Films like The Hand that Rocks the Cradle embody tales about individuals who infiltrate a household’s life and disrupt every part. The unique movie was a 1992 release by director Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential), the story of a nanny (Rebecca De Mornay) working to tear a household aside and change the mom she works for.
In 2025, The Hand that Rocks the Cradle was remade, with Mary Elizabeth Winstead because the mom, and minor adjustments have been made to help the new Hulu release dominate its opening week. For followers of tales the place somebody tries to spoil an individual’s life, listed below are different films like The Hand that Rocks the Cradle.
The Go to (2015)
Launched in 2015, M. Evening Shyamalan started his comeback with the found-footage horror movie The Go to. The story follows teenage siblings who’re despatched to spend 5 days with their maternal grandparents, whom they’ve by no means met. Nevertheless, the longer they’re there, the extra they understand one thing is incorrect.
Like most of his films, this includes a Shyamalan twist, and it really works completely right here. It seems that the grandparents aren’t the actual grandparents, however are as an alternative escaped psychiatric sufferers who killed the children’ grandparents and took their place within the house.
Very like The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, this can be a film about somebody who needs to step in and change one other individual, taking on their life. On this case, they succeeded and would probably have maintained the charade if not for the 2 teenagers who got here to remain for the week and found the ruse.
One distinction is that the killers on this film aren’t actually focused on being grandparents to the teenagers, however are solely taking part in alongside to maintain their darkish secrets and techniques. That makes it an much more terrifying model of the trope.
Poison Ivy (1992)
Poison Ivy is a film similar to The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, but it surely comes on the story from a unique angle. As a substitute of a nanny who needs to push out the mom and change her within the household unit, this sees a youngster who needs to interchange her pal within the household, with devastating results.
Drew Barrymore stars as Ivy, the teenager who decides she needs to maneuver in after which begins to attempt to seduce her pal’s dad. Nevertheless, on this case, solely the daughter, Sylvie (Sara Gilbert), realizes what’s going on and tries to get Ivy out of her life earlier than she destroys her household.
With the principle villain being a youngster seducing the daddy and truly killing the mom, this was an much more disturbing telling of the story. This film had an analogous ending to The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, because it took the loss of life of the antagonist to finish their reign of terror.
Unhealthy Affect (1990)
Not solely did Curtis Hanson direct The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, however he additionally directed an analogous story with a unique slant two years earlier in Unhealthy Affect. As a substitute of an outsider coming in to destroy a household by attempting to power her manner in, this had an outsider ruining a person’s life by luring him into temptation.
Rob Lowe was the charming outsider, Alex, who meets James Spader’s Michael, a socially awkward man who permits individuals to push him round. Alex then convinces Michael to chop unfastened and do issues that preserve him from getting stepped on on a regular basis. What outcomes is a cat-and-mouse recreation between the 2 that ends in tragedy.
As talked about, there isn’t any household destruction right here, however it’s much like The Hand that Rocks the Cradle in that an individual is available in and tries to mould an individual’s life into what they need it to be. The appearing was nice, and this was a have a look at the story from a male perspective by the identical director.
Single White Feminine (1992)
The identical yr as The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, a really related film was additionally launched in theaters. That film was Single White Feminine, which stars Jennifer Jason Leigh as Hedy, a lady who solutions an advert and turns into the roommate of Allie (Bridget Fonda), a profitable software program designer.
Simply as in The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, Single White Feminine depicts an outsider who sees a profitable lady and desires her life for herself. Each movies see the outsider start to dig in an increasing number of, setting issues as much as power their manner in and change their roommate.
This film is way more tragic than The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, and it performs extra like a darkish thriller than that movie. This can be a film about one obsessed individual destroying one other’s life utterly, and leaving them empty and alone on the finish. There was additionally a lesser sequel 13 years later.
Orphan (2009)
Orphan takes the theme from The Hand that Rocks the Cradle and turns the skin invader right into a “baby.” On this film, a pair has struggled to have a toddler and decides to undertake a nine-year-old Russian woman named Esther. Nevertheless, they do not understand till it is too late that Esther just isn’t a toddler in any respect.
All through the film, Esther depicts puzzling mannerisms that lead Kate, the mom, to comprehend one thing is incorrect, and when she lastly learns the reality, there’s a battle to the loss of life. This is a bit more much like The Go to, the place Esther is in self-preservation mode and can do something to maintain her secret, together with homicide.
What’s most surprising is that Orphan is based on a true story, and there was even an analogous case after the very fact, the place the adoptive mother and father used the film as an excuse for why they felt their daughter was probably not a toddler. It’s a disturbing story, and it even acquired a prequel in 2022.
Deadly Attraction (1987)
Deadly Attraction is a thriller a couple of man who has an affair with a lady, solely to seek out that she will not let it go when he tries to finish it. Michael Douglas is Dan, and Glenn Shut is Alex, the girl he has an affair with. When he tries to interrupt issues off, she contemplates suicide after which begins to torment Dan and his household.
Not like The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, Alex would not wish to take Dan’s spouse, Beth’s, place within the household. She needs to only take Dan for herself and does some horrible issues to his spouse and daughter to attempt to drive them away. By the tip, she has come utterly unhinged and launches an all-out assault on the household.
The Fatal Attraction ending is a bit troublesome right now, with Dan’s spouse coming to his rescue and nearly immediately forgiving him for his blame. Additionally it is ironic that the ending was imagined to be extra tragic, with Alex dying by suicide, making it appear to be Dan killed her to spoil his life. This tragedy may have modified every part concerning the movie.
Stoker (2013)
Stoker is a sophisticated film a couple of household whose patriarch dies, and his brother strikes in and slowly takes his place within the household unit. Directed by Japanese visionary Park Chan-wook (Oldboy), Matthew Goode is Charlie Stoker, the brother who strikes in with Nicole Kidman’s Evelyn and her daughter India (Mia Wasikowska).
The movie turns into very creepy when he takes extra discover of India whereas persevering with to woo Evelyn. This causes India to begin to develop extra antagonistic traits, which Charlie nearly encourages, and he slowly begins to demolish this small, damaged household with simply his presence.
Not like The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, Charlie succeeds in destroying this household. Nevertheless, this takes your complete thought one step additional. Charlie doesn’t emerge victorious however as an alternative corrupts one other member of the family into committing atrocious acts, delivering a surprising, darkish ending to the story.
Worry (1996)
Worry is a film a couple of good-looking, charming younger man who begins relationship a younger lady and slowly destroys her household’s life. Launched in 1996, this was an early Mark Wahlberg efficiency the place he performs David, a younger man who begins relationship teenage Nicole (Reese Witherspoon).
Whereas Nicole’s (William Petersen) dad would not like David, his issues are for good motive when David reveals violent tendencies, and Nicole can not seem to let him go. This, like The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, is a film about an individual turning into obsessive about somebody and refusing to let go, as he destroys their life.
David is much more harmful and evil than Mrs. Mott in The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, as he’s a violent man who will harm anybody who angers him and would not actually care about love or acceptance. He solely needs destruction.
The Good Son (1993)
The Good Son is much like Orphan and Poison Ivy, however it’s way more disturbing due to the characters’ ages. Contemporary off his breakout position in House Alone, Macaulay Culkin took on a really totally different position as a younger sociopath who units out to destroy the lives of one other younger man and his household.
Elijah Wooden performs Mark, a younger man whose mom died, so his dad sends him to dwell along with his aunt and uncle, and their children, Connie (Quinn Culkin) and Henry (Culkin). Of the 2, Henry seems to be the dangerous seed, and his personal mother and father can not seem to see that he is growing violent tendencies.
Not like The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, The Good Son presents the individual actively attempting to destroy the household as a part of the household, and the younger man he seeks accountable is the harmless outsider. Regardless of that distinction, the 2 films are very related in construction, and every ends with a intestine punch.
Rosemary’s Child (1968)
Rosemary’s Child is a lot like The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, however on a a lot grander scale. As a substitute of 1 individual coming right into a household’s life and attempting to control them into what they need the household to appear to be, this sees a whole cult pulling the strings to get the household the place they need them to be.
After all, Rosemary’s Child is not about somebody who needs to interchange a member of the family, however as an alternative concerning the cult attempting to make sure that Rosemary turns into pregnant with the Antichrist. Shockingly, Rosemary’s husband is even a part of the scheme, making this much more troublesome to just accept.
This could be the highest critically acclaimed film like The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, because it earned two Oscar nominations, profitable Greatest Supporting Actress for Ruth Gordon. It was additionally added to the Nationwide Movie Registry by the Library of Congress in 2014.
