Flowers in the Attic (1987) {Blu-ray Review}

Reviewed By Jason Lockard

V. C. Andrews was a prolific writer, writing novels that combined Gothic horror and family saga. She wrote many novels over her career but her best-known novel was one entitled Flowers in the Attic published in 1979 just 8 short years later the novel would be made into a movie.

Over the years the film has become a cult classic. And now the film is the next one to receive an Arrow Video Blu-ray release. Joining a long list of great releases. But how does this one stack up to the rest of the Arrow Video catalog? Let's find out.

The film follows the lives of the Dollenganger kids. After Corrine Dollanganger (Victoria Tennant) finds out her husband is killed in an accident. She is faced with a hard decision. So she takes her four children to the ancestral family home she fled before they were born.

While there her kids are locked away in the attic by their tyrannical grandmother (Louise Fletcher), it falls to older brother Chris (Jeb Stuart Adams) and sister Cathy (Kristy Swanson) to care for their younger twin siblings. But as their mother's visits become less and less and the kids grow sicker something drastic must be done.

Now I know a lot of people dislike this movie. And to be honest there is a lot of stuff that is wrong about the script and the film itself. But for me, this is a guilty pleasure movie. I have always enjoyed it and I have to say I really enjoyed this new release.

The film looks absolutely stunning in the Arrow Video HD 1080p presentation. The audio is the original lossless 2.0 stereo audio. And there is also an option for English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. Now as amazing as the film looks on Blu-ray would make this a must-own for me, but Arrow Video as always loads this Blu-ray up with bonus features.


SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
• New audio commentary by Kat Ellinger, author, and editor-in-chief of Diabolique Magazine 
• Home Sweet Home: Filming Flowers in the Attic, a new interview with cinematographer Frank Byers 
• Fear & Wonder: Designing Flowers in the Attic, a new interview with production designer John Muto 
• The Devil’s Spawn: Playing Flowers in the Attic, a new interview with actor Jeb Stuart Adams 
• Shattered Innocence: Composing Flowers in the Attic, a new interview with composer Christopher Young 
• Production gallery of behind-the-scenes images, illustrations, and storyboards 
• The original, studio-vetoed ending 
• The revised ending with commentary by replacement director Tony Kayden 
• Original theatrical trailer 
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Haunt Love”
 
As you can see there is enough content to make this a must for fans. I really enjoyed that Arrow Video added the original screened ending that was eventually changed. That is an amazing bonus feature. The quality of it is not the best but it is cool to see how the original vision of the finished film was going to be.

So if you are a fan of V.C. Andrews, 80's cinema or gothic horror Flowers in the Attic is going to be right up your alley. And I highly recommend this release from Arrow Video. It is well worth the money. Head over to MVDShop.com or Amazon.com today.

* Note this Blu-ray will be released on November 12th, 2019

Objectional Material: violence and adult situations
Audience: Adults
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Horror
Length: 1 Hour 33 Minutes
Blu-ray Rating: A