Flowers in the Attic (2014)

After the sudden death of their father, four children face cruel treatment from their ruthless grandmother.

Director:

Deborah Chow

Writers:

Virginia C. Andrews (based upon the novel by) (as V.C. Andrews), Kayla Alpert (teleplay by)

Stars:

Heather Graham, Ellen Burstyn, Kiernan Shipka

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Heather Graham	...	Corrine
Ellen Burstyn	...	Grandmother
Kiernan Shipka	...	Cathy
Mason Dye	...	Christopher
Ava Telek	...	Carrie
Maxwell Kovach	...	Cory
Dylan Bruce	...	Bart Winslow
Chad Willett	...	Dad
Beau Daniels	...	Mr. Foxworth
Laura Jaye	...	Female Guest
John Emmet Tracy	...	Male Guest
Don Thompson	...	Conductor
BJ Harrison	...	Sarah
Ian Robison	...	Police Officer
Andrew Kavadas	...	John

Storyline

Based on V.C. Andrews' controversial cult-classic novel, "Flowers in the Attic" tells the story of the Dollanganger kids who, after the unexpected death of their father, are coerced to stay hidden in the attic of their ruthless grandmother.

---

Plot Keywords:

attic | brother sister incest | child abuse | abusive mother | 1950s | 

---

Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

---

Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

Lifetime [United States]

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 January 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Catidaki Cicekler

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cue the Dog Productions, Front Street Pictures, Side Street Post

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dylan Bruce who plays Bart Winslow stars in the tv show Midnight, Texas along with Jason Lewis (who plays Christopher in If There Be Thorns and Seeds of Yesterday....the final two films in this series).

---

Goofs

When Christopher cuts Cathy's hair because there is tar in it, the tar magically disappears when Cathy asks if he thinks she's pretty, then reappears as he continues to cut.

---

Quotes

Cory: [Cathy looks at painting of an action scene] Where's the sun? It's still night?
Cathy: [runs over, softly speaking and grabbing his shoulders] Cory, don't!
[she turns him around and they are away just in time for Grandmother to come in with the basket of food]
Grandmother: [resigning] Your food.
[children run]
Grandmother: Uh, uh, uh! Get your hands off that. That food has to last you the entire day.
[they run back to Cathy and Carrie hugs Cathy]
Grandmother: I can't be running up and down the stairs! The servants might get suspicious. There'll ...
[...]

---

Connections

Remake of Flowers in the Attic (1987)

---

Soundtracks

What Child Is This?
(uncredited)

User Reviews

A truly faithful adaptation..

For those fans worried about the makers of this TV production not being faithful to the source material; this version is really wonderful. Featuring a beautiful, blond cast of talented actors, "Flowers in the Attic" makes the beloved Gothic novel come to life. With nice 1950's period detail, we follow the Dollanganger family to the sprawling Virginia mansion known as Foxworth Hall, a place filled with secrets and cruel deceptions. Four children will be hidden in an upstairs room by a selfish mother, determined to "win back her father's love," and thus inherit the vast Foxworth fortune. But you all know the story; this book series is such a big part of the childhood memories of so many people.

This new adaptation has it all; beautiful sets, top rate actors turning in frighteningly believable performances, and an intelligent script that shows absolute respect to the novel from 1979. It is obvious that everyone involved actually cared about what they were doing, which is rare for television movies, that so often look rushed and sloppily thrown together, just to meet a deadline. In other words, this movie has a heart. Veteran actress Ellen Buryston surprisingly lends the Grandmother a bit of a human side here, which in turn makes Corrine even more of an evil character. Not to say that the Grandmother isn't still terrifying; Buryston just gives her more depth. Heather Graham, usually known more for her beauty than her acting abilities, gives a surprisingly good performance as Corrine Foxworth; sweet, charming, selfish, and cruel; all at the same time. And later in the story, when she shows her true colors, it is quite frightening. She plays a great bitch. Cathy and Chris likewise were perfectly cast by two very talented young people. Cathy especially is multi-layered here, and she allows us to sympathize with her, without her acting too sweet, or innocent; here she is a "real person," a girl that we can relate to.

I can say that every major plot point of the novel was covered in this movie, except for one that I can remember; the passages in the novel where Chris lets Cory drink his blood, after the Grandmother has cut off their food supply, is sadly absent; sad because that is one of the most powerful images from the book, and shows just how much Chris loved his siblings. But every minute of it's short running time was used to maximum effect. At under 2 hours, we still get the feeling that the children are in that upstairs room for 2 years. And I have to say that this production has a gorgeous look to it as well. It must be mentioned too, that the controversial theme of incest is dealt with, and handled very tastefully; it is still shocking, but it never feels exploitative. I'm happy to say that this is a total success all around. If you are a fan of the novels, and haven't seen this movie version, i recommend that you give it a watch; I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with this one.