Films like The Hand that Rocks the Cradle embrace tales about individuals who infiltrate a household’s life and disrupt all the pieces. The unique movie was a 1992 launch by director Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential), the story of a nanny (Rebecca De Mornay) working to tear a household aside and exchange 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 had been made to assist the brand new Hulu launch dominate its opening week. For followers of tales the place somebody tries to smash an individual’s life, listed below are different films like The Hand that Rocks the Cradle.
The Go to (2015)
Launched in 2015, M. Night time 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. Nonetheless, the longer they’re there, the extra they understand one thing is mistaken.
Like most of his films, this features a Shyamalan twist, and it really works completely right here. It seems that the grandparents are usually not the true grandparents, however are as an alternative escaped psychiatric sufferers who killed the children’ grandparents and took their place within the residence.
Very similar to The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, this can be a film about somebody who desires to step in and exchange one other particular person, taking up their life. On this case, they succeeded and would seemingly 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 are usually not actually thinking about being grandparents to the teenagers, however are solely enjoying 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 special angle. As an alternative of a nanny who desires to push out the mom and exchange her within the household unit, this sees a youngster who desires to exchange her good friend within the household, with devastating results.
Drew Barrymore stars as Ivy, the teenager who decides she desires to maneuver in after which begins to attempt to seduce her good friend’s dad. Nonetheless, 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 really 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 special slant two years earlier in Unhealthy Affect. As an alternative of an outsider coming in to destroy a household by attempting to power her approach 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 free 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 is no such thing as a household destruction right here, however it’s just like The Hand that Rocks the Cradle in that an individual is available in and tries to mildew an individual’s life into what they need it to be. The performing was nice, and this was a take a look at the story from a male perspective by the identical director.
Single White Feminine (1992)
The identical 12 months 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 girl 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 approach in and exchange their roommate.
This film is far 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 particular person 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 baby and decides to undertake a nine-year-old Russian woman named Esther. Nonetheless, they do not understand till it is too late that Esther is just not a baby in any respect.
All through the film, Esther depicts puzzling mannerisms that lead Kate, the mom, to comprehend one thing is mistaken, and when she lastly learns the reality, there’s a battle to the loss of life. This is a bit more just 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 stunning is that Orphan is predicated on a real story, and there was even an analogous case after the actual fact, the place the adoptive dad and mom used the film as an excuse for why they felt their daughter was probably not a baby. It’s a disturbing story, and it even obtained a prequel in 2022.
Deadly Attraction (1987)
Deadly Attraction is a thriller a few man who has an affair with a girl, solely to search out that she will not let it go when he tries to finish it. Michael Douglas is Dan, and Glenn Shut is Alex, the lady 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 does not wish to take Dan’s spouse, Beth’s, place within the household. She desires to simply 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 Deadly Attraction ending is a bit troublesome immediately, with Dan’s spouse coming to his rescue and nearly immediately forgiving him for his blame. Additionally it is ironic that the ending was presupposed to be extra tragic, with Alex dying by suicide, making it seem like Dan killed her to smash his life. This tragedy may have modified all the pieces concerning the movie.
Stoker (2013)
Stoker is a sophisticated film a few 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. Nonetheless, this takes the complete concept 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 stunning, darkish ending to the story.
Worry (1996)
Worry is a film a few 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 does not like David, his considerations are for good purpose 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 does not actually care about love or acceptance. He solely desires destruction.
The Good Son (1993)
The Good Son is just like Orphan and Poison Ivy, however it’s far more disturbing due to the characters’ ages. Contemporary off his breakout position in Residence 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 reside along with his aunt and uncle, and their children, Connie (Quinn Culkin) and Henry (Culkin). Of the 2, Henry seems to be the unhealthy seed, and his personal dad and mom can not seem to see that he is growing violent tendencies.
Not like The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, The Good Son presents the particular person 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 an alternative of 1 particular person coming right into a household’s life and attempting to govern them into what they need the household to seem like, this sees a complete 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 desires to exchange 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 tough to just accept.
This is likely to be the highest critically acclaimed film like The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, because it earned two Oscar nominations, profitable Finest Supporting Actress for Ruth Gordon. It was additionally added to the Nationwide Movie Registry by the Library of Congress in 2014.