Raising Cain Synopsis & Review: Plot Summary

🎯 Quick Overview

😅 Plot Summary – Badly Explained

Dad abuses his son to create multiple personalities, then the son grows up to be John Lithgow in various wigs and kidnaps children, resulting in a gloriously confusing mess.

🍿 Raising Cain: Detailed Plot Synopsis

Introduction: A Family Under Strain

Dr. Carter Nix, a child psychologist, takes a sabbatical to spend more time with his wife, Jenny, and their young daughter, Amy. Jenny, an oncologist, suspects that Carter’s interest in Amy’s development is becoming unhealthily obsessive. This creates tension within the family dynamic, hinting at underlying issues.

The Affair and Rising Suspicion

Jenny reconnects with an old flame, Jack, and begins an affair. Meanwhile, a series of child kidnappings plagues the town. Jenny grows increasingly suspicious of Carter’s behavior, noticing unsettling changes and odd disappearances. The film uses dream sequences and unreliable perspectives to create a sense of unease.

Revelations and Twists

The investigation into the kidnappings intensifies, revealing connections to Carter’s past and his estranged father, a discredited psychologist known for controversial experiments on children. The film employs flashbacks and reveals information in a non-linear fashion, heightening the sense of disorientation and mystery. The audience learns about Carter’s multiple personalities, including the sinister Cain.

⚠️ Spoilers and Ending Explained

🎬 Cast & Characters

• Carter Nix/Cain (John Lithgow): A child psychologist with multiple personalities, including the sinister Cain, driven by his father’s twisted experiments.
• Jenny Nix (Lolita Davidovich): Carter’s wife, an oncologist, who becomes increasingly concerned about her husband’s obsessive behavior and suspects him of dark deeds.
• Jack (Steven Bauer): Jenny’s old flame, who rekindles their affair, leading to a dangerous entanglement with Carter’s fractured psyche.
• Dr. Waldheim (Frances Sternhagen): A retired psychologist and former colleague of Carter’s father, who reveals the horrifying truth behind the Nix family’s experiments.
• Dr. Nix Sr. (John Lithgow): Carter’s father, a discredited psychologist who conducted unethical experiments on his son to induce multiple personality disorder.

💬 Memorable Quotes

• Cain: “But hey, I’m not one to hold a grudge. After all, where would I be without you, Baumse?” – Cain taunts his father, Dr. Nix, highlighting their codependent and destructive relationship.
• Cain: “I’m that fucked-up experiment of yours that just won’t go away.” – Cain confronts his father, accusing him of turning him into the monster that he is.
• Cain: “Hickory, dickory, doc. Cain has picked his lock. I’m outta here. The cat’s in the bag and the bag is going in the river. So don’t fuck with me, dad!” – Cain threatens Dr. Nix, showing his violent nature and determination to escape his control.
• Josh: “Hickory dickory dock. Cain has picked his lock. He did a bad deed now Josh comes to bleed. Hickory dickory dock.” – Josh, one of Carter’s personalities, says this nursery rhyme during his hypnotherapy session.

💰Box Office

• Budget: $12,000,000
• Domestic Gross: $21,370,057
• Worldwide Gross: $37,170,057

💥 Raising Cain Reviews

Personal Review

I remember seeing this on late-night TV and being utterly bewildered. The sheer audacity of De Palma’s style, combined with Lithgow’s performance, was both captivating and unsettling. While the plot is definitely out there, I was impressed by how many twists and turns the movie manages to pack in. A wild ride!

• Who would enjoy:
  • “Fans of Brian De Palma’s suspenseful, visually driven filmmaking.”
  • “Viewers interested in psychological thrillers with complex characters.”
  • “Those who appreciate films that explore themes of identity and mental illness.”
  • “Admirers of John Lithgow’s acting range.”
• Content warnings ⚠:
  • “Violence”
  • “Child endangerment”
  • “Mature themes”
  • “Suggestive content”

Professional Reviews

• ScreenRant: “De Palma crafts a visually arresting, if narratively convoluted, psychological thriller, showcasing Lithgow’s range in a multi-faceted role, reminiscent of Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho,’ but with added layers of dream sequences and unreliable perspectives.
• The Wrap: “The movie is a parody/homage/celebration of the kind of razor-inspired fun De Palma spent much of his career perfecting, with the fun (and intentionally self-destructive) gimmick of presenting the movie more or less from Carter’s point of view.
• IMDb: “A better than average movie with superb performances by John Lithgow and Frances Sternhagen. Don’t watch it with high expectations and you’ll be satisfied. The script is for the most part OK, and so is the directing.

Audience Reactions

Lithgow’s multiple portrayals were campy but effective in creating a sense of unease.: The film’s twisty plot and psychological elements captivated most viewers

Frances Sternhagen was fantastic, shining when explaining mental disorder to the detectives.: Frances Sternhagen’s performance was truly remarkable, elevating the overall quality of the movie

Overall Consensus: Dividing audiences with its bizarre plot and overt homages to Hitchcock, Raising Cain is regarded as a flawed but fascinating psychological thriller anchored by John Lithgow’s intense performance.

Awards

🛠️ Behind the Scenes

• “Brian De Palma has expressed regret about the initial editing choices, particularly the placement of the opening scenes. A fan re-edit, later endorsed by De Palma and included on a Blu-ray release, restores the film closer to his original vision.”
• “John Lithgow plays multiple roles, including Carter, Cain, Josh, Margo, and Dr. Nix Sr., which required significant preparation and quick character shifts on set.”
• “The film is heavily influenced by Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho,’ with several visual and plot homages throughout.”

🖥️ How to Watch Raising Cain?

Currently, ‘Raising Cain’ is available for purchase or rental on various platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Vudu. Check your preferred streaming service for availability and pricing, as these may change. Physical copies (DVDs and Blu-rays) are also available for purchase online and in stores.

🎥 Similar Movies

If you enjoyed Raising Cain, you might like these similar films:

• Psycho (1960): Shares themes of fractured identity, psychological horror, and shocking twists, deeply influenced ‘Raising Cain’ visually and narratively.
• Dressed to Kill (1980): Another Brian De Palma thriller exploring themes of identity, sexuality, and murder, with visual style and suspenseful set pieces.
• Fight Club (1999): Explores themes of fractured identity and social commentary through an unreliable narrator and shocking twists.
• Identity (2003): Features a group of strangers trapped in a motel during a storm, where they soon realize they are connected by a shared identity and a dark secret.

🛒 Raising Cain Related Products

• Raising Cain (Blu-ray) [Director’s Cut]: Experience the film as Brian De Palma originally intended with the Director’s Cut, a fan-made version endorsed by the director himself. Includes both theatrical and re-cut versions.
• John Lithgow Signed Photo – Raising Cain: A rare autographed photo of John Lithgow in character from ‘Raising Cain’, perfect for collectors of horror memorabilia.
• Psycho (1960) [Blu-ray]: Experience this cinematic masterpiece directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Psycho’s suspenseful storyline and iconic scenes have deeply influenced the thriller genre, including Raising Cain.
• The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series: This collection includes “The Twilight Zone” episodes, in which John Lithgow has a memorable performance. A superb performance in “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.

🎧 Soundtrack

Raising Cain features a captivating soundtrack that enhances the movie’s atmosphere and emotional impact. Here are some notable tracks:

• “Morning (from ‘Peer Gynt’)” – performed by Edvard Grieg

You can find the complete soundtrack on Amazon Music and Apple Music.

🤨 FAQ

🔥 Bonus Content

Horny John Lithgow

Want a taste of classic 90s thriller acting? Check out John Lithgow in this intense scene from ‘Raising Cain’ – his performance is absolutely captivating and adds so much to the movie!

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