Flowers in the Attic (2014)
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Four children are forced to live in a secluded attic by their mother's family after a tragic family tragedy.
The story
In 1957, the Dollanganger children—Chris, Cathy, and twins Carrie and Cory—live in Pennsylvania. Following their father's death, their mother, Corrine, moves them to her wealthy family's estate in Virginia. Upon arrival, Corrine's mother, Olivia, confines the children to a small room in the attic, claiming they must stay there until her father's forgiveness is secured. Corrine promises to eventually bring them into the main house, but as she becomes enamored with her new wealth and a new relationship, her visits to the attic become increasingly rare, leaving the children isolated and dependent on Olivia's strict rules.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1957, the Dollanganger children are moved to Virginia following their father's death. Corrine's mother, Olivia, confines the children to an attic, claiming they must stay there until the grandfather's forgiveness is won. As Corrine becomes distant, the children suffer under Olivia's harsh rules. Chris and Cathy eventually discover a way to obtain the attic key and begin planning an escape. They eventually have a sexual encounter and realize the danger they are in when they discover Olivia has been poisoning the food. After Cory dies from what they believe is illness but is actually poisoning, they discover the grandfather died months ago and the house is being abandoned. They eventually escape the mansion, fleeing toward Florida while being helped by a butler who recognizes them.
- First release year
- 2014
- Runtime (minutes)
- 90
- Production countries
- United States; Canada
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Deborah Chow
- Writers
- Kayla Alpert · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Heather Graham · Corrine Dollanganger; Kiernan Shipka · Cathy; Mason Dye · Chris; Ava Telek; Maxwell Kovach; Dylan Bruce · Bart Winslow; Chad Willett; Ellen Burstyn · Olivia Foxworth
- Genres
- Drama; Romance; Thriller
- Themes
- Child abuse; Isolation; Family secrets
- Tone and mood
- Psychological thriller; Gothic
- Premise and plot tags
- Psychological thriller; Drama; Gothic; Child abuse
- Source material / true-story basis
- V. C. Andrews’ 1979 novel
- Franchise connections
- Dollanganger series
- Content notes
- Child abuse
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, though it was noted to be more favorably received than the 1987 adaptation.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 52% · scale: percentage · review count: 25; Metacritic · score: 49 · scale: 100 · review count: 22
- Production trivia
- It is the second adaptation of the 1979 novel.; The film was released on DVD in 2014.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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