Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- Moderate
- delirious
- paranoid
- lurid
- late night horror viewing
- cult movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film visually inventive and deliberately playful but narratively incoherent, with John Lithgow's split-personality performance as its chief strength.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
John Lithgow performs multiple identities within Carter Nix's divided psyche, while the plot repeatedly revises the apparent roles of Carter, Cain, Josh, and Margo.
The kidnappings, hypnotism, family pathology, and adulterous affair are presented through flamboyant imagery and deliberately improbable thriller mechanics.
The film is noted for Brian De Palma's highly executed, suspense-oriented camera movements, including extended visual passages around abduction and pursuit.
Carter's concern with child upbringing is connected to his disgraced psychologist father's mind-control experiments and the threat posed to his daughter.
Films like Raising Cain, and why
Peeping Tom
stylized psychological horror, voyeuristic suspense, and fractured identity
Dressed to Kill
split-personality thriller, elaborate visual set pieces, and unreliable perceptions
The Shining
psychological horror, identity fracture, and unsettling family pathology
Body Double
campy crime thriller energy, unstable protagonists, and flamboyant formal experimentation
Movie Details
- Director
- Brian De Palma
- Release Date
- 1992-08-07
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (412)
Cast
- John Lithgow
- Lolita Davidovich
- Steven Bauer
- Frances Sternhagen
- Gregg Henry
- Tom Bower
- Mel Harris
- Teri Austin
- Gabrielle Carteris
- Barton Heyman
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Raising Cain about?
- A flamboyant psychological horror thriller turns a troubled marriage, child kidnappings, and a psychologist’s fractured identity into a delirious De Palma nightmare.
- What is Raising Cain like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Raising Cain as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as dense.
- Is Raising Cain violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Raising Cain as moderate.
- What did critics think of Raising Cain?
- Critics broadly found the film visually inventive and deliberately playful but narratively incoherent, with John Lithgow's split-personality performance as its chief strength.
- Which films are like Raising Cain?
- Films with a similar feel include Peeping Tom, Dressed to Kill, The Shining, and Body Double.
- How long is Raising Cain?
- Raising Cain runs 92 minutes.
- Where can I watch Raising Cain?
- In United States, Raising Cain streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
