Parents' Guide to

If There Be Thorns

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Sex, incest, melodrama in seamy lit-adaptation.

Movie NR 2015 90 minutes
If There Be Thorns Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 3 parent reviews

AnnaleesaScott
AnnaleesaScott Adult
March 21, 2021
age 16+

Spinning in the grave.

I’m glad I read the VC Andrews novels way before they were spun into ‘made for tv’ movies. Some things really should be left as novels. Lifetime has screwed up these stories, it’s annoying AF. Two thumbs way down.
tristen J.
tristen J. Adult
May 1, 2018
age 13+

Amazing!

I stand by what I say when I say this series teaches people about hidden secrets in a person life and that not everyone has it easy. It also shows a deep meaning that love is love.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much violence
Too much swearing
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Six years after the events in the movie and book Petals on the Wind, IF THERE BE THORNS finds Cathy (Rachael Carpani) and Chris Dollanganger (Jason Lewis) married and settled into a seemingly staid suburban existence with sons Jory (Jedidiah Goodacre) and Bart Jr. (Mason Cook). But all is not well with the Dollanganger clan: A recently arrived neighbor has nefarious plans for the family and immediately begins to spin a seductive web around Bart, convincing him to hate and fear his parents and revealing their dark secrets. Can Chris and Cathy save their son before he's lost forever?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (2):

If There Be Thorns is every inch the trashy hoot that fans of V.C. Andrews' shamelessly purple novels could wish for. When Bart asks the mysterious lady next door (Heather Graham in hilarious age makeup) for inside information on his deceased dad, she sighs and says, "I don't want to go down this twisted road" (whereupon she does, naturally). A psychiatrist engaged to take a long look at the disturbed-acting Bart asks Cathy and Chris if there's been any family history of "abuse, inversion, or deviance." Hey, is that a psychological term? Deviance? Sure it is.

It's all silly fun that would make for a great drinking game -- try taking a sip every time you hear the name "John Amos" -- and Mason Cook is effective, if melodramatic, as the warped younger brother, Bart. But this is most definitely for adults and teens sophisticated enough to see the over-the-top drama as the Grand Guignol it is. Younger viewers will just be terrified by the pool-drowning and dead-dog scenes and deeply confused by the revelation that Mommy and Daddy are brother and sister.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the premise of this movie. Is it realistic? Can you imagine a family like this? What do the filmmakers do to make the drama seem more or less realistic?

  • Why do you think family dramas remain popular? Do you think they're better as movies or books? Why?

Movie Details

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