The Little Shop of Horrors Wells story "The Flowering of the Strange Orchid"). Mythology about man-eating plants dates back to at least the 1800s, and probably much earlier. The film stars Jonathan Haze, Jackie Joseph, Mel Welles, and Dick Miller, all of whom had worked for Corman on previous films. Produced under the title "The Passionate People Eater", the film employs an original style of humor, combining black comedy with farce and incorporating Jewish humor and elements of spoof. "The Little Shop of Horrors" was shot on a budget of $28,000, with interiors being shot in two days utilizing sets that had been left standing
The Little Shop of Horrors has been denied by Mel Welles. According to Joseph, Corman shot the film quickly in order to beat changing industry rules that would have prevented producers from "buying out" an actor's performance in perpetuity. On January 1, 1960, new rules were to go into effect requiring producers to pay all actors residuals for all future releases of their work. This meant that Corman's B-movie business model would be permanently changed and he would not be able to produce low-budget movies in the same way. Before these rules went into effect, Corman decided to shoot one last film and scheduled it