Maika Monroe’s ‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle’ Remake Eliminated the Original’s Most Controversial Plot Point

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle is an iconic 1992 psychological thriller that is considered a cult classic. It follows a suburban family who hire a nanny to care for their infant, unaware the woman is actually seeking revenge against the family. Now, a new “reimagining” of the film has been released on Hulu.

Here’s the trailer:

Maika Monroe stars as Polly Murphy, a homeless woman who is hired by a lawyer (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) as a nanny for her two children. The new movie eliminates the most controversial element of the original. In the 1992 movie, the diabolical nanny was the wife of a disgraced obstetrician who dies by suicide after being accused by five patients of sexual abuse. She seeks out the women who made the first accusation for revenge by posing as the perfect nanny.

It’s interesting that in the post-#MeToo era the revenge plot is changed from an established doctor being credibly accused of sexual assault (it is shown that he is indeed guilty) to (spoiler alert) a father abusing children. As a child, Winstead’s character burned down Polly’s family home because of her dad’s sexual abuse. The fire resulted in the deaths of Polly’s parents and baby sister, which is why she wants revenge.

You can decide for yourself which plot works better. The Hand that Rocks the Cradle is now streaming on Hulu.

Further reading:

• 26 Curious Facts About ‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle’ (1992)
• 9 Maika Monroe Horror + Thriller Movies, Ranked