By Tim Greaves

When it was announced that Flowers in the Attic was lined up for its UK Blu-ray debut, it occurred to me that I had no real memory of my one and only dip into writer-director Jeffrey Bloom’s adaptation of the controversial, best-selling Virginia (V.C.) Andrews novel – which I guess would have been right back upon its initial release in 1987. Interest to revisit it duly piqued, my anticipation was tempered a tad by the sense that being unable to remember it had surely to be indicative that it wasn’t actually very good. Although it still amuses me that a guy named Bloom wrote and directed a film with Flowers in the title, regrettably my reservations proved well founded. It really is rather awful. There be spoilers ahead!

After the death of her husband, Corinne Dollenganger (Victoria Tennant) falls on hard times and is forced to return,...