Flowers in the Attic (1987)

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Admirable film.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

The Dollanganger children - the elder Cathy (Kristy Swanson) and Chris (Jeb Stuart Adams), and young twins Cory (Ben Ryan Ganger) and Carrie (Lindsay Parker) - live an idyllic life with their photogenic mother (Victoria Tennant) and caring, successful father (Marshall Colt). That is until the day of their father's birthday brings the devastating news that he has been killed in a car accident, leaving the four kids without a father figure and their mother with dwindling savings. When their money runs dry, Mother takes them to their grandparents' mansion in the country, where she hopes to reconnect with her dying father in the hope of being written back into his will. When they arrive, they are met with disdain by Grandmother (Louise Fletcher), who has long felt that her daughter's marriage and family was an abomination. As Mother attempts to crawl back into her parents' good books, the children must be locked away unseen in the attic to be told over time by their only remaining parent to endure the isolation just a little while longer.V. C. Andrews' novel Flowers in the Attic was incredibly successful when it was released in 1979, selling over 40 million copies worldwide, gathering a huge following of young readers, and spawning no fewer than three sequels. The author wisely insisted on script approval when selling the rights for a film adaptation, turning down a number of screenplays before settling with Jeffrey Bloom's version. The producers had already turned down Wes Craven's violent and disturbing vision, deeming it too disturbing for a mainstream audience, despite the director's recent success with A Night on Elm Street. Bloom's script stayed true the novel's controversial themes of incest, but the final product, also directed by Bloom, did not play well with test audiences, who were freaked out by the sexual activity between the two oldest siblings, and unsatisfied with the climax.The production was a notoriously troubled one. When the producers got nervous after the test screenings and insisted on re-shooting the ending, Bloom stepped away, and an unknown replacement was brought in to helm the new scenes. The result has one salivating at the thought of a juicier, more harrowing version with Craven behind the camera, as Flowers in the Attic is a tame, frustrating and ultimately boring affair. It is a film completely disinterested in detail, choosing instead to force us into accepting the children's predicament with no real understanding of how they took so long to figure it all out, and why don't simply make a run for it. Cathy and Chris come across as idiotic, irresponsible and weak, despite the best efforts of Swanson and Adams. Fletcher, evoking her intimidating presence from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, gives it her very best, but she can't save this damp squib from instantly fading from memory.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

Currently watching this one. Half-way through. Let me just shout out that (a) this movie looks more than great even in this day and age, it has stood the test of time extremely well; (b) Kristy Swanson WOW!!Years ago, after seeing DEADLY FRIEND at the local drive-in theater, I wanted to see more of Kristy Swanson. I suppose it was the back of the VHS box that told me about FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC but there was no way I could find it - it still being The Dark Ages way back then in the late Eighties, think VCR and VHS. What cave-dwellers we were! Years go by, become decades, and DVD and online ordering brings some of that much vaunted space-age power my way, and last night I finally had FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC on my big screen.It is every bit worth the wait! My little heroine is every bit breathtakingly heartbreakingly deliriously beautiful, and the story is more than watchable, although I find it implausible that the four children would have stayed captive up there, they'd have easily gotten past that mean old witch and her nasty sour- faced old butler, I mean, youth would win out every time. Okay, time for me to go watch further...(I haven't read the book. I won't argue the cases of fans of the book, I myself know of movies that fell far short in comparison to the original book, and have posted such reviews as well. My interest lie however in actress Kristy Swanson, and I think she's just the most wonderful little thing in this movie)Addendum, 26 April 2015. ***SPOILER ALERT*** Unfortunately the second half of the movie is a total shambles. At the end, the whole movie is discredited with that weakly staged fall from the balcony. Gee, she practically walks over to the balcony and offers to be thrown over. No. Also, they wear those hideous deathly pallor makeup but remain moving fluently, they don't act sick and weak. And if Mother needed to get rid of them, why toy with them? Why the drawn- out fuss? Weakest link is Grandmother, who has a menacing presence in the first half, but shows petty jealousy and quenches her envy by cutting off most of Cathy's long hair. The hatred the old has for the young... Rest of the second half, Grandmother is oddly ineffectual, and Kristy is not entirely convincing in her vengeful mode. Nice try, but needed more practice. A promising set-up that was off to a good start but got a whole lot off track. I am not going to blast it, though. But the prose I wrote last week, was directed at the first half. I do understand that the story had to turn nasty, but the points I make are totally valid, and the script turned into a sinking ship. Gee, the haters are high-fiving themselves, this 'fan' is all of a sudden quite deluded, looking on his nose, the Home Team lost in the second half. No, haters! The movie is so promising in the first half that I would be focusing on that.By the way, towards the end of these compiled reviews, you'll find one by 'blackfirestars'. I have a bone to pick with this 'author' and the many unwarranted comments. I will not even allude to them here, except for one: Suggesting that Cathy was masturbating in the bath. Wishful thinking on your part? Look, I myself admit to being naughtily inclined, but I would refrain from insinuating anything that cannot be proved. Cathy was daydreaming in the bath, as she was lifting her leg out of the water she is clearly thinking about being a ballerina. The title of 'blackfirestars' review is beneath contempt, I dearly wish to address it here, but it seems I might only give credibility to that dark comment if I protest it. An interesting viewing experience. Must say that the experience here at IMDb marred it more than just a bit. Would be interesting to see the remake. One day...

"Flowers in the Attic" is geared towards nobody, except horror movie buffs. However, it is not your typical horror movie. It is a film with an interesting story, totally unbelievable and extremely memorable. To me, it was virtually a horror movie. However, this horror is all too real to understand why such a situation would ever happen. This movie is ONLY FOR ADULTS. Children should NOT WATCH the movie. I still remember the movie and the feeling it game me even after several months of watching it. This is the only reason I give it a higher rating than normal. I was totally blown away by this movie. Flowers in the Attic is a movie that appears to move slow, however, don't let the pace deceive you. The movie draws you in and does not let you go. This is a movie that will haunt you for a long time.

Flowers In The Attic could have been a great film, unfortunately it had several problems. First, is that it was written to be an x rated film, or an r....It was shot as an r rating. Then the producers fumbled around and cut the best footage out to release this to a general audience, leaving everybody confused. The writer was so upset, she wrote a scathing letter to producer Sy Levin. The second problem is that Sy Levin was involved. Sy no longer can show his face in Hollywood. He was a friend of O.J. Simpson's and was cut of the same cloth as O.J., his friends were involved in the distribution of hard drugs, and had bragged to me about how much fun it was to stab somebody... Sy was interested in producing the O.J. Simpson court documentary that would prove he was innocent. Meanwhile, I was threatened by them, and had to call the police hot line to save my life. Sy's friends got 25 to life for their other crimes, Sy always gets off without charges, but can no longer show his face in Hollywood. It's a shame that the best footage of some fine actors went on the cutting room floor. Gus Peters gave an excellent performance. This film should be re-edited as an x, although the footage is probably lost forever. I would look forward to the sequel, perhaps Fries can do it properly now that Sy Levin is no longer associated with anybody, and can no longer destroy anybody's life.