Flowers in the Attic: The Origin

I too grew up on these amazing books of V. C. Andrews. The prequel is even better than the OG that appeared on Lifetime. Damn, near perfection with the high regard of consistency throughout this 4 episode series..Well done Lifetime. Max Irons was phenomenally intoxicating as Malcolm, all because of his good genes Jeremy Irons.

The twists and turns and family secrets (and forbidden affairs) are (on paper) as campy as it comes, but what makes this miniseries work is that everything is played straight when a lesser adaptation of VC Andrews' gothic novel "Garden of Shadows" (now called Flowers in the Attic: The Origin for the TV version) might have played it tongue in cheek. The earnestness works and the series expands upon the book by filling in blanks and showing more of the characters' motivations than the novel did. While the acting is slightly uneven at times, the performances generally work, particularly for the characters of Olivia, Nella (a character created specifically for the series), and young Corrine (who bears a striking resemblance to Heather Graham but delivers a better performance than Heather did playing an older version of the same character in the adaptation of Flowers in the Attic several years ago). The writing is clever and the direction and editing are often extremely suspenseful and sometimes haunting and scary. If your mind is open to watching and going along for the ride of a true old-fashioned miniseries family saga within the genre of "The Thorn Birds" and other popular miniseries from the 80s, then you won't be disappointed. Flowers in the Attic: The Origin is the most well-produced, twisted, and fun adaptation of a VC Andrews novel to date.

Absolutely love the acting, story and characters. So well done. Never did an IMDB review before but could not resist. Brilliant. Lifetime this time you have outdone yourself.

Love that Lifetime did "The Origin" - I read this series years ago and it makes me want to reread them AND it brought me to start watching Lifetime movies which I am NOW hooked on, lol This movie series is done so well, it is dark and twisted with lots of drama. I find myself oddly understanding and feeling sorry for Grandmother - how is this happening. Haha A must watch for people who love drama, suspenseful dark films.

It's a nightmarish glimpse into what life was like for women in the early 1900s. Jemima Rooper's performance connects you to fear. I watch scary movies often, I have never been so scared for a fictional character. Max Irons is scary as Malcolm Foxworth, a dressed-to-kill predator capable of creepily deluding his victim into a false sense of security. The talented ensemble created a jaw-dropping atmosphere that feels scary and mysterious. After watching this first episode, I am unsure of my feelings toward the future Olivia and what she eventually will do to her grandchildren. What she did was unforgivable, but will I be more empathetic towards who she will become? Flowers In The Attic: Origins is a well-told story that only requires me to sit back and listen.

As always, if you made it this far, thanks for reading, and if you watch this series, let me know what you think.

Keep it interesting, Stay Channel Surfing!

Damian at TalkTeaV.