Rating: 
Summary: Split-Personality Horror Suspense That Outdoes Even Psycho
Review: One of the most jolting and disturbing horror thrillers ever made, "Raising Cain" centers around the character(s) played by John Lithgow, as a man outwardly known as Carter but in whom lie submerged a number of other personalities, including the malevolent title character Cain. Carter, as it turns out in the first few minutes of the film, was the original personality but was split off into new side personalities as a result of the deliberate infliction of trauma by his father for the purpose of researching multiple personalities (one of the most disturbing incarnations of the 'mad scientist' idea ever seen on film). The re-emergence (or raising) of Cain and the subsequent abduction of the child of Carter and his wife Jenny (well played by the underrated Lolita Davidovich) sets off one of the scariest movies in history, with riveting suspense and visual shocks that are literally jolting, like few movies have ever achieved. Extremely recommended for horror, suspense and mystery fans. To see more of the cream of the crop in the same vein, also be on the lookout for "When A Stranger Calls Back", "Mute Witness", the 1990 "Buried Alive" (the one with Tim Matheson, Jennifer Jason Leigh and William Atherton) and the first 3 "Psycho"s.
Rating: 
Summary: Flashy thriller, not for the faint-hearted
Review: A disturbed psychologist (John Lithgow) begins to demonstrate symptoms of apparent multiple personalities after his adulterous wife (Lolita Davidovich) stumbles on his plans to kidnap a number of children and recreate the horrific experiments of his equally deranged father...Following the excesses of his Vietnam blockbuster "Casualties of War" (1989) - unfairly overshadowed by the simultaneous theatrical release of Oliver Stone's "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989) - and the commercial misfire of "The Bonfire of the Vanities" (1990), director Brian De Palma opted for a brief return to the kind of small-scale movies which had established his reputation in the 1970's. "Raising Cain" (1992) is an intimate, character-driven thriller which allows the director to indulge his penchant for visual dexterity on a grand scale. A masterpiece of camerawork (Stephen H. Burum) and editing (Paul Hirsch, Bonnie Koehler, Robert Dalva), De Palma's own script takes a potentially distasteful subject (the emotional abuse of children) and neatly circumvents audience discomfort by telling his convoluted story via a seies of increasingly skilful set-pieces, each of which contains either a visual twist, a jump-through-the-roof shock, or a nerve-shredding escalation of narrative suspense. Lithgow anchors proceedings in a number of roles, each distinct from one another and brilliantly executed, and Davidovich is every bit his equal as the tormented wife who falls prey to his twisted psychology, while veteran stage actress Frances Sternhagen almost steals the show as a terminally ill psychologist who unlocks the secret of Lithgow's personality disorder, with devastating consequences. The film also co-stars Steven Bauer ("Scarface") and Mel Harris (TV's 'thirtysomething'), both excellent. Watch out for the inevitable Hitchcock/Argento references, and brace yourself for the breathtaking slow-motion climax, orchestrated to perfection by a director who's clearly in love with his chosen medium. Be warned, however - "Raising Cain" is NOT for the faint-hearted! Oddly enough, De Palma chose to shoot the film at 1.85:1 (reproduced here in letterbox format, anamorphically enhanced) instead of his beloved scope ratio, but the results are no less impressive. Universal's region 1 DVD runs 91m 25s, and aside from a fabulous trailer (a blistering encapsulation of the movie's dramatic ambitions) and some OK production notes, the disc is a no-frills affair. Released theatrically in Dolby Stereo, the Dolby 2.0 surround track is efficient but unremarkable, and the DVD contains English captions and subtitles.
Rating:
Summary: For DePalma fans--a real treat!
Review: A great disc for DePalma fans. A clever, tricky story told with immense visual flair--flashbacks, dream sequences, slow-motion--it's all there. The trailer is great too.
Rating: 
Summary: Over-the-top Or Not, LITHGOW ROCKS!
Review: Alright, look. So many people say that this is DePalma's worst. Okay, fine. Who cares. Apparently it meant enough to you to spend your time writing a review. The bottom line is this is a cool movie. To say that this is a Psycho rip-off, is to single it out from the dozens of other films that have stolen from Hitchcock. Everybody steals from everybody. When something works, you use it. You make it your own. Get over it. Norman Bates and Carter Nix comparison: both have a female multiple who has them wearing a dress and both dump bodies in a lake. That's it. Otherwise, they're nothing alike. A split personality is a good ailment to pair with murderous tendencies. Hollywood latches on to a lot of lame ideas that didn't work from the getgo, but this one they got right. And if nothing else, it has John Lithgow giving one of the finest performances in his career and people need to recognize that. Quite a stretch from Third Rock From the Sun, eh? Range is everything. I was confused by the dream sequences and continue to wonder exactly how Lolita Davidovich got from Steven Bauer's hotel room back to her and Carter's home if her car ride was a dream. Bizarre, yes. Bad, no. Deserves to be seen becasue Lithgow is amazing to watch.
Rating:
Summary: John Lithgow as I've never seen him!
Review: Great film from Brian DePalma, about mulitple personalities and childhood trauma. John Lithgow was great, although I did notice the acting was a bit overdone at times. Great camera work, it really set the mood for this movie and I recommend it, although it's not something I'd watch more then once.
Rating:
Summary: A mess, but often an entertaining one
Review: How often have you seen a film as silly and preposterous as it is entertaining. Here's one. Lithgow plays a mad doctor who involves his sons in a plan to get him kids for his scientific experiments. Though by no means does it go up with the great Hitchcock films, for a film of its kind, this occassionally engrossing and fun mess has enough laughs and to keep you guessing. Lithgow is great as always.
Rating: 
Summary: Confusing, silly, and unbelievable
Review: I agree with the review below by Steven that says this is the worst Brian DePalma film ever. The plot is completely ridiculous. The cinametography is distracting and takes away from what's going on. And the action isn't really all that much fun to watch. It's just gory and boring.
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps Brian DePalma's Very Worst Movie
Review: I am somewhat of a Brian DePalma fan and first saw this film in a theater on a double-bill with the Walter Hill action movie "Trespass." There are poor Brian DePalma film such as "Scarface," "Body Double," and "Snake Eyes." And, then, there is "Raising Cain." I have never seen a worse Brian DePalma film. Furthermore, this movie is on my personal list of The Top Ten Worst Films In Movie History. The film is an incomprehensible blend of DePalma's vastly superior "Sisters," Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho," and Michael Powell's "Peeping Tom." I found the movie to be so made up of flashbacks as well as the musings and fantasies of the characters that I couldn't understand what was actually going on in the story. I have rarely found a movie to be so unintelligible. John Lithgow, who previously worked with DePalma in two far more superior films("Obsession" and "Blow Out"), is perfectly wasted in this picture. Like William Friedkin, Brian DePalma is a once magnificent director who forgot how to make great movies. I am sad to know that the director of the brilliant "Dressed To Kill" has fallen to making such dreck. "Raising Cain" is a complete failure. This movie is only for those who feel that they need to see every Brian DePalma film.
Rating:
Summary: passer
Review: I should coco. Mix me another chunder Bridges you passer. Blither blather u passer. Botion.
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't Raise Any Cain For Me
Review: John Lithgow is a decent actor who has made good acting roles before but this is a bit of a strech for a man of his talent. In this over the top and viloent film about a pair of twin brothers who will stop at nothing to procure children for their father's scientific experements. Lithgow has all the attentin in a moronic script that is somewhat similar to Hitchcock or even Welles. Laced with blood and Chills this film doesn't add up to much. Best scene was when Lithgow keeps changing his mutiple personalties to hide his guilt.
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