The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992)

After her humiliated husband kills himself, an embittered pregnant widow loses her child, and embarks on a mission of vengeance against a woman and her family.

Director:

Curtis Hanson

Writer:

Amanda Silver

Stars:

Annabella Sciorra, Rebecca De Mornay, Matt McCoy

5 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Annabella Sciorra	...	Claire Bartel
Rebecca De Mornay	...	Mrs. Mott / Peyton Flanders
Matt McCoy	...	Michael Bartel
Julianne Moore	...	Marlene Craven
Ernie Hudson	...	Solomon
Madeline Zima	...	Emma Bartel
John de Lancie	...	Dr. Victor Mott
Kevin Skousen	...	Marty Craven
Mitchell Laurance	...	Lawyer
Justin Zaremby	...	Roth, the Schoolyard Bully
Eric Melander	...	Joey 'Joe' Bartel
Jennifer Melander	...	Joey 'Joe' Bartel
Ashley Melander	...	Joey 'Joe' Bartel
Cliff Lenz	...	Seattle Today Host
Penny LeGate	...	Seattle Today Host

Storyline

Peyton Flanders seemed to be the perfect nanny, but secretly she was out to wreck the lives of the family she was supposed to be helping. Before becoming the nanny, Peyton had a miscarriage, and blamed it on Claire (the mother). Claire suspects nothing, having never met Peyton before.

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Plot Keywords:

nanny | baby | miscarriage | revenge | suicide | 

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Taglines:

... is the hand that rules the world.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for terror, violence, a scene of sexual molestation, and for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 January 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

La mano que mece la cuna

Filming Locations:

2502 37th Ave W, Seattle, Washington, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$11,700,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$88,036,683 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hollywood Pictures, Interscope Communications, Nomura Babcock & Brown

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kevin Spacey was considered for the role of Michael Bartell.

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Goofs

When Emma carries Joe into the closet to escape Peyton, it is clearly a doll she is holding and not a real baby.

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Quotes

[Claire Bartel is having an asthma attack]
Peyton Flanders: Something the matter, Claire?
[whispers]
Peyton Flanders: When your husband makes love to you, it's MY face he sees. When your baby's hungry, it's MY breast that feeds him. Look at you! When push comes to shove... you can't even breathe!

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Crazy Credits

As the end credits roll, we see the Bartel residence.

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Connections

Referenced in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: 17 Again/State of Play/Crank High Voltage (2009)

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Soundtracks

"O DRY THE GLISTENING TEAR"
from "Pirates of Penzance"
Performed by The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
Courtesy of London Records
A Division of PolyGram Classics

User Reviews

The Nanny From Hell

Just the opening scene turns off a lot of people, but that's too because all of the film - all of it - is interesting with Rebecca DeMornay excelling at a vengeful, psychotic killer nanny. This "nanny" does about everything you could do to ruin a family. Yes, she's the nanny from Hell.

I always thought Annabella Sciorra had an interesting face with a knockout smile, at least back in late '80s, early '90s, so I enjoy watching her. Here, she plays a good woman who is married to a good man (Matt McCoy) - wow, there's an oddity in modern films: a happy and faithful husband and wife!

This is an involving film. Once you are into it, you're hooked and the 100-plus minutes go by pretty fast. DeMornay is so effective in her role you just can't wait to see her exposed for who she is and justice done to her.

I did think Sciorra's character would have needed more to go on to come to the right conclusion near the end, but, usually every film has some question marks regarding credibility. The violent, ending scene is very suspenseful and well- done.