The Hand is a 1981 American psychological horror film written and directed by Oliver Stone, based on the novel The Lizard's Tail by Marc Brandel.

Caine plays Jon Lansdale, a comic book artist who loses his hand, which in turn takes on a murderous life of its own.

In the heat of an argument, Anne accidentally pulls back too fast while Lansdale is waving down the truck driver, causing his right hand to be completely severed.

Lansdale starts a painful adjustment to not having his drawing hand, while Anne deals with the guilt of having caused the accident and tries to get closer to her husband.

The couple move to New York and Lansdale is approached by his friend and agent Karen Wagner to co-produce his comic with another artist, David Maddow.

After his final meeting with Wagner, Lansdale comes forth with his intention to take an offer to teach at a small community college in California.

The hand crawls to a nearby spare tire and explodes into a puff of smoke, before wrapping itself around Lansdale's throat and causing him to lose consciousness.

Discovering that Anne is still alive, Lansdale attempts to explain what happened when the officers notice a pungent smell permeating the area in the carport around the car, specifically from the trunk.

Lansdale tries to prove that nothing is wrong by opening the trunk, only to be horrified by the sight of Stella and Brian's dead bodies stuffed inside.

Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, "The Hand" gained a cult following over the years, with some viewers appreciating its unique approach to psychological thriller elements and Michael Caine's performance in the film.

wrote, "Clearly out the Orlac and Beast With Five Fingers mode, The Hand is just as silly as the fictional comics drawn up by its protagonist, but Stone mostly plays it as a straighter-than-straight schizoid thriller that examines psychological breakdowns more so than the visceral fallout.

"[11] Vincent Canby from The New York Times gave the film a positive review, writing, "Mr. Stone's screenplay is tightly written, precise and consistent in its methods, and seemingly perfectly realized in the performances of the very good cast headed by Mr.

"[12] On the October 23, 1981 episode of the sketch comedy TV series SCTV, the film was parodied as a trailer promo skit as My Bloody Hand[13] with Dave Thomas as Caine's character Bubba Ashley, a writer from Jackson, Mississippi and Catherine O'Hara performing Marcovicci's role, as he deals with the difficulties and prejudices of having an exaggeratedly oversized hand by a group of bigots led by John Candy to trying to earn a spot on a basketball team dominated by African-Americans.