case. Cut due to its unpleasant nature (taken from the stage play and fitting in with the story as being more of an updated version of Faust), the sequence was expensive to put together and was a major financial setback for a film that didnt do well in theatres.

When the film was eventually released on DVD (after earning its place as a cult film), the extra footage was put on the disc as a special feature. Unfortunately, the disc was recalled because the distributor had no right to use the extra footage (those few copies that made it out before the recall are now worth as much as 150 on ebay). Current copies sold do not include the ending, and it is not known if there is any plans to release it in the future....

.....Not that it's necessary, thanks to youtube:


Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaBJDRIgJRY
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Part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUiz4WgTB7c
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Part 3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddIK3CIMzFs
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WARNING: The footage isnt perfect; its in black and white, and some of the sound is missing.

[DistantJ]

Ah yes, I've seen this. It's incredible. Quite a shame that so much money was put into those amazing Godzilla esque destruction scenes which would then end up on the cutting room floor and not even on the DVD (anymore).

That's not to say that I think that ending should stay on the movie, because I find it to be a horribly depressing for such a fun film. I can see why the test audiences didn't approve, but it really is spectacular and quite a shame it had to be completely removed and replaced with something so different, particularly with the "Don't Feed The Plants" song gone.

I'll have to add that it's not all that close to the original play even in it's original form, though - in the play Audrey II devours Audrey and Seymour and then the cast come back out of the plant to sing the song, there's none of the destruction there.

If it had been my Job, I'd have probably had the happy ending, followed by the "Subsequent to the events you have just witnessed..." - then we have Audrey and Seymour in some happy place (somewhere that's green?) god knows where while the rest of America is screwed.

[Andrew]

Wow, we mix part of Les Miserables with Godzilla and other giant monster films in that ending.  The B&W film actually adds to the classic "giant monster on a rampage" feel to the scenes with the huge Audrey's.  It's a crying shame that the DVD release had to be recalled, just to remove the alternate ending.  I think that we'll eventually see a DVD release with the ending included, because fans of the film definitely like having it.

I can see why they went with the ending that they did, but if you made the giant monster rampage one, let's get it onto the DVD as an extra!

[DistantJ]

As always, Andrew knows what he's talking about. I completely agree. It's a real shame that so much hard work to create such a spectacular scene has to be blotted out like that. I don't think it would work on the film but it definitely deserves to be seen.

[Torgo]

The actual broadway play ended with the 2 main characters getting eaten.

Frank Oz has explained that in a play, the actors could come back out for the curtain call so that the audience could quickly get over the morbid type ending, but that you can't do that in a movie.

They mad a miscalculation and thought that the ending would work but it really killed the mood on such a fun flick.  While I agree that the original ending is an amazing piece of work, I completely think they made the right decision in hindsight by going with the more "upbeat" ending.

Why they haven't put the alternate ending back on DVD again is beyond me. 

[DistantJ]

Hear hear.