Maika Monroe says The Hand That Rocks the Cradle remake is a "completely different movie" to original

It's been over 30 years since The Hand That Rocks the Cradle was released in all of its suspenseful, baby-stealing, white picket fence glory – and in the years since its release, the story about a vengeful nanny out to confront the family she believes stole her life has earned itself a cult following.

Now, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle has been given the remake treatment, with the latest iteration of the domestic psychological thriller now available to watch on Disney+ in the UK – this time with It Follows and Longlegs star Maika Monroe stepping into the central role originated by Rebecca De Mornay.

The remake appears to have a darker premise than its predecessor, this time around being described a horror-thriller, which is probably no surprise, given that Monroe has top billing on the film.

While promoting her other upcoming film Reminders of Him during an exclusive chat with RadioTimes.com – the first trailer of which has just been released – Monroe spoke about how the new rendition of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle differs from the original, and reflected on the process of reinventing the classic.

"The movie we made is a completely different movie," explained Monroe. "I mean, it's called a remake but we were not remaking a movie.

"Really the only similarity is that there's a nanny that shows up and wreaks havoc on a family, but beyond that it's completely different characters.

"So that felt nice that we weren't trying to copy. It felt very fresh and current."

Although in this version, the eerily furtive nanny's name may be Polly and not Peyton, taking on a role that was so closely associated with De Mornay's iconic performance could have easily become an exercise of imitation for Monroe – so how did she approach it?

"You know, I watched the original and I think what Rebecca did was so iconic," she said, "And my god, you know, just trying to honour that, but also, you know, just trying to do your own thing [was important]."

Alongside Monroe, the film stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Caitlyn Morales, Raúl Castillo as Miguel Morales, Caitlyn's husband, and Mileiah Vega as Emma Morales, Caitlyn and Miguel's daughter. There are also roles for Martin Starr, Riki Lindhome and Shannon Cochran.

And with the film now available to stream, whether you're a fan of the original or not, it's certainly set to be the perfect, if mildly unsettling, watch for the Halloween season.

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is available to watch on Disney+. You can sign up to Disney+ from £5.99 a month now.

Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.