If There Be Thorns
Director: Nancy Savoca
Starring: Heather Graham, Jason Lewis, Rachel Carpani
Studio: LionsGate
Release Date: June 23, 2015
Retail: $14.98
Running Time: 98 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon
Review:
Now available to own on DVD is the third installment of the made-for-LIFETIME film saga, titled If There Be Thorns. There are no special features or extras on the single disc, but there is a Digital Ultraviolet download code.
Based on the third novel in the Dollanganger Saga by the late Gothic author V.C. Andrews, If There Be Thorns takes place six years after then end of Petals on the Wind, where Chris (played by Jason Lewis) and Cathy (played by Rachael Carpani) Dollanganger are living as man and wife in California along with their sons Jory (played by Jedidiah Goodacre) and Bart (played by Mason Cook). It seems they have finally been able to put their dark past behind them, well, that is until a mysterious woman dressed in black purchases the mansion next door to them.
Bart's thinks he's the outcast of the family. His older brother, Jory, is great at everything and gets praised from their parents all the time. Though Bart has been told to stay away from the mansion next door, his curiosity gets the better of him and he checkouts the new owner a is a rich widow (played by Heather Graham), whom is living with her butler - John Amos!
He continues to visits the woman and eventually learns that she is actually his maternal grandmother, Corrine. John Amos (played by Mackenzie Grey) gives him a journal by his great-grandfather, Malcolm. As Bart reads the journal, his attitude slowly changes, which his family takes notice od and they become worried about his health.
Unfortunately, the Chris and Cathy's dark secret is revealed, sending poor Bart into a rampage that sets up deadly events for his family.
I'm sure many Dollanganger
fans were disappointed when they heard the books were being made into
TV movies instead of feature films as there is no way to put a 400
page book into a 90-minute movie. While the movie version of If There Be
Thorns is missing a few things here and there, the major plot about
Bart finding out about his parent's secret is still here. Heather
Graham once again returns as Corrine Foxworth, but this time she is
wearing cheap makeup to make her look older. The cast does a pretty
decent job in their roles, especially the young actor Mason Cook.
Overall, If There Be Thorns turns out to be a well filmed made-for-TV
thriller that easily surpasses the previous installments.
*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
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