In 1992, Curtis Hanson unleashed Peyton’s (Rebecca De Mornay) fury on the Bartel family, posing as a nanny to get revenge for Claire’s supposed role in Peyton’s husband’s suicide in The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. Coming along for the ride was Annabella Sciorra as Claire Bartel, Matt McCoy as Michael Bartel, Ernie Hudson as Solomon, Julianne Moore as Marlene Craven, Madeline Zima as Emma Bartel, and John de Lancie as Dr. Victor Mott. A box office hit, it was also the seventh-most rented film of 1992.
Jumping forward over three decades, on October 22, 2025, Hulu dropped a ‘reimagining of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle directed by Michelle Garza Cervera in her first English-speaking Hollywood debut from a script by Micah Bloomberg (Homecoming series, Sanctuary 2022) based on Amanda Silver’s original story. It stars Maika Monroe (Villians 2019, Longlegs 2024) as Polly Murphy, Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Final Destination 3 2006, Death Proof 2007) as Caitlin Morales, Raúl Castillo (Amexicano 2007, Cold Weather 2010) as Miguel Morales, Mileiah Vega (in her first significant budget name role) as Emma Morales, Nora & Lola Contreras (in their feature debut) as Josie Morales, and Martin Starr (Freaks and Geeks series, Party Down series) as Stewart, among others.
The story follows an upscale suburban mom who brings a new nanny, Polly Murphy, into her home, only to discover she is not the person she claims to be. Going in, Cervera has said in interviews that she started watching the original, but turned it off, not wanting to make a carbon copy, and put her own stamp on her version, which is applause-worthy. Hollywood churns out enough carbon copies as it is. However, most audiences want things clear-cut.
This new edition of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle makes Polly’s and Caitlin’s (Cervera changed all the characters’ names except for a slight variation on the daughter) backstories, which Claire didn’t have a backstory in the original, collide in a significant way, so that some might see justification for her actions. Also, this version makes Polly seem like she could swing both ways, which is not necessarily a problem, as seen when she brings a partner over, but. In contrast, De Mornay exudes sexuality in just about everything she does; Monroe does not. If she is trying to move in on Miguel — or, for that matter, Caitlin— she is only doing so by pitting him and Caitlin against each other with her words and gaslighting.
Of course, this says more about Miguel’s stupidity in taking the new girl’s words as gospel over his wife, who is not perfect by any means, but she is still his wife and mother of his children. The kids get a slight pass because they are easy to manipulate, but even then, Amelia should know her mom well enough to know when Polly’s talking BS. Before Polly, she still comes off as a brat that her parental units laugh off. Like 2024’s Jurassic World: Rebirth, where the only likeable human was the youngest daughter, Isabella, the baby is the only likeable one of the core cast since there isn’t a loveable Solomon character. This is a big problem if we are to feel for them with the themes the movie’s trying to tackle. Let us look at them.
The film starts with Caitlin stressing, trying to balance mothering, being a successful working professional, and being a wife while dealing with her past postpartum depression/psychosis from her first child, which is used against her, causing her to question her sanity and paranoia. This parallels the original, but Cervera takes it further.
As mentioned, Polly’s and Caitlin’s pasts collide, which strays from the original. And, as mentioned above, this polarizes who is in the wrong and who is really the victim. This also strays from the original, which has a definite. Because their pasts intersect, there is a misunderstanding that they should be allies, but are not. Like the adage goes, “We go to the bathroom together, so we need to stick together.”
Finally, above, it was mentioned that The Hand That Rocks the Cradle was virtually devoid of real sexual tension, aside from one scene in which Cailin sees Polly have a very brief tryst with her friend. Other than that, we are relegated to a few stolen glances, but the chemistry is not there. Sure, we establish that Polly’s gay, even with some stolen glances at Miguel, which could have been an interesting dynamic between the three if Cervera had the guts to follow the thread, Caitlin’s, at best, closeted bi.
The one interesting thing is the end, like 2024’s Smile 2, which was an otherwise messy film. However, the end’s ramifications could be interesting if a sequel is greenlit and the threads are followed through. So real life is chaotic, and not much is cut and dry, so if you liked ambiguity, you might dig 2025’s The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. Otherwise, it is best to say you gave it a go in a one-off. That is why Cryptic Rock gives 2025’s The Hand That Rocks the Cradle 3 out of 5 stars.
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