If There Be Thorns (2015)

If There Be Thorns is the kind of glossy, feverish thriller that knows exactly how to hook you: a picture-perfect household with one poisonous secret, and a new neighbor who arrives like a bad dream in broad daylight. Nancy Savoca keeps the tension simmering rather than shouting, letting suspicion, guilt, and old wounds seep into every conversation until the story feels less like a mystery and more like an emotional trap snapping shut. Heather Graham is deliciously watchable as Corrine—equal parts regal and ruined—while the film’s suburban calm gives the escalating dread an extra sting, like rot spreading under fresh paint. It’s not for viewers who shy away from taboo family melodrama or TV-movie heightened emotions, but if you want a twisty, gothic-tinged ride that leans hard into dark secrets and consequences, this one delivers.

If There Be Thorns is clearly aiming for glossy, tabloid-style gothic melodrama—big secrets, bigger emotions, and a “family curse” vibe that wants to feel like a lurid soap opera with thriller seasoning. The problem is it leans so hard into the seamy incest shock and manipulative plotting that the characters often feel like chess pieces being shoved toward the next twist rather than real people you can invest in. The pacing can feel rushed and the tone swings from solemn to sensational, so if you’re hoping for psychological nuance or grounded drama, this will likely irritate you. That said, Heather Graham brings a watchable, campy menace, and if you already enjoy the Flowers in the Attic-style Lifetime adaptations for their over-the-top guilty-pleasure energy, this one delivers exactly that.