AceShowbiz -

Lifetime has debuted the first trailer for "Flowers in the Attic" TV movie. As it promises to "stay very true" to V.C. Andrews' controversial best-selling 1979 novel on which it is based, the sneak-peek video offers a glimpse at the incest storyline and children abuse.

The story centers on four Dollanganger siblings who, after the death of their father, are hidden in the attic of their grandmother's house for over two years as their mother tries to reclaim the family fortune. During their imprisonment, they endure physical abuse by their grandmother and the elder siblings, Cathy and Chris, develop romantic feelings for each other.

Kiernan Shipka and Mason Dye star as Cathy and Chris respectively, with Heather Graham portraying the children's mother. Academy Award-winner Ellen Burstyn plays the sadistic grandmother. She admits that playing the antagonist was exhausting. "I've been completely drained by the end of the day," Burstyn shares. "I've been sleeping 11 hours a day. My psyche must be trying to clear it."

"Flowers in the Attic" TV movie will premiere January 18, 2014 on Lifetime. A big-screen adaptation of the novel was released in 1987. Starring Louise Fletcher, Victoria Tennant, Kristy Swanson and Jeb Stuart Adams, the movie received negative reviews for shying away from some of the book's scandalous themes.