A unexpected pleasure to watch, disturbing for new parents, slightly silly but ever so enjoyable.
Comment
01/01/00
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992)
55
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:31
Fresh:17
Rotten:14
Average Rating:5.6/10
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Rebecca De Mornay stars as a nanny with an evil agenda in this psychological thriller directed by Curtis Hanson (L.A. CONFIDENTIAL). When her new obstetrician Dr. Mott (John DeLancie), touches... [More]
Starring: Rebecca De Mornay, Annabella Sciorra, Matt McCoy, Ernie Hudson
Director: Curtis Hanson
Reviews for The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
Top CriticDe Mornay seems to have found her true vocation playing the nanny from hell, but while the ensuing thrills may well be enjoyed by many, anyone with offspring of their own would be wise to stay away.
04/14/08
Top CriticAs the film progresses, malicious schemes and loony excesses are combined, with Hanson's self-conscious direction rendering one particularly sensational murder even more implausible.
02/09/06
Top CriticHanson creates the occasionally effective shock effect to satisfy those who want to squeal in mock fright. More often the devices he uses are such tired tricks... to create the illusion of suspense that can't be sustained.
08/30/04
Top CriticEventually the film strangles on its own conventions.
01/01/00
This anti-feminist parable is both a labor and a pain.
01/01/00
Touted as Fatal Attraction for the 1990s, this well-directed thrille (by Curtis Hanson) also features a blonde sociopath, except that the terror in of the family in this yarn is from within.
10/10/06
[An] entertaining psychodrama with a hissable villain and some satisfactory scares.
11/07/02
Curtis Hanson's direction and Amanda Silver's screenplay are both models of no-flab craft and intelligence, and all the actors (who also include Ernie Hudson and Julianne Moore) are believable from the first frame to the last.
04/14/08
There are a few surprises and some clever misdirection, but it does take a long time to get there.
03/23/03
Hell of a nice try, but I've seen it all before.
01/01/00
A low-key thriller that will make baby boomers double-check the references of any prospective nanny.
04/14/08
Top CriticCradle is the kind of cheap thrill you hate yourself for responding to. But director Curtis Hanson and a terrific cast provide enough scary fun to make Cradle the first fright-night hit of '92.
05/12/01
This jovially sinister, middle-class morality tale-cum-horror show is predictable, implausible and fiendishly entertaining.
04/14/08
Top CriticClick to read the article
10/18/08
Scary premise of mad sitter vs mother and child...effective.
02/06/07
So bad it's almost good.
11/05/02
De Mornay at her diabolical best.
06/24/03
Great suspense thriller.
11/14/05
Latest News for The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
November 30, 2007:
Samuel L. Jackson Rocks the Cradle
Once you've co-starred in an action "comedy" with Eugene Levy, the only way to go is up -- or so you'd think. Samuel L. Jackson, apparently, has other ideas. More...
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