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The Hand That Rocks the Cradle’ Remake Streams Today on Hulu and Disney+, With Early Praise for Winstead

Critics highlight Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s turn as the film reframes the 1992 story with greyer motives in contemporary Los Angeles.

Overview

  • The film begins streaming October 22 on Hulu and Disney+ and carries an MPA R rating for strong/bloody violence, sexual content and language.
  • Directed by Michelle Garza Cervera and written by Micah Bloomberg from Amanda Silver’s screenplay, it stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Caitlin Morales and Maika Monroe as nanny Polly Murphy.
  • The reimagining shifts the setting to present-day Los Angeles, embraces a slower burn, and expands character backstories while keeping the core nanny–family dynamic.
  • Early reviews praise Winstead’s performance and the modernization of the original’s misogynistic framing, while noting familiar thriller contrivances and heavy foreshadowing.
  • Coverage also points to themes of queer identity and class tension that complicate the relationship between the two central women.