History Film / TheHandThatRocksTheCradle

Dr. Mott's widow (Rebecca De Mornay), after losing her child from the stress of her husband's suicide as well as the financial fallout, vows revenge on Claire's family, and sets herself up as a nanny that the family hires, not knowing her true identity. Now calling herself Peyton Flanders, Mrs. Mott begins working covertly to bring the family down.

* ArtisticLicense: It's against the law to broadcast the name and picture of a sexual assault victim, yet that's how Mrs. Mott learns Claire's identity. Oddly enough, this could have been avoided had the movie established that, being his wife, Mrs. Mott had only heard about her through her husband directly.

* AxCrazy: Mrs. Mott.
* BabysitterFromHell: Mrs. Mott again.
* BeautyIsBad: Mrs. Mott, ''again''. Despite being very attractive herself, Marlene appears to dislike and distrust her instantly for no other reason than how she looks--and she's not even dressed up at the time!

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Guess who?
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Mrs. Mott, Claire, and Marlene.
* BrokenBird: Subverted. Mrs. Mott is seen heartbroken and devastated in the hospital after her emergency hysterectomy, but her grief quickly turns her into the AxCrazy Peyton.

* ContrastMontage: Mrs. Mott undergoing an emergency hysterectomy while watching her prematurely born baby die is intercut with scenes of pregnant Claire and her family enjoying their day.
* ConvenientMiscarriage: Kicks off Mrs. Mott's plot.

* DeathOfAChild: Mrs. Mott's baby. Subverted with Claire's baby Joey, whom Mrs. Mott nearly smothers before thinking better of it and instead deciding to take over Claire's life.

* TheFakeCutie: Mrs. Mott.
* FirstGirlWins: Averted. During a chat with Mrs. Mott, Claire reveals that Marlene was Michael's first love. Armed with this plus Claire's obvious lingering insecurity, this becomes yet another thing Mrs. Mott uses to her advantage.

* FreudianExcuse: Mrs. Mott wants revenge on Claire because she holds her responsible for ruining her life by reporting her husband to the police.

Claire Bartel (Annabella Sciorra) is pregnant with her second child. At a routine checkup, Claire is molested by an obstetrician, Dr. Victor Mott (Creator/JohnDeLancie), and when Claire tells her husband (Matt [=McCoy=]), the couple decide to report the incident to the authorities. Four more women come forward to corroborate the Bartels' story and Dr. Mott commits suicide.

* TragicMonster: Peyton is a vindictive homicidal lunatic, but one mustn't forget what turned her into such a monster.

* EvilDetectingBaby: Inverted. Baby Joe wails when his own mother holds him, but quiets down in Mrs. Mott's arms. Then again, it ''was'' Mrs. Mott's breast milk.

* EvilGloating: Peyton does to Solomon after he accidentally witnesses her breastfeeding Joey and to Claire when she has her at her mercy when she’s having an “asthma attack”.

* TraumaCongaLine: Mrs. Mott gets this in spades. Within a very short timespan her husband shoots himself, she is branded the wife of a serial rapist (which she possibly only just found out), has all her assets frozen, and suffers a late term miscarriage that leads to a full hysterectomy. It's little wonder she becomes AxCrazy as soon as she recovers.

* HumiliationConga: A rather dark and brutal example with Mrs. Mott. In a very short timespan her husband shoots himself, she is branded the wife of a serial rapist (which she possibly only just found out), has all her assets frozen, and suffers a late term miscarriage that leads to a full hysterectomy. It's little wonder she becomes AxCrazy as soon as she recovers.

** Its helped by the fact she’s played by Rebecca DeMornay.

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Claire’s husband advising her to go to the police after being molested by Dr. Mott causes a disastrous fallout the results in Peyton infiltrating their home and wreaking havoc.

** She later gives one to Solomon when he accidentally gets a little paint on her blouse, [[BitchInSheepsClothing revealing a little bit of her true colors but then reverts back to a very friendly persona and tells Solomon “that it was an accident and that anyone can have an accident.”]]

* AssholeVictim: Besides Peyton, nobody is really going to miss Dr. Mott.

* AssholeVictim: Besides Peyton, nobody is really going to miss Dr. Mott.

* DeathGlare: Mrs. Mott gives one the Attorney who politely tries to help her get out of her seat after virtually destroying her whole life moments before.

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Claire’s husband advising her to go to the police after being molested by Dr. Mott is what sets off the chain of events that eventually lead to Peyton infiltrating their home and wreaking havoc.

* ChekhovsGunman: Solomon

* MisplacedRetribution: Instead of putting the blame on her [[TakeAThirdOption deceased]] husband for ruining her life, Mrs. Mott goes after one of his victims who reported him to the police.

* ObliviouslyEvil: The Attorney who calmly informs the heavily pregnant Mrs. Mott that the court is taking all of her remaining assets and she’s being kicked out of her own house in light of all the pending lawsuits from her husband’s victims has the audacity to politely offer his hand to help her out of her chair.

* ContrastMontage: Mrs. Mott undergoing an emergency hysterectomy while watching her premature born baby die is intercut with scenes of pregnant Claire and her family enjoying their day.

* {{Frameup}}: Knowing that he's on to her, Mrs. Mott considers it convenient to get rid of Solomon, so she steals the panties of her employer's five-year-old daughter and plants them in his room. With this "evidence" in place, she starts accusing him of pedophilia. At the end, he goes PapaWolf to protect the baby when Mrs. Mott assaults Claire.

* IdiotBall: Marlene holds it firmly in her hands when she reveals to Mrs. Mott that she knows who she is, prompting Mrs. Mott to lure her to her death. It's especially bad considering that she's been suspicious of "Peyton" from the moment they met.

* MisplacedRetribution: Instead of putting the blame on her [[TakeTheThirdOption deceased]] husband for ruining her life, Mrs. Mott goes after one of his victims who reported him to the police.