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Movies like The Hand That Rocks the Cradle

Key Features:
Psychological thriller, Revenge, Deception, Infant, Suburban setting, Nanny, Obsession, Betrayal, Family drama, Suspense, Paranoia
Tone:
serious, suspense-driven
Target Audience:
Thriller enthusiasts, Suspense fans, Suburban drama viewers
Emotional Arc:
Intrigue → Dread

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle

2025-10-16
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Poster - Find Similar Movies

Suburban couple Caitlin and Miguel hire seemingly sweet Polly to take care of their newborn baby. But Polly's true motives have little to do with singing lullabies...

Genres
Thriller
Cast
Maika Monroe, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Raúl Castillo, Mileiah Vega, Nora Contreras, Lola Contreras, Martin Starr, Yvette Lu, Riki Lindhome, Shannon Cochran
Crew
Michelle Garza Cervera, Micah Bloomberg
Rating
5.691(90 votes)
The Hand That Rocks the CradleThe Hand That Rocks the Cradle
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The Hand That Rocks the Cradle

A suburban family chooses seemingly sweet Peyton Flanders as their newborn's nanny. Only much later does the infant's mother, Claire Bartel, realize Peyton's true intentions -- to destroy Claire and replace her in the family. The nail-biting suspense builds quickly in this chilling psychological thriller about deception and bitter revenge.



Nanny Cam
Nanny Cam(2014)
5.6

Linda has a seemingly perfect marriage with her rugged and handsome husband Mark and an adorable 8 year old daughter, Chloe. But when Chloe is injured by an elderly babysitter who has slipped into dementia, Linda wants to ensure that her child is never hurt again. Initially, Heather, the new babysitter, seems like the ideal addition to this practically perfect family. But Heather is a schemer who exploits the cracks in Mark and Linda's relationship, and delights in the resulting chaos. As Linda later learns, to her horror, Heather's intentions go far beyond the mischievous.



Perfect Nanny
6.025

When Myriam, the mother of two young children, decides, despite the reluctance of her husband to resume her activity in a law firm, the couple is looking for a nanny. After a severe casting, they hire Louise, who quickly conquers the affection of children and gradually occupies a central place in the home. Gradually the trap of mutual dependence will close, until the tragedy.



The Nanny
The Nanny(1965)
6.9

Nanny, a London family's live-in maid, brings morbid 10-year-old Joey back from the psychiatric ward he's been in for two years, since the death of his younger sister. Joey refuses to eat any food Nanny's prepared or take a bath with her in the room. He also demands to sleep in a room with a lock. Joey's parents -- workaholic Bill and neurotic Virgie -- are sure Joey is disturbed, but he may have good reason to be terrified of Nanny.



Emelie
Emelie(2016)
5.256

After their regular babysitter cancels, the Thompson family turns to her friend, Anna to supervise their children while the parents go out to celebrate their anniversary. At first Anna seems like a dream come true to the kids, allowing them to eat extra cookies and play with things that are usually off-limits, but as her behaviour becomes increasingly odd, the kids soon find out that her intentions are dark and twisted—and she is not who she seems to be.



The Babysitter's Seduction

The mother of the family for which Michelle baby-sits dies unexpectedly. Michelle is asked to take over looking after the children and is gradually "seduced" by the father.



The Guardian
5.6

Phil and Kate select the winsome young Camilla as a live-in nanny for their newborn child, but the seemingly lovely Camilla is not what she appears to be...



The Nanny
The Nanny(2018)
5.437

Young Noa and Michael are put in the care of their new nanny, Leonor, who Noa suspects is a malicious supernatural being. Dismissed by those around her, Noa works to uncover Leonor's true identity, but soon finds herself with far more than she bargained for.



Fright
Fright(1971)
6

Young babysitter Amanda arrives at the Lloyd residence to spend the evening looking after their young son. Soon after the Lloyds leave, a series of frightening occurrences in the gloomy old house have Amanda's nerves on edge. The real terror begins, however, when the child's biological father appears after recently escaping from a nearby mental institution.



Irresistible
5.5

A wife and mother is consumed by the thought that her husband's co-worker is trying to win him away from her and their family.



Child Eater
4.5

A simple night of babysitting takes a horrifying turn when Helen realizes the boogeyman really is in little Lucas' closet.



Deadly Illusions
4.931

A bestselling female novelist, suffering from writer's block, hires an innocent young woman to watch over her twin children. As the novelist dangerously indulges in her new best seller, the line between the life she's writing and the one she's living becomes blurred.



Hush
Hush(1998)
5.7

Jackson and Helen are in love and about to have their first child when they move in with Jackson's mother, Martha, in order to take care of the family estate. But all is not well in this household. Martha is jealous of her son's affection for Helen, and, despite her Southern smile, she's starting to act strangely. As Helen tries to create a happy home life, Martha attempts to divide the family so that Jackson will become hers alone.



Mom and Dad
5.402

In a suburban community, moms and dads, one after the other, mysteriously feel the irresistible impulse to attack and kill their own offspring.



Return
Return(2015)
6.434

A young couple purchase their new home to start a life together, only to find out the elderly couple next door have other plans for them.



Dream House
6.2

Publisher Will Atenton quits a lucrative job in New York to relocate his wife, Libby, and their daughters to a quaint town in New England. However, as they settle into their home the Atentons discover that a woman and her children were murdered there, and the surviving husband is the town's prime suspect. With help from a neighbor who was close to the murdered family, Will pieces together a horrifying chain of events.



False Positive
5.6

After months of trying and failing to get pregnant, Lucy and Adrian finally find their dream fertility doctor in the illustrious Dr. Hindle. But after becoming pregnant with a healthy baby girl, Lucy begins to notice something sinister through Hindle's gleaming charm, and she sets out to uncover the unsettling truth about him.



Plush
Plush(2013)
5.478

A young singer/songwriter, despite being married, becomes involved with her new guitarist, who she soon discovers has a dark past and may be a danger to her and those close to her.



Malice
Malice(1993)
6.3

A tale about a happily married couple who would like to have children. Tracy teaches infants, Andy's a college professor. Things are never the same after she is taken to hospital and operated upon by Jed, a "know all" doctor.



Orphan
Orphan(2009)
7

After losing their baby, a married couple adopt 9-year old Esther, who may not be as innocent as she seems.



Spoonful of Sugar
5.238

Millicent, working on her thesis about children with severe allergies, is hired to babysit little Johnny, a sickly, mute child who suffers from every allergy under the sun. As she discovers Johnny’s dark family secrets, things begin to become unhinged.



The Kindergarten Teacher

Lisa Spinelli is a Staten Island teacher who is unusually devoted to her students. When she discovers one of her five-year-olds is a prodigy, she becomes fascinated with the boy, ultimately risking her family and freedom to nurture his talent.



Mental
Mental(2012)
5.576

A charismatic, crazy hothead transforms a family's life when she becomes the nanny of five girls.



The Stepfather
5.82

Michael Harding returns home from military school to find his mother happily in love and living with her new boyfriend, David. As the two men get to know each other, Michael becomes more and more suspicious of the man who is always there with a helpful hand. Is he really the man of her dreams or could David be hiding a dark side?



Poison Ivy: The New Seduction

A sinister seductress vows to destroy a suburban family.



Lullaby
Lullaby(2022)
5.278

A new mother discovers a lullaby in an ancient book and soon regards the song as a blessing. But her world transforms into a nightmare when the lullaby brings forth the ancient demon Lilith.



Mother
Mother(2016)
6.5

A pregnant woman, who is taking care of her son with development problems, is at her breaking point when a caregiver from the Philippines steps into her life. Diana suspects that she’s using voodoo against her after the quick improvements of her son.



Nanny
Nanny(2022)
5.3

Aisha, a Senegalese immigrant who takes a job as a nanny for a wealthy white family in New York City, finds herself consumed by unsettling visions and a growing rage.



Swallow
Swallow(2020)
6.6

Hunter, a newly pregnant housewife, finds herself increasingly compelled to consume dangerous objects. As her husband and his family tighten their control over her life, she must confront the dark secret behind her new obsession.



The Neighbor
4.908

A middle-aged man in a stagnant marriage, finds his life upended when an attractive young woman and her seemingly abusive husband move in next door.



The Boy Next Door
4.9

A recently cheated on married woman falls for a younger man who has moved in next door, but their torrid affair soon takes a dangerous turn.



Mikey
Mikey(1992)
5.845

Mikey just needs a good stable home. He's bounced from foster home to foster home his whole life. He finally lands himself with a new loving family, but their perfect little child is not what he appears to be. His previous caretakers all died of mysterious "accidents" that weren't really accidents at all. Mikey is a cold blooded killer, and it doesn't take long for him to aim his sights on his new adoptive family and anyone else who stands in his way.



The Baby's Room
6.718

Juan and Sonia arrive at a large old house, an ideal place to raise their newborn son. When, one night before going to bed, they check the operation of the monitoring device installed in the baby's room, they discover that someone is sitting next to the crib.



The Glass House
6

When Ruby and Rhett's parents are killed in a car accident, their carefree teenage lives are suddenly shattered. Moving to an incredible house in Malibu with the Glasses', old friends of the family, seems to be the beginning of a new life for them.



The Lullaby
5.7

Returning to her home town, overwhelmed by the birth of her firstborn, nineteen-year-old Chloe van Heerden tries to come to terms with motherhood. Despite the support from her own mother, Chloe struggles with the demands of caring for a newborn child. The incessant crying of her baby, the growing sense of guilt and paranoia send her into a dark depression. With a heightened urge to protect her son, she sees danger everywhere.



The Turning
5.7

A young woman quits her teaching job to become a private tutor and governess for two wealthy young kids, but soon starts to suspect there’s more to their house than meets the eye.



Joshua
Joshua(2007)
5.641

The arrival of a newborn girl causes the gradual disintegration of the Cairn family; particularly for 9-year-old Joshua, an eccentric boy whose proper upbringing and refined tastes both take a sinister turn.



Babysitter Wanted
5.441

When she takes a job babysitting a young boy for a night at his family's remote farmhouse, sweet college co-ed Angie Albright becomes the target of a scar-covered creep making mysterious phone calls and prowling outside the windows. Angie gets the drop on the would-be killer, but quickly discovers that her nightmare has just begun.



The Ones Below
5.985

A young affluent couple expecting their first child hits it off with the new couple that moves in downstairs, until a dinner party between them ends in a shocking accident.



Home Sweet Home
5.454

A young married couple comes home from a date night to discover that they are imprisoned in their own house with a killer inside.



The Brood
The Brood(1979)
6.7

A man tries to uncover an unconventional psychologist's therapy techniques on his institutionalized wife, while a series of brutal attacks committed by a brood of mutant children coincides with the husband's investigation.



The Hand
The Hand(1981)
5.9

Jon Lansdale is a comic book artist who loses his right hand in a car accident. The hand was not found at the scene of the accident, but it soon returns by itself to follow Jon around, and murder those who anger him.



The Nanny Diaries
6.4

A college graduate goes to work as a nanny for a rich New York family. Ensconced in their home, she has to juggle their dysfunction, a new romance, and the spoiled brat in her charge.



Boxing Helena
5.031

A top surgeon is besotted with a beautiful woman who once rebuffed him. Unable to come to terms with life without her, he tries to convince her that they need each other. She has other ideas, but a horrific accident leaves her at his mercy.



Mothers' Instinct
6.895

Housewives Alice and Celine are best friends and neighbours who seem to have it all. However, when a tragic accident shatters the harmony of their lives, guilt, suspicion and paranoia begin to unravel their sisterly bond.



Butterfly on a Wheel

A sociopathic kidnapper methodically pushes a desperate pair of parents to their absolute breaking point.



The Boy
The Boy(2016)
5.968

A young American woman takes a job as a nanny in a remote English village, soon discovering that the family's eight-year-old son is a life-sized doll that comes with a list of strict rules.



Baby Ruby
Baby Ruby(2023)
5.152

After welcoming her baby, Ruby, home, the tightly scripted world of lifestyle influencer Jo starts to unravel. As increasingly sinister happenings mount, Jo is plunged into a waking fever dream where everyone is a threat and nothing is what it seems.



The Cleaning Lady
5.4

In a bid to distract herself from an affair, a narcissistic woman befriends a cleaning lady with burn scars, but she soon discovers that the scars may be more than skin deep.



Faults
Faults(2014)
6.667

Claire is under the grip of a mysterious new cult called Faults. Desperate to be reunited with their daughter, Claire's parents recruit one of the world's foremost experts on mind control, Ansel Roth.



When a Stranger Calls

A student babysitter has her evening disturbed when the phone rings. So begins a series of increasingly terrifying and threatening calls that lead to a shocking revelation.



The Chalk Line
6.405

After a couple finds a traumatized child of unknown origins, wife Paula must decipher the girl's strange behaviors to unlock her identity and dark past.



The Second Mother
8.031

After leaving her daughter Jessica in a small town in Pernambuco to be raised by relatives, Val spends the next 13 years working as a nanny to Fabinho in São Paulo. She has financial stability but has to live with the guilt of having not raised Jessica herself. As Fabinho’s university entrance exams approach, Jessica reappears in her life and seems to want to give her mother a second chance. However, Jessica has not been raised to be a servant and her very existence will turn Val’s routine on its head. With precision and humour, the subtle and powerful forces that keep rigid class structures in place and how the youth may just be the ones to shake it all up.



The Orphanage
7.228

A woman brings her family back to her childhood home, which used to be an orphanage, intent on reopening it. Before long, her son starts to communicate with a new invisible friend.



Clock
Clock(2023)
5.552

On the eve of her 38th birthday, a woman desperately attempts to fix her broken biological clock.



Tenderness
5.2

A hardened cop tries to unravel the past to discover whether a violent teenager was responsible for the murder of his family. A confused fifteen-year-old runaway becomes enthralled with the young man.



The Beckoning
5.9

Francesca is a pediatrician who is dedicated to both motherhood and children, married to another physician, Pedro. After the birth of a new child, Francesca begins to suffer from postpartum depression. Following the advice of friend and psychiatrist Jean, the couple move to a new home away from the city…



Consenting Adults
5.4

Richard and Priscilla Parker are an ordinary suburban couple whose lives are invaded and rocked by their hedonistic, secretive new neighbors, Eddy and Kay Otis.



Tully
Tully(2018)
6.8

Marlo, a mother of three, including a newborn, is gifted a night nanny by her brother. Hesitant at first, she quickly forms a bond with the thoughtful, surprising, and sometimes challenging nanny named Tully.



The Inheritance
5.781

Billionaire Charles Abernathy, on the eve of his 75th birthday, invites his four estranged children back home out of fear that tonight someone – or something – is coming to kill him. To ensure his family will help protect him from whatever’s coming, Abernathy puts each of their inheritances on the line – they’ll get nothing if he’s found dead by dawn.



The Manny
The Manny(2015)
6.326

Young industrialist Clemens Klina doesn't have time for his children and accidentally hires a man who actually came to him, seeking revenge, as a nanny for them.



The Babysitter
5.188

Jennifer (Alicia Silverstone) is a lovely teen who has been hired to baby-sit the kids of Harry Tucker (J.T. Walsh) and his wife, Dolly (Lee Garlington). The Tuckers go to a party and proceed to get inebriated, with Mr. Tucker fantasizing about his beautiful baby sitter. Meanwhile, Jack (Jeremy London), her boyfriend, and Mark (Nicky Katt), another guy interested in her, decide to spy on Jennifer at the Tucker house, with each young man also fixated on her.



Martyrs Lane
6.1

Leah, 10, has terrible nightmares. Her mother seems distant somehow, lost in her thoughts. A small, nightly visitor brings Leah comfort, but soon Leah will realize that her little visitor offers knowledge that might be very, very dangerous.



The Twin
The Twin(2017)
5.9

Jocelyn's boyfriend is perfect--except for his dangerous identical twin brother, Derek, who just escaped from a mental institution. When Derek unspools a twisted plan of revenge with Jocelyn in his crosshairs, her mother Ashley must act fast before she falls victim to a psychopath.



The Tortured
5.3

An upper-middle-class couple's life is destroyed when their only child is kidnapped and killed. Obsessed with revenge, the couple seizes an opportunity to kidnap the killer.



In Their Skin
5.303

A couple and their young son retreat to their woodland vacation home, only to face sinister neighbors who intend to kill them and steal their identities.



Goodnight Mommy
6.251

When twin brothers arrive home to find their mother’s demeanor altered and face covered in surgical bandages, they begin to suspect the woman beneath the gauze might not be their mother.



A Deadly Adoption
4.871

Things go awry when an author and his wife welcome a pregnant woman into their home, with plans to adopt her baby.



The Uninvited
6.5

Anna returns home after spending time in a psychiatric facility following her mother's tragic death and discovers that her mother's former nurse, Rachel, has moved into their house and become engaged to her father. Soon after she learns this shocking news, Anna is visited by her mother's ghost, who warns her that Rachel has evil intentions.



Come Back to Me
5.7

Sarah and Josh are married suburbanites. After a car accident, Sarah suffers blackouts and ends up pregnant though Josh is sterile. As her life spirals she hides a camera in her home and unlocks a horrific secret with far-reaching consequences.



Mommy
Mommy(2014)
8.2

A peculiar neighbor offers hope to a recent widow who is struggling to raise a teenager who is unpredictable and, sometimes, violent.



Cradle 2 the Grave
6.111

Gang leader Tony pulls off a major diamond heist with his crew, but cop-turned-criminal Ling knows who has the loot and responds by kidnapping Tony's daughter and holding her for ransom. Unfortunately, Tony's lost the diamonds as well. As he frantically searches for his daughter and the jewels, Tony pairs with a high-kicking government agent who once worked with Ling and seeks revenge on him.



Nightmare
Nightmare(1964)
6.8

A young student is haunted by recurring dreams of her mother murdering her father, but her nightmare is just beginning as she tries to prove to her loved ones that she is not insane.



Greta
Greta(2019)
6.561

A young woman returns a lonely widow’s lost purse, leading to an unlikely relationship between the two — until the young woman discovers the widow might not be all that she seems.



The Babysitter
6.2

When Cole stays up past his bedtime, he discovers that his hot babysitter is part of a Satanic cult that will stop at nothing to keep him quiet.



The Woman in the Yard

In the aftermath of her husband's death, widow Ramona's struggle to raise her two kids is hindered by the arrival of a mysterious woman with supernatural abilities.



The Dentist
5.532

Dr. Alan Feinstone has everything: a beautiful wife and a successful career in dentistry. However, when he discovers his wife's affair, he realizes that behind every clean, white surface lies the stench of decay.



Fear
Fear(1996)
6.511

Nicole Walker always dreamed of being swept away by someone special — someone strong, sexy and sensitive who would care for her more than anything else in the world. David is all that and more: a modern-day knight who charms and seduces her, body and soul. But her perfect boyfriend is not all he seems to be. His sweet facade masks a savage, dark side that will soon transform Nicole's dream into a nightmare.



Baby Blues
6.01

On a secluded family farm, a mother suffers a psychotic break due to postpartum depression, forcing the eldest son to protect his sibling from the mother they have always known and loved.



Mommy Would Never Hurt You

Riley wants to rebuild her relationship with her mother and little sister, who are shut-ins due to her sister's illness. When Riley realizes her sister may not be sick, her mother will stop at nothing to keep her daughters with her forever.



The Watcher
5.33

Unaware of its terrible history, a young couple purchases their dream home. But it soon becomes clear that they may not be alone in the house... and that someone -- or something -- is determined to drive them out.



Babysitter
5.831

After a sexist joke goes viral, Cédric loses his job and embarks on a therapeutic journey to free himself from sexism and misogyny. He and his girlfriend hire a mysterious and liberated babysitter to help shake things up.



The Housemaid
6.4

Eun-yi is hired as a maid in a mansion owned by a wealthy businessman. He quickly starts seducing his employee who seemingly has little choice but to comply with his sexual advances. Soon the women of the family plot against Eun-yi who must fight an equally devious battle to protect herself.



First Born
5.103

Laura's expecting. Her husband, Steven's a loving guy but has little time for her. Her mom lives thousands of miles away. Forced to give up on her dreams, she's always been a bit edgy. A C-section drives her over the edge, making her see things in a different light. A creepy babysitter doesn't make things any better. She begins seeing things, trusts no one, as she goes into self-destruct mode.



Danika
Danika(2006)
5.071

Traumatized since childhood by her brother's accidental death, Danika Merrick hallucinates a bank robbery and quits her job. Despite support from her three children and loving husband, Danika continues to experience unnerving visions. She seeks help from therapist Evelyn Harris but pervasive reports of violent incidents involving children make Danika fear for her own family, and she grows increasingly paranoid, worrying she may be going insane.



Don't Worry Darling
6.777

Alice and Jack are lucky to be living in the idealized community of Victory, the experimental company town housing the men who work for the top-secret Victory Project and their families. But when cracks in their idyllic life begin to appear, exposing flashes of something much more sinister lurking beneath the attractive façade, Alice can’t help questioning exactly what they’re doing in Victory, and why.



Smile
Smile(2022)
6.666

After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain.



The Son
The Son(2019)
5.397

Painter Lorenzo's life spirals out of control as he fears his wife is trying to isolate him from their infant son.



The Disappointments Room

A mother and her young son release unimaginable horrors from the attic of their rural dream home.



The Bad Seed
7.1

Air Force Colonel Kenneth Penmark and his wife, Christine, adore their daughter Rhoda, despite her secret tendency for selfishness. Christine keeps her knowledge of her daughter's darker side to herself, but when a schoolmate of Rhoda's dies mysteriously, her self-deception unravels.



Paranormal Activity

After a young, middle-class couple moves into what seems like a typical suburban house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be demonic but is certainly the most active in the middle of the night.



Beneath
Beneath(2007)
5.381

Christy returns to her hometown years after a car accident that disfigured her older sister. Haunted by the accident in which she was the driver, she learns that her worst nightmares have either come true ... or are about to.



Pacific Heights
6.3

A couple works hard to renovate their dream house and become landlords to pay for it. Unfortunately one of their tenants has plans of his own.



Dreamkatcher
5.1

Gail is forced to come to terms with Josh, her new stepson, at a remote country home. After stealing an evil talisman from a mysterious neighbor, Josh has sinister dreams of his dead mother, who commands Josh to murder Gail. When Josh's dad returns, he and Gail suspect that their son has been possessed by an ancient, bloodthirsty spirit. Is it too late to save Josh's life — or their own?



What the Peeper Saw

A wealthy author's second wife begins to suspect that her 12-year old stepson may have murdered his mother, who mysteriously died in a bathtub accident.



Chasing Sleep
6.006

A college professor wakes up to find his wife has not returned home, then struggles to understand her disappearance.



Insidious
Insidious(2011)
6.9

A family discovers that dark spirits have invaded their home after their son inexplicably falls into an endless sleep. When they reach out to a professional for help, they learn things are a lot more personal than they thought.



Glass House: The Good Mother

One year after losing their son David, Eve Goode and her husband Raymond Goode adopt the orphan Ethan Snow (and his teenager sister Abby Snow and bring them to their mansion nearby a lake. Abby faces difficulties of adaptation in her new home, and she confronts Eve, who proves to be deranged and unstable. When Ethan gets sick, Abby tries to contact their friend, detective Ben Koch, and she realizes that her brother and she are trapped in the house.



Cheap Thrills
6.4

Recently fired and facing eviction, a new dad has his life turned upside down when he meets a wealthy couple who offer a path to financial security... but at a price.

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