The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (2025) Ending Explained: Who Is Polly?

Welcome to Knockout Horror and to our The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (2025) Ending Explained article. We are going to get straight into this. Remember, there will be major spoilers, check out our review first if you haven’t seen the movie yet. Let’s go!

Who is the young girl whose house is burning down?

The girl at the start whose house is burning down is The Hand That Rocks The Cradle’s antagonist Polly Murphy. It was burned down by this film’s protagonist Caitlin Morales in an act of revenge against her abuser, Polly’s father.

We kick things off witnessing a flashback of a young girl watching a house burning to the ground. We learn, later on, that this is our movie’s antagonist, Polly Murphy (Maika Monroe) as a young girl. The house burning down is hers. Her mother, father, and younger sister are inside.

They will all succumb to the flames and smoke, leaving her an orphan. This is going to play heavily into Polly’s story. She spent time in numerous foster homes and has no family to speak of. We later learn that Caitlin was responsible for this fire.

Why does Caitlin need to hire a nanny?

Caitlin needs to hire a nanny because she is extremely busy at work and she is struggling to balance raising an infant child with dealing with her rebellious daughter Emma.

Fast forward a decent number of years. Polly, now an adult, arrives at an event that matches people who are facing housing difficulties with attorneys who will fight their case completely free (pro bono).

She recently lost her job as a nanny and is being threatened with eviction after her landlord raised her rent which she was unable to pay. Polly has been matched with the heavily pregnant Caitlin Morales (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) as an advisor to work on her unfair eviction case.

Later, after the event is over, Caitlin goes into labour. A few months later, she is now a parent to two children and struggling to manage the burden. Her older daughter, Emma, is also in a particularly rebellious phase which is making Caitlin’s life even more difficult.

Caitlin hires Polly as a nanny

Caitlin has a chance encounter with the still jobless Polly at a farmer’s market. She decides to hire her as a nanny. She finds her easy to talk to and receives a positive reference from a woman called Rosanna who claims Polly cared for her child for a number of years and was amazing.

Polly takes Caitlin up on the offer and everything seems to start swimmingly. Caitlin has a strict routine involving no sugar, no microplastics, all organic food, only breast milk, and no junk food. Polly seems to have a sixth sense for this and immediately integrates into the household perfectly.

Polly gets along perfectly with both Caitlin’s husband Miguel and with her daughter Emma. She’s a natural with the baby, as well. Though we see an early hint at something strange being afoot when she remarks to the baby on not being allowed sugar.

Is there attraction between Polly and Caitlin?

There is definitely some attraction between Polly and Caitlin but it is more on Caitlin’s side than Polly’s. Polly, if anything, is going to use her attractiveness to manipulate Caitlin.

We learn that Polly is a lesbian and Caitlin is bisexual. Caitlin was in a relationship with a woman prior to meeting her husband. This is a big change from the original version of The Hand That Rocks The Cradle and a very nice modern twist.

It is actually going to play heavily into the dynamic between Caitlin and Polly. There is a lot of sexual tension between the two and Polly conjures up some clearly repressed desires in Caitlin.

Does Caitlin have a mental illness?

Yes, Caitlin does have a history of mental illness.

This is perfectly understandable given her tormented history as an abuse victim. She suffers from depression as well as PTSD. This requires daily medication to control.

She is taking the anti-depressant SSRI medication venlafaxine, which is a common drug prescribed to treat depression. It is also effective for anxiety symptoms and symptoms associated with PTSD. This will come into play later on as Polly will use Caitlin’s medication reliance to drug her with Amphetamines.

Why does Polly give Emma cupcakes?

Polly gives Emma cupcakes to establish a pattern of normalising the breaking of Caitlin’s rules. This will help undermine her authority and make Polly a more likeable parental figure. It also helps to normalise the keeping of secrets between the children and her.

While out with the kids, Polly gives them cupcakes and tells them not to tell their mum. If they lie for her, they will be rewarded. She also tells Emma about how she was treated poorly by her foster families. This is another smart move to establish Polly as a victim rather than an aggressor. She looks fragile in the eyes of the children rather than someone who is there deliberately to hurt their mother.

Is Miguel attracted to Polly?

Miguel isn’t attracted to Polly but that’s not for a lack of Polly attempting to seduce him. She frequently rolls around on the floor in suggestive ways, wears revealing clothing, and flirts with him in an attempt to attract his eye.

This is actually one of the first hints that Polly’s intentions are not completely pure.

When she is lying on the floor, it’s made very clear that she is trying to get his attention. She plays with the baby before turning over to talk to him with the camera panning towards her cleavage. It’s not very well executed as the shot is far too shaded but the insinuation was that this was deliberate.

While he may not be clearly attracted to Polly, Miguel is going to continually make exceptions for her and favour her opinion over that of his wife’s. Polly shows him a lot of attention and validates him over and over again.

Why does Polly poison the family?

Polly poisons the family to make Caitlin look inadequate and like she is unable to complete a simple task like cooking. She is effectively gaslighting her.

The fire alarms goes off while Caitlin is cooking and, while she is distracted, Polly slips something into the food she is cooking. This will lead to the family becoming very sick. Everyone is throwing up, including the children. Polly didn’t actually eat any of the food but pretends that she is ill too. Josie even ends up in hospital due to dehydration.

Polly did this to make Caitlin feel even more incapable than she already does. It’s a form of gaslighting that helps to undermine her self-belief and make her think that she needs Polly even more than she really does. This makes her far more necessary and essential.

Why does Caitlin invite Polly to move in?

Caitlin invites Polly to move in because, after everyone got sick from the food that Polly had poisoned, she believed she was incapable of caring for her family and needed more help.

The ultimate goal of the poisoning was that Caitlin will invite Polly to move in as she needed the extra help. This will allow Polly to get much closer to the family and actually share in their living space.

This is exactly what happens. Caitlin invites her to move into a little guest house on their property. Polly moves in and that’s when things start to go very wrong.

We instantly start to see that Polly is far from the doting carer that she claims to be. When Josie is crying, she just leaves her to roam the floor and doesn’t attend to her. Polly never really cared about the kids at all. She just wants to get closer to the family so she can take revenge on Caitlin.

We see further evidence of the brewing sexual tension between the pair later. One such scene sees Polly massaging a tense Caitlin. The next morning, when Caitlin sees Polly sleeping, she steals her sock playfully. Polly shocks Caitlin by reacting negatively to this, the first crack in her facade is beginning to show.

Why does Polly give the baby formula?

Polly gives the baby formula as another way of undermining Caitlin’s self belief and another example of gaslighting. She protests by saying that Caitlin never related the “no formula” rule even though she did. This will make Caitlin doubt herself and also make the family doubt her, too.

Caitlin notices an empty bottle of formula in the bin. This is a strict no-no with Caitlin; she only wants her baby to be drinking breast milk. Confronting Polly, she admits to giving it to Josie as she was out of breast milk.

Caitlin relates how they had discussed the topic of no sugar but Polly denies it, again gaslighting Caitlin to make her feel unsure of herself. Director Michelle Garza Cervera wasted no time getting to the tension once Polly moved in. The conflict ramps up significantly to key the viewer in on just how tense this situation has become.

Why does Caitlin watch Polly having sex?

Caitlin watches Polly having sex with her girlfriend because she is both attracted to her and sexually repressed. She is more attracted to women anyway and Polly being intimate with her girlfriend unlocks more of her repressed desires.

The next night, Caitlin comes home to find that Polly had invited her girlfriend over and they are hanging out with Miguel and eating junk food. Caitlin is starting to feel alienated in her own home.

Later, Caitlin spies on Polly and her girlfriend being intimate. Caitlin will repeat the intimate behaviour they are engaging in later on with her husband, again reflecting her attraction to Polly. She is actively fantasising about her.

Caitlin’s attraction to Polly gives Polly even more control over her. Caitlin likely resents Miguel as she was in a relationship with a woman before meeting him. Her life changed massively then as she became pregnant. Polly gives her a small hint of that life she never got to have.

Why does Polly tell Emma that her mom is pretending to be someone she isn’t?

Polly tells Emma that her mom is pretending to be someone she isn’t to, once again, make Caitlin seem untrustworthy. Emma’s relationship with her mother is already troubled. This statement will create suspicion in Emma and fracture that relationship even further.

We briefly see a conversation between Polly and Emma where Emma expresses her concern about her mum being sad and depressed. Polly tells her that her mum is actually angry and pretending to be something she isn’t.

We will later learn that Caitlin actually is pretending to be someone she isn’t. She’s actually in a witness protection program and has adopted a completely different identity.

Why was Caitlin acting anxiously?

Caitlin was acting extremely jittery and anxious because Polly had been replacing her pills with stimulants. She scratches off the pill identifier code on the pills and replaces Caitlin’s tablets with them. This will cause her to become permanently stimulated and anxious, resulting in lack of sleep, paranoia, delusions, and other symptoms.

Caitlin is becoming increasingly jittery and nervous. She is shaking and losing her grip on reality. We will later learn that this is due to the fact that Polly has replaced her anti-depressants with Methamphetamine. For now, it is presented as her simply suffering a mental breakdown.

Why does Emma say she is attracted to girls?

Emma says that she is attracted to girls because Polly has manipulated her into forming a concrete opinion on something that many children are naturally confused about while young. Once again, this will make Polly seem like the nicer and more understanding parent. She knows that Caitlin will react negatively which will upset Emma and damage their relationship more.

At the dinner table, Emma suddenly brings up that she feels as though she is attracted to girls and not boys. A lot of kids go through these kinds of doubts and confusion but Caitlin has convinced Emma that this doubt is actually not doubt at all. She is actually gay.

Rather than accepting this, as Miguel does, Caitlin instead accuses Polly of putting ideas into her head. This further alienates Emma from Caitlin and angers her. Polly got exactly what she wanted here.

Miguel later suggests that perhaps Caitlin is jealous of the relationship Polly and Emma have. She tells him she is just scared to lose her. Polly’s gaslighting is tearing this family apart.

Where did Emma get the firework?

The firework that Emma set off in the house came from a man selling them from his car at the new year event. Polly deliberately purchased it and gave it to Emma, knowing what would happen and how Caitlin would react.

Caitlin reacts to Emma setting the firework off with rage. She kicks Polly out for being dangerous and irresponsible despite Miguel’s pleas for leniency.

Polly goes to stay in a motel where we see a few scenes designed to indicate that she’s actually pretty whacky… You know, as if all the firework stuff, poisoning the kids, and being a general nutjob wasn’t enough in the first place.

Why does Caitlin invite Polly to stay with them again?

Caitlin invites Polly to stay with them again because her family, Miguel in particular, guilt her into feeling sorry for Polly. She has no family or anywhere to go and they tell her that she overreacted. This is an attempt by Caitlin to repair the damage to her family.

Caitlin finds the motel where Polly is staying and invites her to come and live with them again. Moments later, she is talking to her friend, Stewart, about how little she trusts Polly. It’s clear that, despite the leniency, she still doesn’t trust her.

How does Stewart get Polly’s DNA?

Caitlin’s friend, Stewart (Martin Starr), agrees to help her find out more about Polly. He invites himself into Polly’s guest house and steals many of her personal items including sanitary items. He then extracts DNA from them and uses that DNA to find out exactly who she is via a background check.

Meanwhile, Caitlin tracks down Rosanna, the person who gave her the reference for Polly. She learns that Polly never actually looked after Rosanna’s children. Roseanna just faked the reference after meeting Polly at the addiction clinic and wanted to help her get a job.

When Caitlin returns home, she tells Miguel about Polly lying but he really isn’t interested. He is just pissed that he had to watch the kids for a few hours. The men in these movies are always such massive idiots.

Stewart has the background check results back so calls Polly and invites her to come over. He tells her that he knows all about her past and about Caitlin’s so let’s clear some of that up.

Who is Polly and who is Caitlin?

Polly isn’t actually called Polly at all. She’s actually called Rebecca and she is from San Bernardino. That’s exactly where Caitlin is originally from, only, her name isn’t really Caitlin, either. It’s Jennifer and the two girls share some history together.

As a young girl, Rebecca’s (Polly) house was burned down killing her entire family and leaving her an orphan. She then spent the rest of her life in foster homes where she suffered both mental and physical abuse. The person who burned her house down was none other than Jennifer (Caitlin).

Why did Caitlin burn down Polly’s house?

The reason Jennifer burned the house down is because Rebecca’s father was abusing her and she wanted it to stop. Nobody believed her and she couldn’t escape the situation. Jennifer also knew that Rebecca was being abused by her father too because he would tell Jennifer all about it.

The big question here is why the hell would Jennifer burn down the house with the entire family in it? Well, we have a few possibilities here. One is that Jennifer believed that the man would be home alone, two is it was an impulsive trauma response, and three is it is bad writing.

Victims of abuse have been known to actually take drastic, violent action on their abusers. Some have resulted in collateral victims but cases seem few and far between. Jennifer wasn’t charged with the crime and, instead, was given a new identity (Caitlin) and a brand new life.

This, again, is fairly unlikely. The abuse victim defense is a legitimate one but it’s always difficult to prove that person’s actions were proportionate to the crime they were a victim of. Even if she was punished, however, as a minor there is a fair chance she would be given a new identity. This is something that has happened a lot in the past in many countries.

What is Polly’s plan?

Polly’s plan is to infiltrate Caitlin’s family, make Caitlin look crazy so that she is either committed to a mental hospital or simply has to leave the house, take her family, and then take over her life.

Ever since she found out about Jennifer’s new identity, Rebecca (Polly) has been hatching a plan. She has continued to live in denial about her father abusing either of them and she blames Jennifer for ruining her life. The entire reason she is here now is to take revenge on Jennifer (Caitlin).

She is going to take her life away from her including her husband and her kids. The same way Jennifer took her life away when she burned her house down and killed her family. Whether Jennifer dies or is just left homeless and to live a life of suffering seems inconsequential to Rebecca (Polly).

She plans to do this by infiltrating her home, getting close to her family, switching her pills to meth so she becomes erratic, gaslighting her to undermine her self-belief, have her classed as unstable and taken away from the kids, and then begin a relationship with Miguel.

It’s your classic thriller movie replacement arc. Think Single White Female (1992) but with a bit more of a developed backstory and nowhere near as interesting of a plot. The only problem is, Stewart is on to her and now he needs to be removed from the picture.

Is Stewart killed by Polly?

Yes, Stewart is killed by Polly. Though he survives the initial attack, he will later die in the hospital.

Stewart pleads with Polly to move on and forgive Caitlin. It seems as though he isn’t quite clear on Polly’s intentions. He thinks she, perhaps, just wants to confront Caitlin, not steal her life entirely. This is why he doesn’t call the police and, instead, attempts to reason with Polly. He is almost sympathetic with her.

Polly refuses to forgive Caitlin and makes this very apparent by bashing Stewart around the head with a baseball bat. She takes the evidence and leaves. Stewart will later be found unresponsive and wind up in hospital.

After a visit to the hospital and an encounter with some police who don’t believe her story. Caitlin returns home to find Polly eating breakfast with her family. She tells her to get out before beginning to pack her stuff for her. Polly tries to stop her only to be attacked by Caitlin who, in the scuffle, clobbers Emma on the face.

Miguel forces Caitlin to leave and files a domestic violence charge to keep her from seeing the kids. Meanwhile, we learn that Stewart has passed away. Caitlin goes to take one of her antidepressants before realising that they are actually a completely different tablet.

What was the methamphetamine doing to Caitlin?

The methamphetamine will have been making Caitlin feel like she is crazy.

Caitlin checks the internet and finds out that the pills she has been taking are actually methamphetamine. In someone who suffers from ADHD, this type of medication will increase the levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain which helps increase concentration.

In people without ADHD, it will cause skin crawling, elevated heart-rate, erratic behaviour, shitting your pants, and an overwhelming desire to fight with police.

It has suddenly become clear to her why she has been feeling so jittery. Polly replaced her pills with a stimulant and she has been hopped up on meth for the past few months. She wasn’t actually going crazy.

On a visit with Emma, Emma gives Caitlin a piece of paper that she found in Polly’s room. It is a newspaper clipping from the evidence Polly took from Stewart. Caitlin suddenly realises that Polly is actually Rebecca, the girl who lost her family when she burned her house down all those years before.

She realises that Polly is likely there for revenge against her and that she has to do something about it before someone else gets hurt.

Caitlin confronts Polly.. With deadly results.

Caitlin heads to the house where Polly is now taking on her role. She is even styling her hair exactly the same. Polly lets her in and offers her some water. Caitlin tries to reason with her and apologise for their past history. Polly doesn’t buy into her sincerity and tells her that she still took her family away, even if that was true and, along with that, any chance she had at happiness.

Polly, furious and unwilling to admit that her father abused her too, smashes the baby bottle and stabs Caitlin in the stomach with it. All while giving a super villain speech about how she intends to steal Caitlin’s life, husband, and kids the way she took hers. Meanwhile, Miguel has finally realised that Caitlin might not have been lying after all.

Does Polly die?

Yes, Polly does die, she is killed by Caitlin as she accelerates the car which sends her flying into a post. This leaves her with an arm missing and bleeding out heavily. She passes away shortly after.

Caitlin fights back, eventually pushing Polly through a window before grabbing Josie. She heads to the car and gets in before Polly jumps on the window and starts attacking the glass. Caitlin slams it into reverse and, thanks to someone seemingly ignoring that stop sign, collides with another car. This cartwheels Polly off, fatally injuring her in pretty graphic fashion.

Polly bleeds out on the pavement with one of her arms completely detached. This movie was weirdly graphic in parts. Josie is totally safe, Caitlin is injured but okay, and Miguel and Emma arrive just in time for him to reaffirm that he should have listened to her all along.

Why was Emma repeating Polly’s story to the baby?

Emma repeats Polly’s story to the baby as a small hint that Polly actually managed to get inside Emma’s head. Emma still cares for her and is changed by the time they spent together.

The final scenes show Caitlin looking into the fire pit. Obviously, the events have left her haunted and I can only imagine she would be a complete mess now. She was extremely hurt and very guilty for what happened to Polly, the awful life she led, and the fact that she… well, you know.. died.

The movie ends with a scene depicting Emma telling Josie the same story that Polly told her earlier in the film. Remember, the pair had a connection and a bond that was pretty strong.

Perhaps Polly’s corruption was so deep that it may even leave Emma wanting to avenge her at some point. After all, Polly was the only person who actually gave Emma any real attention. She actually listened to her and cared about what she had to say.

The pair spent an enormous amount of time together. In some way, Polly got what she wanted because she did actually take away something that Caitlin had. She took away her bond with Emma. It’s a fairly intriguing twist on the story that hints that, despite her death, Polly is still very much there and influencing Caitlin’s family forever.

How does the remake differ from the original?

The remake differs from the original in massive ways. In fact, in plot, characters, story setup, and even the sexuality of the characters.

Let’s be honest, people despise remakes. Especially when they take a completely different approach to the story. The Hand That Rocks The Cradle really only shares a name in common with the 1992 original. Here’s just a few of the ways in which they differ.

The most significant change in the 2025 remake is the fundamental motivation and backstory of the two leads. In the 1992 original, the conflict is sparked when the characters are already adults. There is no childhood history between the two. The protagonist, Claire Bartel (Annabella Sciorra), reports her obstetrician (Dr. Mott) for sexual assault.

This act leads to him taking his own life, which in turn causes his grieving widow (Rebecca De Mornay’s “Peyton”) to miscarry her baby and become sterile. Her motive is pure, adult-onset revenge and for quite a simple reason. Claire took her husband, her baby, and her future, so she will systematically take Claire’s. To do this, she will become her nanny and infiltrate her home life. It’s far more straightforward.

The 2025 version makes this conflict quite a lot more personal by rooting it in a shared childhood trauma. Polly and Caitlin were both victims as children, and it’s revealed that Caitlin (then “Jennifer”) set the fire that killed Polly’s family to escape their abusive father. Prompting Polly’s decades-long pursuit for revenge. We also have the added seasoning of Polly suffering abuse as a foster child.

How do the villains in both versions of The Hand That Rocks The Cradle differ?

They differ in huge ways. Peyton Flanders was almost a comic-book bad guy with very clear evil motives. Polly was much more complex and even sympathetic. She is a grounded antagonist with an understandable viewpoint.

1992’s Peyton Flanders is a pretty clear-cut and almost theatrical “villain” invading a near-perfect family. The 2025 remake shifts this narrative into a cycle of trauma, making our antagonist actually quite sympathetic. It’s easy to understand Polly’s desire for revenge.

Where Peyton’s destabilisation tactics were rather domestic and occasionally innocuous (secretly breastfeeding the baby, sabotaging an asthma inhaler, trying to seduce the husband), 2025’s Polly employs a much more violent strategy. The poisoning of the stew and the replacement of Caitlin’s anti-depressants with methamphetamine actually makes her, at least on the surface, a bit scarier.

Polly is a tragic character

Polly isn’t just the proverbial cuckoo in the nest; she’s a victim of profound trauma actively destroying another victim of trauma. The endings are worlds apart. The 1992 film ends with a clear, triumphant victory for the “good” family after a violent climax. You know how 90s thriller movies go. Peyton was a proper villain so she had to die.

The 2025 version sort of opts for a more tragic and ambiguous conclusion. Instead of being decisively killed, Polly dies in Caitlin’s arms in something of a moment of tragic recognition. The biggest difference, however, is that the 2025 version suggests the trauma is contagious.

The final shot of Emma imitating Polly’s gestures implies the “cradle” has already been rocked, and the damage has been passed to the next generation. Remember, the key is in the name right there. This is a cycle of abuse and trauma that is destined to continue.

Thanks for reading!

So, that’s my take on the ending of The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (2025). It’s a massive departure from the original, swapping a straightforward revenge-thriller for a much more tragic (and muddled!) story about a contagious cycle of abuse. It’s hard not to feel a tiny bit sorry for Polly.

That final shot of Emma is the real stinger, proving that Polly, in a way, still won. Thanks so much for dropping by Knockout Horror! I always appreciate each and every one of you who chooses to spend your time here.

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