The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992) on Netflix
After Claire Bartel accuses her obstetrician, Dr. Victor Mott, of assault, he kills himself. His pregnant widow, penniless after a miscarriage, becomes the Bartels' nanny as Peyton Flanders.
- Netflix3.5/5
- IMDb6.7/1056,923 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes63%
Trailer
Plot summary
Claire Bartel, a Seattle housewife expecting her second child, is assaulted by Dr. Victor Mott, her new obstetrician. Her husband Michael urges her to report him to the state medical board, and other women come forward with accusations. Mott dies by suicide, and his pregnant widow discovers that his insurance is void and his assets frozen by lawsuits. She loses her baby and her home, and during her recovery she sees a news report naming Claire as the first woman to accuse her husband. Months later, Claire has a newborn son, Joey, and a greenhouse going up with Solomon, a handyman who has grown close to her daughter Emma. Looking for a nanny, Claire hires a woman who calls herself Peyton Flanders.
Cast
- Kevin Skousenas Marty Craven
- Jane Jonesas Woman in Park
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The Hand That Rocks the Cradle originated as Amanda Silver's film school thesis, and Silver completed approximately thirty drafts of the screenplay over a two-year period.
- Rebecca De Mornay read the screenplay and sought out the role of Peyton because she was “haunted” by the story; she said the producers considered her because “they wanted someone who is likable”, and the part was against type for the roles she had become known for.
- The film grossed approximately $140 million worldwide against a budget of $11.9 million, becoming one of the year's most profitable films, the top video rental of July 1992 and the seventh-most rented film of 1992 in the United States.
- Some feminists criticized the film for its depiction of sexual assault and of violence between women, and Washington Post reviewer Rita Kempley argued it was anti-feminist; De Mornay challenged the accusations, pointing to the lack of women writers and of good roles for women.
- The film was remade as Khal-Naaikaa, an Indian film released on August 6, 1993, and in 2014 Supernatural writer Daniel Loflin was set to write and executive produce an adaptation for ABC Family alongside Ted Field, a producer on the original, but it did not move forward.
