The Hand That Rocks The Cradle is a thriller from the 1990s that sadly appears to have been largely forgotten. The thriller genre was alive and booming for most of the 1990s, due to the success of movies like Julia Roberts' Sleeping With The Enemy, Single White Female, and Unlawful Entry. This extends to erotic thrillers too, which briefly became a major subgenre following Paul Verhoeven's controversial Basic Instinct in 1992.
This subgenre would burn itself out quickly but led to a string of films that include Sliver, Body Of Evidence, and Never Talk To Strangers. The latter movie starred Rebecca De Mornay (Risky Business), who also played the lead role in 1992's The Hand That Rocks The Cradle. De Mornay plays Mrs. Mott, whose obstetrician husband commits suicide after several patients accuse him of sexual assault. In the aftermath, Mrs. Mott is stripped of her husband's financial assets and suffers a miscarriage. She decides to seek revenge against Claire (Annabella Sciorra), who was the first woman to expose her husband and she inserts herself into Claire's life by becoming the nanny to her newborn baby.
The Hand That Rocks The Cradle was a bonafide success upon release, grossing close to $90 million and staying at the number one spot at the box-office for four weeks. Rebecca De Mornay was also praised for her chilling portrayal of Mrs. Mott, helping ground what could have been a trashy thriller. The movie was directed by the late Curtis Hanson, who proved with the likes of The River Wild and L.A. Confidential that he knew how to make a solid thriller.
While The Hand That Rocks The Cradle is a showcase for De Mornay, the movie surrounds her with a great cast, including Ernie Hudson and Julianne Moore (Kingsman: The Golden Circle) as Clarie's suspicious best friend. While the movie isn't exactly a slasher, Moore character does suffer a nasty demise after Mrs. Mott lures her into a greenhouse and causes the glass roof to shatter down upon her. Much of the movie is a slow burn, however, with Mrs. Mott gradually turning Claire's family against her. She makes it appear her husband is having an affair, she gets the kindly gardener Solomon (Hudson) fired when he begins to suspect her motives, and she even breastfeeds the baby in secrets so he will reject Claire's milk.
The Hand That Rocks The Cradle dials up the intensity in the finale when Mrs. Mott is discovered. She tries to take both of Claire's children away, but after tricking Mrs. Mott with a fake asthma attack, she finally defeats her tormentor. The Hand That Rocks The Cradle is the kind of thriller that rarely gets made anymore - outside of occasional efforts like Dennis Quaid's The Intruder - and it's odd that despite being a big hit and having a great cast, it seems to have been largely forgotten. For psychological thriller fans who haven't had a chance to see it yet, it's worth seeking out.