So I can’t believe that no one has reviewed Little Shop of Horrors the Broadway musical here on Haunted MTL. We have seen the old 1960 Roger Corman version in a Joe Bob Briggs special here, but not the Broadway smash hit and movie. This surprises me given its cheeky sense of humor and quirky colorful but dark themes. I personally love this musical, but then again I’m probably biased seeing as how I’m a Disney Renaissance kid, and Howard Ashman was influential in that movement as well. And the movie version is directed by Frank Oz, so you know the puppetry is top notch.

Spoiler alert: I hate revealing too much in my reviews but I will touch on some topics that reveal themes from within. So if you somehow managed to completely miss this under whatever rock you’ve been hiding since 1982, I’d recommend watching it. Right now. What are you waiting for, like seriously? Here’s a link to Amazon Prime even. Feel free to come back afterwards and read the rest of this review. And you’re welcome.

Little Shop of Horrors focuses on a flesh-eating plant. Whether it came from outer space or is a weird hybrid of some kind of souped up Venus flytrap is actually not that relevant. Hell, it could be a Burp special, as featured here previously. The plant’s origin story doesn’t actually matter all that much. What’s important is that it convinces protagonist Seymour to care for it, which starts off a little more innocently and ends in a killing spree that claims even the lives of both Seymour and his beloved Audrey by the end. Because it’s a hungry plant and it needs blood and fresh meat.

As you already know, my father was a dentist. So reactions to Orin Scrivello DDS could go either way. But in the movie version Steve Martin does an excellent job portraying the sadist, and you can’t help but kind of love him for it (especially in the scene with Bill Murray as the masochist patient) for all that you’ll still cheer a little when he gets fed to the carnivorous flesh-eating plant. The Broadway death by laughing gas is his just desserts and well portrayed, and just one of the beautiful dark comedy blossoms within this musical foray into inappropriate humor that ranges into such taboo topics as unintended suicide, relationship abuse, and socioeconomic disparity.

Anyway, I give the musical and movie 4.0 Cthulhus. (4 / 5)

The main reason I wanted to review this was actually because the Smoky Valley Theater high school recently presented Little Shop of Horrors in Lindsborg, Kansas in November 2024, and I wanted to give them a shoutout. The actors and actresses did a fabulous job with it. I especially liked that they further explored the Audrey II character of the plant by casting it as an actual actress, saving on large-scale puppeteering and bringing new life to the musical. This worked much better than I had anticipated when I’d heard of the change, with superb adaptive costuming that evolved over time. I would kill for that flytrap cape complete with its red and emerald satin and toothy accent trim. Maybe at the next solar eclipse…

Episode four of Dexter Original Sin was an interesting one. It was equal parts funny and upsetting.

It also brought up an issue I’ve always had with Dexter.

Let’s discuss.

The story

Our story doesn’t waste any time, starting with the kidnapped boy, Jimmy Powell, hanging dead from a bridge.

This crime scene turns out to be a little too much even for Dexter. So, he decides to go hunting. He discovers a killer for hire called Mad Dog. And let me save you the Google. Yes, that is Joe Pantoliano who played Cypher in The Matrix.

So desperate to feel better, Dexter maybe rushes things a little bit. Which, it should surprise no one, leads to a hilarious and disastrous result.

What worked

There has always been a part of the later seasons of Dexter that bothered me. Spoilers ahead.

When Deb learns about Dexter’s Dark Passenger, she goes right off the deep end. This includes, among other things, heroin use. Which always seemed out of character for me. Now, finding out she was experimenting with drugs as a teen, that makes more sense. While I won’t say this is as good as Deep Space 9 retconning the infamous stage hand incident in Troubles with Tribbles, it was nice.

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I also really enjoyed Joe Pantoliano’s character, Mad Dog. He was funny in just the right way. Not slapstick. Not over the top, because that never would have fit here. But he’s animated and joyful in a way that no other character is. He’s clearly got his priorities right, as we can see when he begs Dex not to smash his guitar. He was just so fun. And this episode needed this levity since the rest of it was so heavy.

As we discussed, this episode started with a poor dead boy. This caused both Dexter and Harry to completely ignore Deb. Furious, she shouts what must have been the best and most emotionally devastating line in the series so far.

“How am I supposed to compete with a dead kid?”

Now the question I’m left with, the question that I’m sure the writers intended to leave us with, is this. Does she mean the dead boy her dad’s investigating? Or does she mean her dead brother?

Does she know she has a dead brother?

I felt like these two elements, the levity brought by Mad Dog and the heavy death of the little boy worked really well together. It keeps the story balanced, keeps it from being too much.

What didn’t work

While this episode cleared up something about Deb for me, it also brought to light something I’ve never appreciated about the character Dexter.

He’s not a sociopath.

A sociopath is a person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior and a lack of conscience. They would not, generally, have a different response to a child being killed than an adult. But Dexter has always had that issue.

It makes him a better person, but it shows a misunderstanding of the character in the books. And, frankly, a misunderstanding of the condition.

I also need to complain about the melon scene. Normally, everyone knows the point of smashing a melon in forensics. Whether accurate to the real world or not, melons are used to show what might happen if someone’s skull is crushed. The point is to see the difference in different heights, and where the blood splatter might go.

If one is going to spray blood where they want it to be or put a little metal plate on one melon so that it doesn’t break naturally, then it defeats the whole purpose of dropping them.

Now, some of you might think this was the point of the scene. Dexter is very new at this. Maybe he was doing it wrong, showing a lack of understanding of the process. I have two issues with this. One, Dexter is pre-med, he should have known better. And two, Masuka is not new. And he was standing right there the whole time. Why didn’t he say something? This was just a clumsy and confusing scene in an episode that was otherwise well done.

All in all, this was another good episode. I loved the blend of funny and heartbreaking. I loved the special guest star. And I loved the cliffhanger ending. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

(4 / 5)

“The Demon of Memes” is the second episode of supernatural drama Evil’s season 3, created by Michelle King and Robert King. The central cast includes Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Christine Lahti, and Andrea Martin. As of this review, it’s available through Netflix and Paramount+ and its add-ons.

The assessors investigate another urban legend following the mystery of Wandering Jack. David (Mike Colter) receives a task from the friends of the Vatican. Lynn (Brooklyn Shuck) learns that a friend might be in danger from Wandering Jack. Andy (Patrick Brammell) gets an offer he can’t refuse.

What I Like about “The Demon of Memes”

David’s montage at the beginning of the episode truly evokes the monotony of his duties, requiring little telling to show us what’s making him disillusioned. It’s not revolutionary, but it’s an effective tool.

“The Demon of Memes” establishes a key conflict in David’s duties as the “friends of the Vatican” plan to use him to various ends. That directly leads to Brian d’Arcy James’ return as Victor LeConte. James brings an uncertainty of motives reminiscent of Michael Emerson’s Leland. While not villainous, LeConte provides a dangerous manipulation to each task, obscuring his motives. 

LeConte’s discussion of human evil evokes the heart of the series. Evil suggests some ambiguity in the supernatural element (less so as the series progresses), but it hardly makes the results different. Evil exists, regardless of demonic origin. I appreciate this added complexity, even if I prefer the tension and spectacle of the supernatural elements.

While I’m not always satisfied with how Evil handles Andy, the character works well in “The Demon of Memes.” As the audience learns of the true scheme, tension builds as Andy moves closer to success. Beyond this tension, Andy and Kristen (Katja Herbers) make genuine strides in their relationship.

Sheryl’s (Christine Lahti) new occupation remains a pleasant delight, equal parts cartoonishly evil and believable. Perhaps it’s the dark tone of the series, but it feels like an obvious extension of the antagonism Evil creates, requiring an absurd amount of work to make the world slightly more miserable.

While “The Demon of Memes” doesn’t evoke a haunting fear, it builds tension as a clear direction unfolds. In terms of direct horror, the episode focuses on a Slenderman-like urban legend. While it’s not particularly scary, seeing this legend through Lynn’s eyes earns more weight.

Tired Tropes & Triggers

Nothing particularly stands out as concerning or evocative. David’s (now Father Acosta) lack of fulfillment and desire for a more active role in fighting the supernatural might rub some the wrong way. But that’s largely the premise of the show.

The name “The Demon of Memes” remains inaccurate. Unlike “The Demon of Death,” this episode doesn’t provide an alternative to dissect. Another nitpick is that the “demon” in question isn’t of “memes” but of “urban legends.”

What I Dislike about “The Demon of Memes”

Aside from the lack of proper horror, I don’t particularly have an issue with “The Demon of Memes” I find worth mentioning. The names don’t yet match the demon of focus, but that’s a minor point that doesn’t directly address the writing, scenes, or acting, which remain strong.

If there’s one issue to pull, “The Demon of Memes” focuses more on what’s to come. In fact, the content suggests a season premiere more than “The Demon of Death.”

Another more relevant point is the underwhelming procedural plot. It’s not bad; however, the Wandering Jack pales in comparison to its inspirations (such as Slenderman).

Final Thoughts

“The Demon of Memes” sets a strong foundation for the future. While it doesn’t haunt the viewer as much as other episodes might, it builds a dire future development with the dark humor Evil thrives. In some aspects of the development, This episode feels more like the season premiere than the second episode.
(3.5 / 5)