Synopsis
When neighborhood kids begin vanishing, Jenny suspects her child psychologist husband, Carter, may be resuming the deranged experiments his father performed on Carter when he was young. Now, it falls to Jenny to unravel the mystery. And as more children disappear, she fears for her own child's safety.
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Cast
- John LithgowCarter Nix / Cain / Dr. Nix / Josh / Margo
- Lolita DavidovichJenny O'Keefe Nix
- Steven BauerJack Dante
- Frances SternhagenDr. Lynn Waldheim
- Gregg HenryLt. Terri
- Tom BowerSgt, Cully
- Mel HarrisSarah
- Teri AustinKaren Bowman
- Gabrielle CarterisNan
- Barton HeymanMack
Recommendations
- 80
The New York Times
Risky as it sounds, Raising Cain is enjoyable precisely because it makes the most of its own lunacy and stays so far out on a limb. The fact that Raising Cain is beautifully made is, of course, another attraction. - 75
Slant Magazine
Rather than clarifying, De Palma’s technique with Raising Cain effectively obliterates the audience’s bearings. Which gives the film’s final sequence—on the surface a shameless swipe from Dario Argento’s killer reveal at the climax of Tenebre—a nasty twist. - 70
Time Out
Lithgow is consistently brilliant, while Davidovich makes a good fist as his wife. A really exciting 90 minutes worth, so long as you don't take it too seriously. - 70
Chicago Reader
Brian De Palma's 1992 thriller borders on incoherence and irrelevance as plot, but as a chance for De Palma to perform stylistic pirouettes around a void, it's full of sleek and pleasurable moments. - 50
Variety
In 1976’s Paul Schrader-scripted Obsession (also featuring Lithgow), DePalma proved he could handle honest sentiment without sending it up. Here he tips the balance toward self-satire. - 50
Washington Post
In his new thriller, Raising Cain, director Brian De Palma addresses his most vivid personal issues -- his obsession with Hitchcock and twins, and the loss of innocence -- but he runs through them impersonally, as if the luster of his own obsessions has worn off. - 50
The Associated Press
It seems the filmmaker just can't decide where he wants to go with this movie. It's far too predictable and just not scary enough to be a chilling thriller. It's not clever or sophisticated enough to be campy. It's far too insipid to be taken as a thoughtful psychological drama. And it lacks the smooth, compelling or joyful ride expected of pure entertainment. [06 Aug 1992] - 38
Boston Globe
To be blunt, Raising Cain is a thriller that doesn't thrill. [07 Aug 1992, p.30]
