Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Flowers in the Attic’ (1987)

Written by Scott Edwards

Money may not be everything, but it is an important thing if you want to survive. With bills coming out of the wazoo, it is amazing to see how people are able to make ends meet these days as prices continue to skyrocket and wages are stuck in neutral. Having more than one job at a time is a good way to keep the income coming in, but if you have a family, you won't get to see them that often from working so much in order to keep a roof over your heads. You need to be able to find a happy medium when it all comes down to it, since in the long run, your family is the only thing that should really matter.

Anxiously awaiting their father’s return on a daily basis, Cathy, Chris, Cory and Carrie always want to show him how much they love him. When everything seems down in the house, his delightful smile makes everything better and that is why Corrine married that man seventeen years ago. But on his birthday, he does not return home and in his place a couple of officers stand waiting to deliver the news of what happened. Selling everything in their possession, Corrine is forced to do something that she never wanted to do, take her children and move into her parents' house.

But the move may pay off in the end as Corrine tells her children about her plan to get back in the good graces of her father and become part of his Will, an act that will eventually leave them richer than they could ever imagine. The plan seems sound to the kids, but when arriving at their grandparents' mansion, everything changes. Meeting their Grandmother for the first time, Cathy, Chris, Cory and Carrie are locked into their room with a set of rules that they must follow or be punished. Thinking that this is strange but trusting that their mother has their best interests in mind, they decide to play along, but when they see their mother again, their attitudes begin to sway. 

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Receiving seventeen lashes, Corrine has been forgiven for running off with the love of her life and is now starting to rebuild her status in her father’s eyes. Telling the kids that her plan is working, Corrine also tells her kids about the attic where they can escape their torment in the house and hope that it will help keep them in line. As Corrine’s visits stop for a time, Cathy and Chris decide to go and find out what is happening with their mother. But trying to break out of the mansion is harder than it seems and the only way to escape is through the front door. Being able to roam the house at night, the brother/sister duo find out that their mother is being pampered to no end while the kids have not been given food for days. Cathy is tired and believes that there is something wrong with her mother since she does not seem to care about her family any longer, but Chris is not on the same page, but when he finds a copy of his grandfather’s Will, he knows what trouble the remaining members of his family are in for.

Yikes, that is all I can say about this movie. I have always believed that family should come first, especially in a mother’s eyes, but I guess I was wrong. This story might leave me scarred for a while, since I never saw the twists coming, but the good part was that the kids never stopped fighting for themselves. But outside of a delivering a great story, this movie also features an incredible cast, since this is one of the first movies that I have seen in years where the cast actually looks like they could be family members and that made the story all the more enjoyable. I liked the bickering between the two eldest kids, Chris and Cathy, as they are trying to find a way out of the house, but I must admit that the Grandmother is my favorite character in the movie since she makes sure that nobody in their right mind will cross her. 

Five Takeaways

1. When your kids are going to be on lockdown inside your parents' house, you might want to ask why.
2. Always respect your elders, even if their rules seem out of whack.
3. When your mother tells you about a secret room and you are told by your captor about it as well, it is not a secret at all.
4. Don’t challenge the people bringing you food, you may never get a bite to eat if you lose.
5. Rats not only make good pets, but they can help you pinpoint if you are being poisoned. 

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