The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992)
69% User Rating
1h 50min
"Trust is her weapon. Innocence her opportunity. Revenge her only desire."
A suburban family chooses seemingly sweet Peyton Flanders as their newborn's nanny. Only much later does the infant's mother, Claire Bartel, realize Peyton's true intentions -- to destroy Claire and replace her in the family. The nail-biting suspense builds quickly in this chilling psychological thriller about deception and bitter revenge.
Curtis HansonDirector
Reviews (2)
All Reviews
Wuchak
Rating 60%
December 19, 2019
***The nanny from hell in the Seattle area***
A well-to-do couple in the Puget Sound region (Matt McCoy & Annabella Sciorra) hires a nanny not knowing that she has axes to grind (Rebecca De Mornay). Ernie Hudson plays a mentally challenged laborer while Julianne Moore is on hand as the wife’s best friend.
"The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" (1992) is a drama/thriller in the mold of contemporaneous flicks like “The Stepfather” (1987) and “The Crush” (1993). The events even take place in the same area as those. While it’s the least of these, it’s not far off in overall quality.
It has a bit of a Lifetime movie vibe and the serviceable Sciorra doesn’t trip my trigger while De Mornay’s character is a turn-off because she’s obviously nutzoid. Meanwhile Moore superbly plays a biyatch while McCoy is ineffectual as the hubby. The locations are fabulous, however.
The movie runs 1 hour, 50 minutes, and was shot in Seattle, Tacoma and Issaquah, Washington.
GRADE: B-/C+
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