‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle’ Review: Hulu Parental Horror Remake

Rewatching the Juicy Parenting Nightmare Thriller The hand that rocks the cradle three decades after its release it is a reminder of how refined and versatile craftsman Curtis Hanson was. For the next 10 years of his film career, he directed the adventure thriller The wild river; the hard black Los Angeles Confidentialwhich earned him an Oscar as co-writer; bittersweet comedy drama wonder boys; and the almost memory of Eminem’s hip-hop saga 8 miles – all of which still holds.

It’s not a big surprise that Hulu’s new version The hand that rocks the cradledirected by Michelle Garza Cervera from a script by Micah Bloomberg, can be classified as “unnecessary remakes.” By those standards, it’s far from the worst. Who remembers 2008? women1993 born yesterday or 2002 scanningJust to name three smashed classics? But atrocity is a low bar that must be surpassed.

This modern spin on a script that originated as Amanda Silver’s film school thesis doubles down on traumatic history and victim blaming and stirs up undercooked female homoerotic tension. But it dilutes the lurid pleasures of the original and destabilizes the central dynamic by pitting the mother who has everything and the nanny bent on destroying her life in a contest of mental instability. Maybe two damaged women for the price of one seemed like a good idea on paper?

It also represents a disappointing trade-off in the smart best friend who discovers the truth department. For many of us, tough luxury real estate broker Marlene Craven ranks among Julianne Moore’s most delightful performances. In these dreary times when constructive criticism can get you sent to HR, listening to Marlene criticize her Harvard-educated male assistant is like good sex.

Real estate attorney Caitlin Morales (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is expecting her second child when she meets Polly Murphy (Maika Monroe) while doing pro-bono work on tenants’ rights for low-income people who need housing assistance. Shortly after the baby is born, they meet again at a farmers market, where Caitlin is alarmed to hear that Polly is still struggling. But she offers her services as a babysitter.

Even though Monroe plays the quiet, intense Polly with the sunken gaze of an Olsen twin and the warmth and social skills of Travis Bickle, Caitlin hires her after a cursory review of her babysitting experience. Her husband, architect Miguel (Raúl Castillo), agrees that Caitlin is working hard and could use some help. She worries that her struggles are a repeat of the postpartum depression that followed the birth of her first daughter, Emma (Mileiah Vega), who is now 10 and prone to tantrums, usually directed at her controlling mother.

While doing little to hide her creepy vibe, Polly begins committing small acts of sabotage: messing with Caitlin’s medications, which makes her more nervous; he spikes the cioppino at a dinner, causing everyone an upset stomach; and ignores Caitlin’s veto not to consume sugar for Emma and her little sister Josie. Instead, he makes a secret pact with Emma over cupcakes and takes away his mother’s unsweetened breast milk from the baby.

Yet somehow Polly becomes indispensable, so when she starts talking about leaving unaffordable Los Angeles, Caitlin and Miguel move her to the guest room intended for her elderly Mexican parents. (In a wry comment that’s the closest the film comes to a subversive streak, Caitlin reveals, “Her mom’s not a fan of America.”)

The spacious home is a beautiful contemporary wood and floor-to-ceiling glass construction (we know someone will walk through at least one panel). But what kind of thriller about a family in danger doesn’t take advantage of a pool that calls for chaos?

Polly early on casually tells Caitlin that she dates women, prompting her employer to say that she was also gay before meeting Miguel. But whatever sexual frisson this was intended to implant, it’s too underdeveloped to add much, even after Polly catches Caitlin staring out the window while she has erotic choking sex with her punky friend Amelia (Yvette Lu).

Meanwhile, the babysitter’s behavior becomes more concerning to Caitlin, especially after she brings home fireworks for Emma to play with. But only Caitlin’s friend and colleague, Stuart (Martin Starr), takes her fears seriously enough to investigate, which is a bad decision. Duh.

Miguel becomes more convinced that his wife is having another postpartum episode, and overreacts even to Emma’s abrupt declaration at dinner that she wants a wife, not a husband, when she grows up. Castillo, as always, is an engaging presence, but he can’t do much with a role in which he shows every sign of being a loving and sensitive partner and yet refuses to listen until it’s almost too late.

Polly’s background is suggested through snippets of the childhood difficulties she shares with Emma and a horror-style prologue showing a girl standing in front of a burning house. But unlike Hanson’s film, where we knew from the beginning what motivated the vengeful widow who called herself “Peyton” (played with a cruel chill by Rebecca De Mornay), Bloomberg’s script unravels the root of Polly’s grudge for too long.

By the time questions are answered, not only about Polly but also about how her story intersects with Caitlin’s, the glacial pacing and lack of suspense have dulled the thriller’s hook. Mexican filmmaker Garza Cervera’s debut was 2022’s well-received Motherhood Body Horror Bone holder. But his second feature, while quite clever, has the bland feel of a Lifetime movie.

Attempts to ramp up the horror with a whispering synth score and somber vocal tracks from Low and Nick Cave don’t deliver much in terms of atmosphere, and jolts of ugly violence seem inorganic to the overall tone.

The actors are fine, although Monroe has been most effective when subjected to threats (in films like Go on and long legs) instead of sharing it. Winstead (looking very Rosamund Pike) does what is required of her, to the point of making Caitlin abrasive and disturbed. But this is a remake with few compelling reasons to exist.

What a sad testament to the state of the industry that, while the original film topped the US box office for four consecutive weeks and made considerable profits with worldwide grosses of $140 million on a budget of less than $12 million, the remake is coming to Hulu and, like all but a handful of prestige streaming originals, will be quickly forgotten.