The upcoming remake of The Hand that Rocks the Cradle has revealed some exclusive first-look images, featuring two 21st-century horror icons. This is a remake of the 1992 movie of the same name, about the bitter widow of a doctor who Sєxually ᴀssaulted patients; she sets out to exact revenge for her own life falling apart against one of his victims and her family.
The remake of The Hand that Rocks the Cradle will star Longlegs’ Maika Monroe and 10 Cloverfield Lane‘s Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The new movie will be released on Hulu on October 22. Check out the first-look images from 2025’s The Hand that Rocks the Cradle from PEOPLE below:
PEOPLE also reveals that the main characters’ names have been changed from the 1992 film. Peyton Flanderes, the young woman hired as a nanny, becomes Polly (Monroe); Claire is now Caitlin (Winstead), the mother who slowly realizes that the woman she has just hired wishes her harm. The movie also stars Martin Starr and Raúl Castillo.
The Hand that Rocks the Cradle is directed by Michelle Garza Cervera, and written by Micah Bloomberg and Amanda Silver. Speaking with PEOPLE, Garza Cervera talked about how this will not be a “carbon copy” of its predecessor, changing the characters’ backstories: “Instead of having just a victim and a perpetrator, they’re both in gray areas.“
What This Means For 2025’s The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
These images give the impression of an intense dynamic between the two main characters. Garza Cervera wanted to tell a new story, so there could be a more complex conflict between Polly and Caitlin. This stands in stark contrast to the 1992 film’s Peyton, who, though she suffered much as a result of her husband’s arrest, is taking out her anger on another victim.
This relationship will then be brought to life by the excellent pairing of Monroe and Winstead. While the new The Hand that Rocks the Cradle may explore some of the same themes of trust and motherhood as the original, the images capture how this will be a completely different story that is much more interested in what the characters have to say to each other.
Our Take On 2025’s The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
Frankly, The Hand that Rocks the Cradle is a blatant example of the remake trend being overdone; the 1992 movie holds a 67% on Rotten Tomatoes, and while some may remember it as a classic psychological thriller, it really isn’t a major cultural staple. That being said, it sounds like the production has done a lot of work to create something new.
They may have used the basic framework of the source material, but they actually wrote an entirely new script with the intent of exploring slightly different themes, then brought in some stars who excel in horror and thriller to develop a strong on-screen dynamic. With such great leads, The Hand that Rocks the Cradle is worth checking out in October.