Raising Cain

Play trailer

Raising Cain

R

1992

1h 35m

Mystery & Thriller

Horror

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

64%

Tomatometer

42 Reviews

41%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

A highly regarded child psychologist, Dr. Carter Nix (John Lithgow) has shown signs of being unstable, but he completely snaps when he discovers that his wife, Jenny (Lolita Davidovich), is having an affair. Nix's mental breakdown leads to the emergence of various other personalities, including a ruthless thug and a scared little boy. Nix's descent into madness involves murder, revenge and even the abduction of his own daughter, resulting in a suspenseful web of intrigue.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Raising Cain doesn't rank with Brian De Palma's best work, but John Lithgow's spellbinding split-personality performance makes this thriller hard to dismiss.

Read Critics Reviews

Mark Salisbury

Empire Magazine

10/08/2018

De Palma blurs the line between fantasy and reality with gleeful affrontery, creating a dazzling tapestry of visual cheats and narrative trickery which propels his scarcely credible characters and ludicrous plot through to its nervy conclusion.

Go to Full Review

Peter Sobczynski

RogerEbert.com

10/08/2018

"Raising Cain" is one for the books-a thrilling, funny, exciting and creepy exercise in suspense and humor from a master filmmaker firing on all cylinders.

Go to Full Review

Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

08/06/2017

Movies don't get much more De Palma than 'Raising Cain,' and in its new and improved form, it can finally get the praise it deserves.

Go to Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 16

1.5/4

One of De Palma's weakest, this comes off as hokey and jokey rather than clever and suspenseful.

Go to Full Review

John Ferguson

Radio Times

07/02/2025

4/5

John Lithgow, getting into the grisly, over-the-top spirit of the piece, plays a suspect in a series of kidnappings, Lolita Davidovich is his unfaithful wife, and there's solid support from Steven Bauer, Frances Sternhagen and Gregg Henry.

Go to Full Review

Noah Berlatsky

Splice Today

04/22/2025

The incoherence of the script is a liberation, as the characters wander around like lightly-stunned mannequins in some dream ballet.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Oaklee D

@ODie63 5d

Less serious than I thought it would be, it was still enjoyable although didn't pull me all the way in.

See more

mohammed M.

@9mr_0 Feb 21

الفلم جيد. فيلم إثارة نفسية يعتمد على فكرة اضطراب الهوية والانقسام الداخلي، ويقدّمها بأسلوب مشحون ومبالغ فيه أحيانًا. القصة تمشي بإيقاع متذبذب تبدأ بتماسك واضح ثم تدخل في تعقيدات سردية دون أن تضيف عمقًا حقيقي للفلم. الإخراج يميل إلى الاستعراض البصري وحركات الكاميرا اللافتة، ما يمنح بعض المشاهد توترًا فعليًا، لكنه أحيانًا يطغى على منطق الأحداث. الأداء التمثيلي متقلب هناك لحظات قوية ومركزة، يقابلها مبالغة واضحة في لحظات أخرى. التصوير يخدم أجواء القلق والارتياب، والموسيقى تعزز الإحساس النفسي المشحون. باختصار فيلم يحمل فكرة مثيرة وتنفيذه جزئيا جيد ، لكنه غير متوازن، ويعتمد على الأسلوب أكثر من اعتماده على العمق الدرامي.

See more

thiago s

@Thiagostone 07/12/2025

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

See more

Olivia J

@RT02808372 05/02/2025

Sensual and dizzying, Raising Cain probably could only have been brought off by Brian DePalma. This is fiery, disreputable commercial filmmaking that satirizes a lot of serious issues, and it does so gleefully.

See more

Piya S

@piyasqm 04/17/2025

Underrated film with great performances

See more

Yossam I

@Yossam 04/02/2025

Lythgow truly shines in this dark eerie role

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Brian De Palma

Director

John Lithgow

Carter

Lolita Davidovich

Jenny

Steven Bauer

Jack Dante

Frances Sternhagen

Dr. Lynn Waldheim

Gregg Henry

Lt. Terri

Raising Cain: Official Clip - The Baby Thief

2:29

Raising Cain: Official Clip - A Dream of Death

2:19

Raising Cain: Official Clip - Framed for Murder

1:18

Raising Cain: Official Clip - Margo the Nanny

2:06

Raising Cain: Official Clip - Josh the Child

2:55

Raising Cain: Official Clip - Caught by His Wife

1:55

Raising Cain: Official Clip - Drowned in a Lake

2:03

Raising Cain: Official Clip - Daddy's Here

1:49

Raising Cain: Official Clip - Kidnapping Children

2:53

Raising Cain: Official Clip - Confronting Carter

2:23

View more videos

Misery

86%

90%

Misery

Watchlist

Psycho IV: The Beginning

33%

32%

Psycho IV: The Beginning

Watchlist

Candyman

79%

64%

Candyman

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Candyman

Psycho

40%

28%

Psycho

Watchlist

Dead of Winter

77%

48%

Dead of Winter

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

A highly regarded child psychologist, Dr. Carter Nix (John Lithgow) has shown signs of being unstable, but he completely snaps when he discovers that his wife, Jenny (Lolita Davidovich), is having an affair. Nix's mental breakdown leads to the emergence of various other personalities, including a ruthless thug and a scared little boy. Nix's descent into madness involves murder, revenge and even the abduction of his own daughter, resulting in a suspenseful web of intrigue.

Director: Brian De Palma
Producer: Gale Anne Hurd
Screenwriter: Brian De Palma
Production Co: Pacific Western
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $20.5M
Runtime: 1h 35m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo