Debapriya Bhattacharya
Directed by Michelle Garza Cervera, ‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle’ is a loose remake of the 1992 film of the same name. The narrative revolves around Caitlin Morales (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a young suburban working mother who hires Polly Murphy (Maika Monroe) as a nanny to look after her two children, Emma (Mileiah Vega) and Josie (Nora & Lola Contreras). She does her due diligence before bringing Polly into her home, such as calling up her previous employers, and Polly easily builds up a good rapport with the children and Caitlin’s husband, Miguel (Raúl Castillo).
However, Caitlin soon starts to believe that she has been led astray, as Polly’s behaviour changes to suggest sinister designs on her family. The latter gets too close to the children and the husband, and even wears Caitlin’s clothes on one occasion. This sets off warning bells for Caitlin, whose investigation into Polly leads back to her own past. The Hulu thriller deals with unforeseen consequences and gruesome vengeance. If you wish to see more films similar to ‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,’ the following list will get you started.
12. The Good Son (1993)
The Joseph Ruben directorial ‘The Good Son’ follows Mark (Elijah Wood), a young boy who loses his mother and is sent by his father to live with his uncle and aunt. There, he meets the couple’s son and his cousin, Henry (Macaulay Culkin). Known as a difficult child, Henry’s depravity becomes clearer to Mark as he witnesses him kill a neighbor’s dog and cause a highway traffic pile-up. As Mark considers whether to inform the adults about Henry’s behavior, he finds himself becoming a target for Henry’s attention. Much like ‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,’ Mark is forced to confront evil with whom he shares a home.
11. Single White Female (1992)
Based on the novel ‘SWF Seeks Same’ by John Lutz, ‘Single White Female’ centers around Allison Jones (Bridget Fonda), a young woman who puts out an advertisement looking for a roommate after getting separated from her fiancé, Sam Rawson (Steven Weber). The call is answered by Hedra Carlson (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and the two quickly become friends. Hedra moves in, and Allison is happy with the company. However, when she begins to rethink her engagement and considers getting back with Sam, Hedra does not take the news well. She begins to act hostile and sets in motion a sinister plan that is likely to ruin Allison’s life. Like ‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,’ Allison ends up realizing that she has welcomed the wrong person into her home in the film directed by Barbet Schroeder.
10. Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)
Adapted from Nancy Price’s eponymous novel, the Joseph Ruben directorial ‘Sleeping with the Enemy’ stars Julia Roberts as Laura Burney, a young woman who is trapped in an abusive marriage and fakes her death to flee from her husband. From Cape Cod, Massachusetts, she arrives in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where she assumes a new identity and begins a fresh life. Laura starts to date Ben Woodward (Kevin Anderson), a local teacher, but is unable to escape her old life completely. The abusive husband, Martin (Patrick Bergin), discovers Laura to be alive and tracks her down, putting her life in danger once again. Similar to ‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,’ the past comes back to haunt Laura when she starts to believe she has escaped it.
9. Obsessed (2009)
Helmed by Steve Shill, ‘Obsessed’ centers around Derek Charles (Idris Elba), a family man with a loving wife and child who receives a big promotion at work. He soon comes across Lisa (Ali Larter), a young and attractive office temp who is attracted to him and takes up every opportunity to seduce him. However, Derek only has eyes for his wife, Sharon (Beyoncé Knowles), and refuses to play along with Lisa. This upsets the latter to the point that she seeks to ruin his life to feed her obsession. Like ‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,’ the events ultimately lead to a violent confrontation between Sharon and Lisa, with the former making a desperate attempt to protect her family.
8. Pacific Heights (1990)
Directed by John Schlesinger, ‘Pacific Heights’ follows Patty Palmer (Melanie Griffith) and Drake Goodman (Matthew Modine), an unmarried couple who buy a sprawling Victorian home in a posh neighborhood of San Francisco. After renovating the place, they decide to rent out unoccupied units and come across Carter Hayes (Michael Keaton) as one of the potential tenants. He quickly moves in, only for Patty and Drake to discover that he is a conman who wishes to swindle them out of the property. The couple takes a stand as the situation continues to escalate, with the newcomer posing a real threat to their lives, much like ‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle.’
7. Unlawful Entry (1992)
The Jonathan Kaplan directorial ‘Unlawful Entry’ is set around Michael (Kurt Russell) and Karen Carr (Madeleine Stowe), a happily married couple who meet police officer Pete Davis (Ray Liotta) after an attempted burglary at their home. Pete helps them install a new security system and gets befriended by the couple. However, he soon starts to impose himself on their lives, demonstrating an obsession with Karen. The more the couple tries to stay away from him, the more dangerous he becomes. Similar to ‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,’ the couple is threatened by a person whom they themselves welcome into their lives.
6. Fatal Attraction (1987)
Based on James Dearden’s short film ‘Diversion,’ and directed by Adrian Lyne, ‘Fatal Attraction’ centers around Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas), a literary lawyer in New York and a loving family man. A night out on a work trip brings him across Alex (Glenn Close), a book editor with whom he has a one-night stand. While Dan wishes to bury the incident in the past, Alex has different plans. She attempts to contact Dan at work and at his home, and becomes increasingly aggressive as he continues to refuse her advances. Dan is forced to confess the affair to his wife, Beth (Anne Archer), to protect the family against Alex’s retaliation. The danger that the latter poses is what Polly poses to the Morales family in ‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle.’
5. The Stepfather (1987)
Helmed by Joseph Ruben, ‘The Stepfather’ is about Jerry Blake (Terry O’Quinn), a serial killer who works his way into families by pretending to be a caring family man and then killing all members. When he entraps Susan (Shelley Hack), a charming widow with a hard-headed daughter, Jerry believes they will be easy targets. However, Stephanie proves him wrong by suspecting him from the get-go, making it difficult for Jerry to put his nefarious plan into action. Much like ‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,’ the newcomer in the family does not have their best interests at heart.
4. Poison Ivy (1987)
Directed by Katt Shea, ‘Poison Ivy’ focuses on Ivy (Drew Barrymore), a beautiful high school student who befriends her classmate Sylvie Cooper (Sara Gilbert) and gets invited into her home. While Sylvie is attracted to Ivy’s fierce personality, it is her comfortable life that draws in the latter. Ivy’s desire to have a similar life to herself leads her to seduce Sylvie’s father, Darryl (Tom Skerritt), and make a desperate bid to replace her sick mother, Georgie (Cheryl Ladd). As Ivy’s claws dig deep into Darryl, it becomes difficult for the family to get rid of her, similar to how it is for Polly and the Morales in ‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle.’
3. Hush (2016)
‘Hush,’ helmed by Mike Flanagan, stars Kate Siegel as Madison “Maddie” Young, a deaf and mute horror author who lives by herself in a cottage in the woods. She becomes a target of a masked attacker, who threatens her by keeping her under observation. As the attacker ultimately breaks into the apartment and tries to kill Maddie, she is forced to rely only on her wits to come up with a way to escape her assailant. Just like the intruder in the film, Polly waits to strike the Morales at the right time.
2. Deadly Illusions (2020)
Originally titled ‘Dark Places, Deadly Illusions,’ the erotic thriller film ‘Deadly Illusions’ tells the story of novelist Mary Morrison (Kristin Davis), who suffers from writer’s block and is advised by her friend to hire a nanny to help with the children and housework. Therefore, she welcomes Grace (Greer Grammer) into her life. A charming and lively young woman, Grace gets closer to Mary than the latter anticipates. However, she soon reveals sinister designs for Mary and her family, as the author’s ability to distinguish between reality and fiction gradually begins to fade. Much like ‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,’ it is the new nanny in Anna Elizabeth James’ directorial that upends the family dynamic.
1. Emelie (2016)
Directed by Michael Thelin, ‘Emilie’ follows the titular character, Emelie Liroux (Sarah Bolger), who takes up employment with the Tompson family. When the parents go out to celebrate their 13th anniversary, Emilie takes charge of the house and the three children inside. However, her sinister plans soon come to light as she forces the children to participate in extremely disturbing games. The families in ‘Emilie’ and ‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle’ find themselves on the verge of destruction as a stranger becomes a part of their family.
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