Review of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992) by Jon C — 22 Jun 2014

The film that sparked the whole crazy-nanny genre.

Its seriously effed up watching a deranged, psychotically and emotionally-damaged person go to so many lengths just to have a family of her own.

It's quite a saddening parallel of events occurring to both people: one woman goes into labor but after finally coming forth about her gynecologist's inappropriate behavior, the wife of the doctor also goes into labor but sadly her newborn baby ends up dying around the same time he commits suicide after not being able to face answering for his crimes and having his career being destroyed.

On the one hand you feel happy for the couple, their young daughter and their newborn baby.

But at the same time it's depressing that the other woman lost both her husband and her baby.

So as a result she hatches a plan to go after all the women whom have made similar complaints but save the most recent one for last.

Thus we have our plot for the film about De Mornay posing as a nanny in order to get close to this unsuspecting family and partake in her own form of revenge.

The other neat addition here is Ernie Hudson playing a mentally-challenged home-renovator.

He's actually very likeable just trying to do his job but he does suspect the nanny every so often of her unusual behavior.

The couple remains oblivious and it becomes very disturbing and unsettling.

Rebecca de Mornay's performance is really mind-boggling and there's a scene where she completely loses it.

It's pretty understandable seeing her rage because of all that she's lost but pretty intimidating knowing that at any moment she will attack without a notice.

The film is very-well acted, sinister, deceivingly creepy, and off-putting.

It's what the loss of family and everything you hold dear does to someone.

'the hand that rocks the cradle holds the most power', the same can be said for the one with the power over family.

This movie is home invasion at its most lethal yet tense-filled best.