Raising Cain

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Raising Cain

R

1992

1h 35m

Mystery & Thriller

Horror

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Popcornmeter

65%

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43 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.

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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.

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Mark Salisbury

Empire Magazine

Oct 8, 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.

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Peter Sobczynski

RogerEbert.com

Oct 8, 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.

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

Aug 6, 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.

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Veronica Fitzpatrick

Screen Slate

Aug 21, 2026

At best, it’s an unlikely grandstand for the singular, batty elegance of John Lithgow.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 16, 2025

1.5/4

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

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John Ferguson

Radio Times

Jul 2, 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.

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Chuck T

@magichuck Sep 25, 2026

Poorly executed. Too many bait-n-switch attempts.

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Alain E

@AlainE Sep 11, 2026

Disappointing. Way too many balls in the air. The evil twin brother, infidelities in spirit and in action. The psychologist grandfather who devises unethical experiments and so forth. On Prime.

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Jason H

@RT50328122 Sep 5, 2026

John Lithgow is a great actor, but this movie is ridiculous. De Palma has serious issues with women.

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Max M

@Househuntermax Aug 16, 2026

Like a lot of DePalma movies, the concept is better than the execution. Seems like maybe it was kind of just haphazardly edited. There’s a good movie hiding in here somewhere. Not a strong recommend, but if you’d like Dressed to Kill, you should see this.

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Oaklee D

@ODie63 Jul 31, 2026

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

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mohammed M.

@9mr_0 Feb 21, 2026

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.

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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

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Raising Cain: Official Clip - A Dream of Death

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Raising Cain: Official Clip - Framed for Murder

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Raising Cain: Official Clip - Margo the Nanny

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Raising Cain: Official Clip - Josh the Child

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Raising Cain: Official Clip - Caught by His Wife

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Raising Cain: Official Clip - Drowned in a Lake

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Raising Cain: Official Clip - Daddy's Here

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Raising Cain: Official Clip - Kidnapping Children

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Raising Cain: Official Clip - Confronting Carter

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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

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