As I was discovering my love of movies in the 80s, the first director I ever fell for was Brian De Palma. There was a time when people would ask me what my favorite movie was, and I’d answer BLOW OUT. Fox 16 out of Little Rock played the film often, and its style absolutely blew me away. Later, as a young teenager, my family was at our local video store, and we rented THE UNTOUCHABLES. I was sulking because I wanted to rent something different, but my brother wanted THE UNTOUCHABLES, and he won out that night. I remember watching the movie that evening, and I’m so glad my brother got his selection because I loved it so much. To this day, we still laugh about that night and how happy I was to discover that I was wrong. Which brings me back to RAISING CAIN. As an obsessed De Palma fan, I was very excited about RAISING CAIN when it was being released in 1992, and I eagerly watched it in the theater on opening weekend. I watched it again on VHS when it was released a little later, but I haven’t watched it now in many years. It seemed like the time was right for a revisit.

The film stars John Lithgow as Dr. Carter Nix, a child psychologist whose work involves studying the development of children. He’s also a husband and father, living with his wife Jenny (Lolita Davidovich) and their young daughter, Amy. At first glance, Carter seems like a devoted father who just happens to take his work very seriously, but we soon learn that all is not well in the Nix household. It seems that Carter has multiple personalities, and not all of them have the best of intentions. Jenny’s life and relationships are also more complicated than they might initially seem, and the farther the story progresses, the more dangerous things become for her and Amy!

With RAISING CAIN, I wanted to revisit a movie from my past that really meant something to me when it was released, but that has kind of fallen by the wayside since. What’s interesting is that I bought the 2016 Shout Factory Blu-ray release many years ago and had never even opened the package. I finally decided to crack it open and see what all I had. I was surprised to learn that the Blu-ray included two distinct cuts of the film: the theatrical cut, which was the only version I’d ever seen before, and the newer “Re-cut.” The Re-cut is a version that was put together by Dutch filmmaker Peet Gelderblom that followed along with De Palma’s draft script. What’s interesting is that De Palma has given this cut his full endorsement and called it the version he really wanted. Naturally, I decided to check them both out for fun, because I wanted to know which one I preferred. I mean, just because De Palma preferred the Re-cut doesn’t necessarily mean that I would! And to be honest, I knew that spending all this time with early 90s Brian De Palma again would be a blast, regardless of which cut I was watching.

No matter how you slice it, a big part of what makes RAISING CAIN work is John Lithgow. He seems to be having a ball playing multiple personalities, and he also plays his own unhinged father. At times, his shift in personality is abrupt and obvious, while at other times, he holds back, and we aren’t sure which personality is at the front until he acts, and sometimes violently. These moments create some of the most effective surprises in the film. Lolita Davidovich is just so beautiful, and she’s very good as Jenny. Her marriage and family life aren’t as good as they appear on the surface, and she also has unresolved feelings for Jack (Steven Bauer), a man she had known and fallen in love with prior to her marriage. Jack just happens to show back up in her life as our story begins. As crazy as the story gets, and even though Davidovich makes her own share of questionable decisions, she’s still someone we can root for as the story moves forward. I also want to shout out Frances Sternhagen, who has a supporting role as Dr. Lyn Waldheim, whose knowledge of Carter’s past becomes important as the mystery unfolds. She nails the role.

I do think that a person’s enjoyment of RAISING CAIN could be affected by how much they’re willing to go along with De Palma’s directorial excesses. It’s easy for me, because that’s one of the main things I love about his movies. The stylish camerawork and sometimes over the top performances and situations are what drew me in in the first place. However, I can also freely admit that there are times when the film’s outrageous situations and performances become so exaggerated that what could be a genuinely disturbing psychological thriller can get lost as style threatens to take over substance. That’s part of the fun for me, but I do understand how it could take others out of the story. One of the best things about movies is their subjective nature, and while the film works for me, it may not for everyone.

After watching both the theatrical cut and the Re-cut, I have to admit that I think the newer version works a little better. The main reason is that it keeps more of its cards close to the vest when it comes to Carter’s personalities, building more suspense and making some of the later revelations that much more effective. I enjoyed the experience of approaching the story from a different angle. It didn’t suddenly turn RAISING CAIN into a completely different movie for me, and I still love both versions, but it did give me a new appreciation for what De Palma’s true vision was.

For me, RAISING CAIN still holds up as a super entertaining psychological thriller that gives John Lithgow plenty of room to show off his talents. It’s a true “De Palma film,” so it might get a little carried away with its own twists and turns, but I really enjoyed revisiting the theatrical cut and especially discovering the new cut. Neither version will take over those spots I’ve reserved for BLOW OUT, THE UNTOUCHABLES, or DRESSED TO KILL, but that’s fine and dandy. I still loved it, and after all this time, I’m glad I finally opened that Blu-ray!