The Tie That Binds

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The Tie That Binds ★ 1995 (R)

Insipid thriller is a cheap imitation of its cousin, “The Hand that Rocks the Cradle” (made by the same producers), but what the former movie did to the nanny business, this flick does to a whole genre. Leanne and John Netherwood (Hannah and Carradine) are psycho parents out to reclaim their daughter from the lamebrain yuppie couple (Spano and Kelly) who adopted her. Out of all the children there, they choose the one who likes to sleep with a butcher knife under her pillow. Duh! Every “family in danger from psychotic” cliche is employed in a vain attempt to build suspense for the silly conclusion. Dismal directorial debut of screenwriter Strick. 98m/C VHS, DVD . Daryl Hannah, Keith Carradine, Moira Kelly, Vincent Spano, Julia Devin, Ray Reinhardt, Cynda Williams; D: Wesley Strick; W: Michael Auerbach; C: Bobby Bukowski; M: Graeme Revell.