And now for something completely different: Spend your Valentine’s Day with plants that trap, digest, and kill their prey—on screen and in real life.
The SLO Film Center at the Palm Theatre is holding its first Science on Screen program, “Feed Me, Valentine,” featuring the 1986 film Little Shop of Horrors along with a variety of carnivorous plants and the scientists who study them.
On February 14 at 7 p.m., the Palm Theatre will screen the dark comedy musical followed by a discussion with Jenn Yost, Matt Ritter, and Gage Willey exploring plants like Venus flytraps, pitcher plants, and sundews. Yost and Ritter are Cal Poly professors of biological sciences, and Willey is the curator of the university’s Plant Conservatory.
By connecting the film’s outrageous premise to real biological strategies, they explain how Little Shop of Horrors taps into genuine scientific fascination, blurring the line between pulp fantasy and natural history.
“We can’t wait to showcase this cult classic film while also collaborating with our partners at Cal Poly to provide a fun and educational in-person experience,” according to SLO Film Center executive director Skye McLennan.
The Coolidge/Sloan Foundation nationwide Science on Screen partnership is designed to promote scientific literacy through entertainment and features classic, cult, and documentary films provocatively matched with presentations by experts who discuss scientific, technological, or medical issues raised by each film.
The SLO Film Center is one of nine first-time recipients of grants for the 2025-26 season, which includes 41 independent cinemas, museums, and community groups with film programs.