Netflix’s Disturbing Mystery Thriller Based On 8-Part Book Series Is An Instant Streaming Hit

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Netflix is seeing great success with its latest show – a thrilling mystery adapted from a well-loved, eight-book series.

As a huge movie and TV buff, I have to say Netflix really does offer something for everyone. They’ve got all sorts of original films – like that wild one KPop Demon Hunters or the Brad Pitt vehicle War Machine – and massively popular shows like Stranger Things and Wednesday. It’s incredible how many people are watching their content! But it’s not just originals; Netflix also carries a ton of other stuff too.

Netflix continues to acquire movies and TV shows from other studios. These licensed titles are often very popular – you can frequently find them topping Netflix’s Top 10 list. This is currently happening with a recent mystery thriller that’s become a streaming sensation, even though it originally came out over ten years ago.

The TV movie Flowers in the Attic, based on the popular 1979 novel by V.C. Andrews, is currently the second most popular movie on Netflix. It’s only behind the new documentary Maternal Instinct. This is notable because Flowers in the Attic first aired on Lifetime over 12 years ago, and is still finding a large audience on streaming.

The TV movie Flowers in the Attic, based on the original story, is set in 1957. It centers on the Dollanganger family – Corrine and her four children – who move in with Corrine’s rich parents after her husband dies unexpectedly, leaving them with significant debts. Corrine hopes to repair her relationship with her parents, from whom she was cut off financially for marrying her husband. However, to appease her harsh mother, she allows her children to be confined to the basement of the family estate.

I remember when Lifetime made Flowers in the Attic! They had a great cast – Heather Graham played Corrine, Ellen Burstyn was Olivia Foxworth, and Kiernan Shipka and Mason Dye were Cathy and Christopher Dollanganger. It wasn’t the first time they’d brought V.C. Andrews’ story to the screen though; there was a movie back in 1987 with Louise Fletcher, Victoria Tennant, Kristy Swanson, and Jeb Stuart Adams playing the roles.

While reviews were mixed, Lifetime’s adaptation of Flowers in the Attic was generally seen as better than the movie version. Ellen Burstyn received praise for her acting, earning nominations for both an Emmy and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Lifetime went on to create adaptations of the next four books in V.C. Andrews’ series. Petals on the Wind aired in May 2014, followed by If There Be Thorns and Seeds of Yesterday in 2015. A prequel story, Garden of Shadows, became a four-part miniseries titled Flowers in the Attic: The Origin.

Fans of the Netflix hit Flowers in the Attic won’t find any of the subsequent Lifetime movies available on the platform right now, although that could change in the future. Years after V.C. Andrews passed away, her work inspired a three-book series called Christopher’s Diary, which tells the story from the point of view of Christopher Dollanganger. So far, these books haven’t been made into a movie or TV show.

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2026-06-18 01:49