In 1992, during the era of suburban, housewife psychological thriller films (Fatal Attraction, Jagged Edge, Body of Evidence, etc.), director Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential) offered audiences one of his own called The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. Starring Rebecca De Mornay (Risky Business), the film received mixed reviews from critics but was a box office success, grossing $140 million at the box office on a $12 million budget. Thirty-three years later, 20th Century Studios will release a remake on Hulu (domestically) and Disney+ (internationally) this coming Wednesday, October 22, 2025. Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), the new release will no doubt garner comparisons to its predecessor.
Just like the 1992 version, this movie starts with Caitlin (Winstead) working while nearing the end of her pregnancy. Married with one child already, she meets Polly (Maika Monroe; Longlegs), a woman on the edge of being homeless. Months later, at a flea market, Caitlin and Polly cross paths again, and Polly offers to babysit for Caitlin. One thing leads to another, and Polly moves in, taking care of Caitlin's now two daughters. Unbeknownst to Caitlin, Polly is also secretly sabotaging her. Eventually, after a few confrontations, Caitlin figures out who Polly really is and what she is doing with Caitlin's family.
The script is well enough written to allude to the original movie while offering some updated nuances. There are moments of suspense, but nothing as nearly as intense as the 1992 film, or perhaps it just seemed that way to me because I knew the basic storyline already. Polly shows signs of instability long before Peyton(De Mornay) ramped up "the crazy" earlier in act two, and this time the "help" comes in the form of a male best friend instead of a real estate agent or an ex-girlfriend of the husband.
The cast is very good, especially Mileiah Vega (The Secret Wife), who plays Caitlin's ten-year-old daughter. For someone so young, she has an excellent grasp on "tween" angst. Monroe also does a terrific job as Polly, the angry, deranged, young woman who becomes "the nanny". Raúl Castillo (Smile 2) is fine as Caitlin's loving husband, but he doesn't really stand out as this film is all about the female characters. Winstead is superb as Caitlin, whom the audience watches as she goes from a has-it-all-together, working mom to a somewhat unhinged individual whom everyone believes is suffering from some weird postpartum issue. She is the lead for a reason, and she commands the screen in every scene.
Director Michelle Garza Cervera's (Huesera: The Bone Woman) work is rather pedestrian, which is part of the reason why I don't think this remake is as scary as the original. The build-up to the scares/action isn't really there for the most part, so the tension doesn't become intense enough before the snap. It's as if the rubber band has lost much of its elasticity, so the release isn't very sharp or biting as it would be with a newer rubber band.
The film is rather good as remakes go. However, one thing that still bothers me is that we never fully understand how Caitlin interacted with Polly's family when both women were young, which ultimately led up to the current events depicted in the film.
The big questions are 1) Does this new version live up to the 1992 one? And is the movie worth seeing? The answers are not quite right, but it is a good effort, and yes, there are certainly worse ways to spend an hour and 40 minutes.
Grade: B
