When it comes to early horror, there’s no name as well known asRoger Corman. He’s been hailed as the “king of low budget B-movies” with classics likeThe Little Shop of Horrorsunder his gleefully disturbed belt. Now, almost 65 years since that horror comedy’s debut, Corman and legendary genre directorJoe Danteare re-teaming up for aLittle Shopreboot titledLittle Shop of Halloween Horrors.
Reported exclusively byDeadline, there are no plot points given for the reboot yet. However, the screenplay will be penned byCharles S. Haas, who worked with Dante onGremlins 2: The New Batch. Corman will be serving as a producer alongsideBrad Krevoy, while Dante directs. The original cult film was released in 1960, following a florist named Seymour who finds a man-eating plant. One that Seymour has to keep feeding to keep happy. While the original did feature a then unknown Jack Nicholson, the1986 musical horror comedy adaptationof the story starring Steve Martin and Rick Moranis is the version more people are familiar with. That version has beenon and off Broadwayfor the last 20 plus years. This new revival is also meant to serve as the start of a new franchise.
A Horror Partnership Made in Hell
This collaboration wouldn’t be the first time Corman and Dante have worked together. Like most of today’s most treasured filmmakers,Cormanwas there at the beginning of Dante’s career as he produced his directorial debut,Hollywood Boulevard, in 1976. They would then re-team for the cult classicPiranhain 1978. From there, Dante would go on to direct a handful ofgenre gems, likeThe Howling,Gremlins, andSmall Soldiers. Dante has a great taste for atmosphere and horror, but projects likeThe New BatchandSmall Soldiershave also shown his great twisted dark comedy chops. That makes him the perfect director to re-imagine the unique world thatLittle Shop of Horrorsinhabits.
The appeal of Corman is his old-school change in the couch cushions approach to the genre. That’s a style that has slowly come back into the mainstream, especially in horror. More money doesn’t always equal better made films. The originalLittle Shop of Horrors, along with Dante’sThe Howling, are the perfect examples of that. There’s a lot of understandable inherent cynicism when it comes to remake or reboot announcements, but if anyone can bring this beloved franchise back to the hellish center stage the right way, it’s Corman and Dante.
While horror fans wait for casting news and a release window for the reboot,Corman’sLittle Shop of Horrorsis currently streaming onTubi, and the 1986 musical is available on Prime Video.
