The VC Andrews novel Flowers in the Attic came to life last night in Lifetime’s movie adaptation of the book. Starring Heather Graham and Kiernan Shipka, this adaptation is one that is likely worth watching.

For those who don’t know, Flowers in the Attic is an American gothic tale that touches on incest, child abuse, and dysfunctional family dynamics.

The movie and novel are narrated by a young Cathy Dollanger (played by Shipka,) who with her brother Christopher and younger twin siblings Cory and Carrie, live a privileged life with their mother Corinne (played by Graham) and father Christopher, Sr.

When Christopher, Sr. dies in a car crash, the family is left with nothing, and move in with Corinne’s mother, Olivia (played by Ellen Burstyn,) who hates the children. She locks them in the attic, leaving them to fend for themselves, except when she drops off the daily food and torment.

When days turn into years, the children become restless. The combination of hormones and boredom strike Cathy and Christopher, and one thing leads to another. Although the book describes it as a rape, the Lifetime movie holds back a bit on that. Bottom line is that brother and sister do something brothers and sisters aren’t supposed to do.

After years of abuse and neglect, the children realize they need to do something, or else they will be locked away forever.

Check out the official trailer for the movie:

Reviews regarding the movie vary. The Los Angeles Times described the movie as “sanitized” and “silly.” People magazine, however, says the movie is “crazy good.”

Here’s a sampling of what the Twittersphere thought:

Moral of the story, kids: when you reach 9 or 10, run a background check on mama. #FITA #FlowersintheAttic

— Patrick Keown (@PatrickKeown) January 19, 2014

#FlowersInTheAttic raises important questions, like: "How long should siblings wait before hooking up in an attic?" http://t.co/2YGSWqR55a

— Andy Swift (@AndySwift) January 19, 2014

#FlowersintheAttic would've been sooo much better if it had been made into a 2 day miniseries. It needed more time to delve into the creepy.

— TraceyJest (@TraceyJest) January 19, 2014

The grandma in this movie is not nearly as terrifying as in the book. She freaked me the hell out at age 11. #FlowersintheAttic

— Lisa Schroeder (@lisa_schroeder) January 19, 2014

This is the second time Flowers in the Attic has been turned into a movie version. The first time the novel hit the big screen was in 1987.

Lifetime has already begun working on the script for the second movie in the five-book series, entitled Petals in the Wind, which picks up where Flowers in the Attic left off.

Image via Twitter