Written By: Jase Marsiglia
We have a knack for trust, whether we like to admit it or not. Even the most hardened of introverts must occasionally go out, putting their trust in other drivers on the road that they won’t drive drunk or distracted. We trust the team that comes into our home to set up a security system, or fix a leaky pipe, repair our roof, maybe install cable or satellite television, and hope that nothing is stolen, or – God forbid – you or your family are attacked.
Hell, we trust that doctors know what they’re doing, that service workers aren’t spitting (or worse) in our food before bringing it out, and there are still people out there who, beyond all measure of evidence to the contrary, still trust our government. Don’t get me wrong here. To live a life of paranoia is no life at all. And there’s a hysterical amount of “devil-may-care” people out there who throw caution to the wind and don’t give much of anything a second thought, blithely sailing through life without an iota of stress. But for those of us smack dab in the middle of this spectrum, horror films provide us with parables that remind us that, if nothing else, we need to be vigilant and careful about who we trust with our most cherished items, namely: our loved ones.
In the film we’re going to revisit today, we meet two pregnant women in Seattle who suffer catastrophic events at the hands of someone both were supposed to trust. This leads to a spiral of events born of revenge and hatred, in a battle to see who gets the last laugh. Who gets that “upper hand”? Or, as one character calls it…
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992)
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Claire Bartel ("Whispers in the Dark"’s Annabella Sciorra, who is completely believable in a role that likely was extremely taxing) is pregnant with her second child, and her disgusting new gynecologist (“Star Trek: The Next Generation” trickster John de Lancie) – during her first appointment with him, no less – very blatantly molests her during her examination. When he’s reported, followed by several other women who were too afraid to speak out initially, he commits suicide. This leaves his own pregnant wife, Mrs. Mott (Backdraft’s Rebecca De Mornay), in the type of shock and stress that initiates a miscarriage.
Overcome with grief and fueled by revenge, she adopts the alias Peyton Flanders and answers Claire’s request for a nanny. She makes a warm, doting impression – enough to get the job – with neither Claire nor her husband Michael (DeepStar Six’s Matt McCoy) being the slightest bit aware of the boiling hatred “Peyton” has for her, or the insidious intentions to insinuate herself into their lives with the sole aim of ruining it irreparably and stealing the “family” she lost. The gaslighting begins with subtle suggestions and critiques that eventually build a festering divide between Claire and Michael (while slipping in as a seductive shoulder for him to cry on), to savagely threatening the mentally impaired Bartel handyman (Ghostbusters’ Ernie Hudson in a crucial, tricky role), and going so far as even breastfeeding the new baby – a deeply personal bond she steals from Claire that would make any woman’s maternal instincts scream.
WATCH THE ORIGINAL TRAILER FOR "THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE" BELOW
The script by then-newcomer Amanda Silver, who would go on to write the Sally Field thriller "Eye for an Eye", the museum monster movie "The Relic", and the 2015 blockbuster sequel "Jurassic World", combined with assured and tension-generating direction by "The Bedroom Window"’s Curtis Hanson (who would himself receive a richly deserved Oscar nomination for 1997’s "L.A. Confidential"), has more than enough merit to stand on its own. It’s terrifying, mean, and uncomfortable in disturbing, tangible ways – ways that feel alarmingly possible and deeply personal. But it could all crumble under the weight of miscasting, and thankfully, Annabella Sciorra and Rebecca De Mornay are more than up to the challenge of bringing these characters the perfect amount of vulnerability and venom, respectively, that their roles require.
Sciorra is heartbreaking and relatable as a mother and wife being thoroughly gaslit by this vengeful woman, and her pain, fear, and eventual determination carries the audience through her ordeal with absolute sincerity. Alternatively, De Mornay’s piercing blue eyes, which are beautiful and seductive in a softer role, are steel traps here. A near-reptilian stare that shoots hateful, cerulean bullets into the heart of anyone foolish enough to get between her and her revenge.
The performance has a chill and simmering fury on par with Kathy Bates’ Oscar-winning performance in 1990’s "Misery" and is worth far more than the no-doubt flattering win of “Best Villain” at the 1992 MTV Movie Awards. It wouldn’t be the last time De Mornay would play such an icy character, but it’s one of her best performances in a long, eclectic career that made her an unquestionably iconic femme fatale during a period where so many films tried to forcibly create a new one nearly every week at the box office. It’s that iciness that keeps "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" a truly haunting, vicious thriller.
Time: 110 minutes. USA. Rated: R. Hollywood Pictures.
HOME VIDEO
Sadly, there isn’t much on the subsequent Blu-ray from 2012 that wasn’t on the 1998 Hollywood Pictures DVD, except some extra start-up/Sneak Peek trailers, as well as the theatrical trailer for this film. So be thankful it got an HD transfer. It would have been nice to get retrospective interviews, maybe some deleted scenes, and a commentary.
BITS ‘N’ PIECES
Followed by: A Hindu remake titled "Khal-Naaikaa" was released the following year, but the film wouldn’t be remade outright until 2025, starring the wonderful Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the mother, and "Longlegs" beauty Maika Monroe as the vengeful “nanny.”
Traum-A-Meter: 3 out of 4.
The movie’s brutality, sometimes bloody, isn’t what makes this film disturbing. In fact, the film’s violence, held almost entirely until the end, is relegated to nasty fights, mostly. However, its themes involving sexual molestation, home invasion, maternal interference, and the trauma of these actions are what truly might trigger certain viewers.
Today’s Jam: Van Halen’s “Right Now” from their ninth album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge was at the top of the rock charts while De Mornay wrought her havoc.
THIS EPISODE’S MORAL:
Vet your fucking help! References, background checks, urine samples (okay Jase, reel it in)! Because you never know if the new “nanny” comes with an agenda you weren’t aware of – and the cold hard detachment to go through with it.
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