Flowers in the Attic

Late author V.C. Andrews' (1923-86) crowning glory was the titular (insanely popular) 1979 gothic horror novel (which spawned several sequels and morphed into a moneymaking ghostwritten franchise), previously adapted for the big screen in a 1987 film starring Louise Fletcher and Kristy Swanson. Produced by Lifetime, this remake does reasonable justice to the beloved guilty pleasure, which tells the story of the dysfunctional Dollanganger family, whose thirtysomething beautiful mother Corinne (Heather Graham) falls to pieces after her husband is killed. Running back home to her wealthy parents, the Foxworths, Corinne drags along her four children: five-year-old twins, teenaged Chris (Mason Dye), and ‘tween protagonist Cathy (Kiernan Shipka), who never quite trusts Mommie Dearest's instincts. With good reason: Grandmother Foxworth (Ellen Burstyn) is a religiously devout ogre who terrorizes the kids, forcing them to live in one room until their grandfather dies, because, well…there's a deep, dark family secret. Compressing the storyline seems to work here, and even though the acting is so-so, fans will be drawn to this (Lifetime has already announced plans to air the sequel, Petals on the Wind). A strong optional purchase. (J. Williams-Wood)