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.

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Plot Keywords:

attic | child abuse | bad mother | brother sister incest | evil grandmother | 

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on a book written by V.C. Andrews, "Flowers in the Attic" first in a set of five novels. The Dollanganger series is told through four movies, one for each book of the same title: "Flowers in the Attic", followed by "Petals on the Wind", "If There Be Thorns" and then "Seeds of Yesterday". The fifth and last book of the saga "Garden of Shadows" takes place before the "Flowers in the Attic" events. There is no movie for the prequel novel as of June 2019.

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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.

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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 be ...
[...]

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Connections

Followed by If There Be Thorns (2015)

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Soundtracks

'Le Cygne' from Le Carnaval des Animaux
(uncredited)
Written by Camille Saint-Saëns

User Reviews

Disappointed again...

I read the Flower's In the Attic books when they first came out. I was around 19 years old. The series was very popular and controversial. I was excited when they made the first movie in 1987, but was hugely disappointed in the script and acting. This movie adaption was not much better. I felt Heather Graham did a poor job of portraying the mother, Corrine. They made her so shallow from the beginning and didn't really portray how close the family was in the beginning and how hard the decision, for the mom, to move back home was. Graham's acting was so one dimensional. The kids weren't very good actors either.

The movie had most of the information and scenes from the book, but failed to translate the feeling/emotion of the book: the fear, the breaking down of trust, the desperation of eldest kids, especially during the twins declining health, the anger, pain, confusion and survival instincts that the kids went through.

So, bottom line for me is that it was just an OK movie, a B-movie ...nothing special, and didn't portray the feelings of V.C. Andrews original story. There are a lot better movies out there about children abandoned or mistreated by their moms...try Mommy Dearest, Sybil, Gracie's Choice, Kramer vs. Kramer, East of Eden, Evelyn, Nowhere Boy (John Lennon's childhood, An American Crime...these are all much better movies to spend your time watching, in My Humble Opinion!

Details

Official Sites:

Lifetime [United States]

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 January 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Flowers in the Attic

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cue the Dog Productions, Front Street Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1