The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (1992)
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A woman seeking a nanny for her children unknowingly hires the desperate widow of a man she once reported for misconduct.
The story
After the husband of a Seattle obstetrician dies by suicide following allegations of sexual misconduct, his widow—left penniless and traumatized—takes on a new identity. She seeks employment as a nanny for the Bartels, the family of one of the women who came forward with accusations against her late husband. The Bartels, a couple with two children, hire her under the name Peyton Flanders. As she settles into their home, she begins a calculated campaign to infiltrate their lives and exact revenge on the family that contributed to her downfall, while the Bartels remain unaware of her true identity or her ultimate motives.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Claire Bartel, a pregnant woman, is assaulted by her obstetrician, Dr. Victor Mott. After she reports him, he commits suicide, leaving his widow, who is then forced to sell her home. Six months later, Claire has a son and hires a nanny named Peyton Flanders, who is actually the former wife of Dr. Mott. Peyton begins a psychological game of revenge, manipulating the children and sabotaging the parents' lives. She creates a rift between Claire and her husband, Michael, and eventually lures a real estate agent into a trap. After a series of escalating incidents, including a staged asthma attack and a physical confrontation, the truth of Peyton's identity is revealed. In a final confrontation in an attic, Claire manages to push Peyton out of a window, where she falls onto a fence. The film ends with the family reunited and safe, while the truth of the ordeal is finally shared with the authorities.
- First release year
- 1992
- Runtime (minutes)
- 110
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Curtis Hanson
- Writers
- Amanda Silver · writer
- Genres
- psychological thriller
- Themes
- revenge; identity; maternal protection
- Tone and mood
- tense; unsettling
- Premise and plot tags
- domestic thriller; nanny; psychological thriller
- Source material / true-story basis
- Amanda Silver's film school thesis
- Content notes
- sexual assault; violence
- Reception
- The film was a box office success, becoming one of the year's most profitable films. It received a mixed but generally positive critical reception, noted for Rebecca De Mornay's performance. It also gained a cult following in later years.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 67% · scale: percentage · review count: 54; Metacritic · score: 64 · scale: 100 · review count: 26
- Awards and nominations
- Saturn Award · Best Horror Film · nomination; Saturn Award · Best Actress (De Mornay) · nomination; Saturn Award · Best Supporting Actress (Moore) · nomination
- Production trivia
- The title is taken from an 1865 poem by William Ross Wallace.; The film features musical pieces from the 1879 comic opera The Pirates of Penzance.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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