Film Reviews

October 22, 2025

The original "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" (1992) had the luxury of being one of the first of its kind. It was perhaps even the apex of those early '90s "domestic" thrillers that found upper middle-class yuppies, predominantly white, fighting off psychotic villains to save their families and preserve their comfortable lifestyles. Among its brethren were "Pacific Heights," "Unlawful Entry," and "Single White Female," to name a few, but "Hand" left the biggest mark, likely because its protagonist (Annabella Sciorra) and antagonist (Rebecca De Mornay) were so well-matched and director Curtis Hanson knew how to walk that fine line between restrained and over-the-top, and to mount tension all the way up to the final scene. It was a manipulative but ultimately fun thriller.

The new "Hand," debuting on Hulu, is more of a struggle to sit through, not only because we're left unsure about its purpose (was anyone asking for a "Hand" remake?), but because it's practically devoid of subtlety, which renders it heavy-handed and predictable. It is an updated reimagining, to be sure, but its modern-day sensibilities don't give the premise much of a new life. In fact, even if it was an original idea in 2025, it wouldn't be anything to write home about; the movie is more of a hodgepodge of generic horror thriller elements than an interesting story about resentment and revenge that turns violent.

Like the original, the underlying story is about a well-to-do family who unwittingly hires a nanny from hell. Caitlin (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Miguel (Raúl Castillo) Morales are parents to 10-year-old Emma (Mileiah Vega) and a new baby named Josie (Nora and Lola Contreras). They live in an upscale, gated home in Los Angeles, with lots of white walls, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a beautiful pool and guest house, which makes the environment ideal for spying. Clearly, Caitlin's work as an attorney and Miguel's as a contractor are bringing home the bacon.

We learn early on that Caitlin has a history of depression and mental illness, and we can see from the get-go she's uptight, compulsive, and a bit of a worrywart. The screenplay by Micah Bloomberg lays it on a little thick when it comes to underlining Caitlin's anxieties and obsessions over things such as forbidding refined sugars and microplastics and only serving her family whole foods. To be fair, Winstead sells Caitlin's psychosis well, and we buy that she is smart yet manic. We can also believe she's her own worst enemy.

That is, at least, until the slightly younger Polly (Maika Monroe) moves in on the Morales' lives. Polly noticeably has her own baggage, some of which Caitlin is already aware of—the two met about a year earlier during the film's opening scene when Caitlin was still pregnant and Polly was in need of her lawyerly services—but she nevertheless agrees to let Polly babysit her kids, and soon thereafter move into the guest house.

The movie doesn't try to hide the fact that Polly has an alternative agenda to destroy Caitlin, and I'll not reveal the schemes she pulls to trigger Caitlin's undoing, but I will say director Michelle Garza Cervera and editor Julie Monroe don't allow sufficient time for Polly's plans to marinate and then boil up to something exciting and unexpected. The result is a movie that merely goes through the standard good vs evil thriller motions and makes it too easy to see where it's going before simply going there. This includes a sequence when Caitlin's best friend Stewart (Martin Starr) conducts some "CSI"-like detective work and discovers who Polly really is, unearthing her true motivation to send Caitlin's neurosis into overdrive.

Those familiar with the original "Hand" may recall what the filmmakers retained for this frivolous and unnecessary remake, but even with some of the same qualities on paper, the new version just doesn't land in a way that makes us care about or believe what it has to offer (the climax is particularly vexatious because two keys characters conveniently witness an event that perfectly ties up all the loose ends). The movie exists mostly to shock us and make us squirm, but that model only goes so far before we realize it's a one-trick pony, and we begin to crave more substance. Plus, unlike the original, the new "Hand" seems to be in a rush to get to the salacious stuff and relinquish any mood or character development. Simply put, the movie doesn't offer enough fresh material of its own or bring a novel approach to an idea that was previously incarnated. At 102 minutes, the 2025 version of "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" goes by quickly but doesn't leave any kind of substantial mark.

Available on Hulu 10/22/25