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Within the process of watching an M. Night Shyamalan film, there exists a parallel and simultaneous process of searching for its inevitable twist. This has been true of every film the writer-director has made since his surprise smash debut, “ The Sixth Sense ,” nearly two decades ago. We wonder: How will he dazzle us? What clues should we be searching for? Will it actually work this time?

Increasingly, with middling efforts like “ The Village ” and “ Lady in the Water ”—and dreary aberrations like “ The Last Airbender ” and “ After Earth ,” which bore none of his signature style—the answer to that last question has been: Not really. Which makes his latest, “Split,” such an exciting return to form. A rare, straight-up horror film from Shyamalan, “Split” is a thrilling reminder of what a technical master he can be. All his virtuoso camerawork is on display: his lifelong, loving homage to Alfred Hitchcock , which includes, as always, inserting himself in a cameo. And the twist—that there is no Big Twist—is one of the most refreshing parts of all.

“Split” is more lean and taut in its narrative and pace than we’ve seen from Shyamalan lately. Despite its nearly two-hour running time, it feels like it’s in constant forward motion, even when it flashes backward to provide perspective.

It’s as if there’s a spring in his step, even as he wallows in grunge. And a lot of that has to do with the tour-de-force performance from James McAvoy as a kidnapper named Kevin juggling two-dozen distinct personalities.

From obsessive-compulsive maintenance man Dennis to playful, 9-year-old Hedwig to prim, British Patricia to flamboyant, New York fashionista Barry, McAvoy brings all these characters to life in undeniably hammy yet entertaining ways. There’s a lot of scenery chewing going on here, but it’s a performance that also showcases McAvoy’s great agility and precision. He has to make changes both big and small, sometimes in the same breath, and it’s a hugely engaging spectacle to behold.

His portrayal of this troubled soul is darkly funny but also unexpectedly sad. Kevin is menacing no matter which personality in control, but the underlying childhood trauma that caused him to create these alter egos as a means of defense clearly still haunts him as a grown man. Flashes of vulnerability and fragility reveal themselves in the film’s third act, providing an entirely different kind of disturbing tone.

First, though, there is the abduction, which Shyamalan stages in efficient, gripping fashion. Three high school girls get in a car after a birthday party at the mall: pretty, chatty Claire ( Haley Lu Richardson of “ The Edge of Seventeen ”) and Marcia ( Jessica Sula ) and shy, quiet Casey ( Anya Taylor-Joy ), who was invited along out of pity. But they quickly realize the man behind the wheel isn’t Claire’s dad—it’s Kevin, who wastes no time in knocking them out and dragging them back to his makeshift, underground lair.

Repeated visits from Kevin, with his varying voices and personae, gradually make it clear that their kidnapper harbors multiple personalities. Only Casey, who emerges as the trio’s clever leader, has the audacity to engage with him. As she showed in her breakout role in “ The Witch ” as well as in “ Morgan ,” Taylor-Joy can be chilling in absolute stillness with her wide, almond eyes—as much as McAvoy is in his showiness. She makes Casey more than your typical horror heroine to root for, particularly with the help of quietly suspenseful flashbacks that indicate how she acquired her survival instincts. Her co-stars aren’t afforded nearly as much characterization or clothing, for that matter.

But we also get a greater understanding of Kevin’s mental state through the daily sessions he (or, rather, a version of him) schedules with his psychologist, Dr. Fletcher (an elegant and soulful Betty Buckley ). A leading researcher in the field, she believes having dissociative identity disorder is actually a reflection of the brain’s vast potential rather than a disability. Their conversations, while exquisitely tense, also provide a welcome source of kindness amid the brutality.

And they help us put together the pieces of this puzzle—which is actually a few different puzzles at once. There’s the question of what Kevin wants with these girls. There’s the question of how they’ll escape. But the fundamentally frightening element of this whole scenario is how the various personalities interact with each other—how they manipulate and intimidate each other—and whether there’s an even more fearsome force gaining strength.

West Dylan Thordson ’s score and an expertly creepy sound design help make “Split” an unsettling experience from the very start. But the movie staggers a bit toward the end with some contrivances and coincidences, and it goes in directions that feel a bit exploitative—as if it’s wringing childhood abuse for cheap thrills. I’m still wrestling with how I feel about it, but I know I walked out with a slightly icky sense, even as I found the film engrossing both technically and dramatically.

Still, it’s exciting to see Shyamalan on such confident footing once more, all these years later. Make sure you stay in your seat until the absolute end to see what other tricks he may have up his sleeve.

Christy Lemire

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series "Ebert Presents At the Movies" opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Film credits.

Split (2017)

Rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic content and behavior, violence and some language.

116 minutes

James McAvoy as Kevin

Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey

Haley Lu Richardson as Claire

Jessica Sula as Marcia

Betty Buckley as Dr. Fletcher

Kim Director as Hannah

Brad William Henke as Uncle John

• M. Night Shyamalan

Cinematographer

• Mike Gioulakis
• Luke Franco Ciarrocchi
• West Dylan Thordson

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Film Review: ‘Split’

A welcome return to form from 'The Sixth Sense' director M. Night Shyamalan, whose unhinged new mind-bender is a worthy extension of his early work.

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Multiple personality disorder, like amnesia, is one of those aberrant mental states that has been a curse to those who suffer, but a gift to screenwriters over the years. From Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” to Brian De Palma’s “Dressed to Kill,” filmmakers have long exploited how little we truly understand about the condition — though none has pushed it quite as far as  M. Night Shyamalan  does in “ Split ,” treating dissociative identity disorder not as the twist, but as the premise on which this wickedly compelling abduction thriller is founded: James McAvoy  plays a lunatic kidnapper with at least 23 personalities to his name.

Rest assured, there are plenty of proper twists to follow, none more unexpected than the fact that Shyamalan himself has managed to get his groove back after a slew of increasingly atrocious misfires. To be fair, it’s hard to imagine any writer/director sustaining a career based almost entirely on surprising audiences. And though he lost us for a while there — water-intolerant aliens, anyone? — by trading on ingenuity rather than big-budget special effects, Shyamalan has created a tense, frequently outrageous companion piece to one of his earliest and best movies.

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But Shyamalan isn’t the only one getting a makeover here. Presumably tired of playing handsome, uncomplicated leading men, McAvoy — a talented Scottish actor best known as the young Professor X in the “X-Men” prequels — has recently expanded his repertoire to include unsavory creeps in films such as “Trance” and “Filth.” Those roles may as well have been practice laps for the Olympic main event that is “Split,” in which his performance is splintered between a gay fashion designer, a renegade nine-year-old, an obsessive-compulsive control freak, and a crazy church lady, among others.

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Shyamalan introduces these wildly different personae one at a time, revealing them through the eyes of the movie’s three main characters, a trio of teenage girls taken prisoner from a high school birthday party, who wake up — like the victims in a nightmarish new subgenre of sadism that includes films like “Saw” and “10 Cloverfield Lane” — in a bunker-like cell with only the dimmest clue of the fate that awaits them. Popular above ground, Claire (Haley Lu Richardson) and Marcia (Jessica Sula) are the first to panic, reacting as most audiences probably would in their shoes, while brooding outsider Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy) seems unusually calm … at first, at least.

Trapped underground in an undetermined location (the actual spot is the film’s next-to-last twist), the girls spend several days trying to devise ways to escape. Each attempt will have moviegoers digging their fingernails deeper into their armrests, as McAvoy’s totally unpredictable character manages to gain the upper hand, while the girls try to make sense of the information before them. Meanwhile, to make things a bit easier on the audience, their captor slips out at regular intervals to visit his shrink, Dr. Fletcher (Betty Buckley, the classic “Carrie” actress who also appeared in Shyamalan’s “The Happening”), a sympathetic ear who dispenses exposition by the wheelbarrow.

The more we learn, the scarier McAvoy’s character(s) starts to sound. At the same time, among the would-be victims, only Casey feels fleshed out, as Shyamalan gradually reveals the young lady’s troubled backstory via flashbacks to childhood hunting trips. Taylor-Joy, who recently starred in Robert Eggers’ “The Witch,” has a knack for suggesting dark undercurrents to superficially lovely characters, to the extent that we start to wonder whether McAvoy has meet his match.

Shyamalan’s goal is to keep us guessing, and in that respect, “Split” is a resounding success — even if in others, it could have you rolling your eyes. Still, scaling down to a relatively modest budget and just a handful of locations has forced him to get creative with the script, while a handful of new hires — most notably “It Follows” DP Mike Gioulakis, whose crisp, steady-handed gaze plays against the gritty confusion of the genre — elevate the result in such a way that we’re more inclined to consider the characters’ psychology, even though Shyamalan appears to be making it up to suit his purposes.

Ultimately, “Split” belongs to McAvoy, who has ample scenery to chew, but doesn’t stop there — he practically swallows the camera with his tiger-like teeth. With his head shaved, the actor depends ever so slightly on costume changes (sly contributions from Paco Delgado, who worked on “The Danish Girl”), but otherwise conveys his transformations through body language, facial expression, and accent, as his various selves take “the light” — since, per Fletcher, only one can come out to play at a time. As in “Psycho,” there’s a tendency to over-explain, and while Shyamalan is basically making up rules for dissociative identity disorder as he goes along, the condition has afforded McAvoy the role of his career.

Reviewed at AFI Fest, Nov. 15, 2016. (Also in Fantastic Fest.) MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 117 MIN.

• Production: A Universal Pictures release and presentation of a Blinding Edge Pictures, BlumHouse Prods. production. Producers: M. Night Shyamalan, Jason Blum, Marc Bienstock. Executive producers: Ashwin Rajan, Steven Schneider, Kevin Frakes, Buddy Patrick.
• Crew: Director, writer: M. Night Shyamalan. Camera (color, widescreen): Mike Gioulakis. Editor: Luke Franco Ciarrocchi.
• With: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley, Jessica Sula, Haley Lu Richardson

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Review: M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Split’ Has Personality. O.K., Personalities. Lots.

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By A.O. Scott

• Jan. 19, 2017

At once solemn and preposterous, sinister and sentimental, efficient and overwrought, “Split” represents something of a return to form for its writer and director, M. Night Shyamalan. Or maybe I should say a return to formula. The movie, shot in and around Philadelphia, Mr. Shyamalan’s hometown, proceeds nimbly and with suave misdirection toward a pair of rug-pulling final twists that an attentive viewer will probably be able to anticipate. It’s not exactly a Choose Your Own Adventure, but you can opt either for the pleasure of surprise at the end or for the satisfaction of working out the puzzle as you go along.

Thanks to “ The Sixth Sense ” and “ Unbreakable ” back around the turn of the century, Mr. Shyamalan stands as a pioneer of spoiler-centric cinema. Like those movies, and like his later, lesser entertainments (“The Village”; “The Happening”), “Split” is all plot, an ingenious (and also ridiculous) conceit spun into an elegant ribbon of suspense. The less said about that plot, therefore, the better.

Movie Review: ‘Split’

The times critic a. o. scott reviews “split.”.

In “Split,” three teenage girls are kidnapped by a man with multiple personality disorder. In his review A.O. Scott writes: At once solemn and preposterous, sinister and sentimental, efficient and overwrought, “Split” represents something of a return to form for its writer and director, M. Night Shyamalan. The movie proceeds nimbly and with suave misdirection toward a pair of rug-pulling final twists that an attentive viewer will probably be able to anticipate. The film is lurid and ludicrous, and sometimes more than a little icky in its prurient, maudlin interest in the abuse of children. It’s also absorbing and sometimes slyly funny.

What I can safely divulge is that three teenage girls are kidnapped after a birthday party by a close-cropped guy named Dennis in a buttoned-up shirt. He is obsessed with cleanliness, and he sounds weirdly like John Turturro for a guy supposedly from Philly. In fact, Dennis is played by the soft-eyed, shape-shifting British actor James McAvoy, as are the other 23 personalities residing in the body of a guy who shares the surname of a famous (and famously odd) Philadelphia-born artist .

These “alters” — a word familiar to fans of the Showtime series “United States of Tara” and other pop-cultural treatments of a controversial and often poorly understood psychological disorder — are a diverse bunch. Some are male, some female, at least one is a child (named Hedwig) and another (named Barry) is a gay stereotype. What they want with their captives is not immediately clear. What Mr. Shyamalan wants is to strip them down to their underwear and to explore, exploit and occasionally subvert the basic tropes of the female-victim psycho-slasher movie.

One of the young women — a gothy, spooky misfit named Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy) — is singled out for special attention from the camera (though not, at least initially, from Dennis and his colleagues). Her fellow abductees, Claire (Haley Lu Richardson) and Marcia (Jessica Sula), alternate between panic and defiance, but Casey counsels patience and watchfulness. Flashbacks to a hunting trip she took as a 5-year-old (Izzie Leigh Coffey) in the company of her father (Sebastian Arcelus) and uncle (Brad William Henke) seem to explain the source of her survival skills, though it turns out that those memories have another, darker meaning as well.

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What to Know

Split serves as a dramatic tour de force for James McAvoy in multiple roles -- and finds writer-director M. Night Shyamalan returning resoundingly to thrilling form.

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• What Is Cinema?

M. Night Shyamalan Delivers Twists and Predictable Turns in Split

Unfortunately, I can’t talk about the best thing in Split , the new horror-thriller from writer-director M. Night Shyamalan. This being a Shyamalan joint, it comes loaded with a big twist—one that arrives right at the very end and retroactively casts a kicky, almost irreverent tone over the film. It’s a really fun twist, one engineered mostly to appeal to a certain set of die-hards, sending the audience—or at least those die-hards—out of the theater with a giddy laugh. Those final 30 or so seconds do a lot of work to cover up what is otherwise a mostly engaging piece of hokum, a grim kidnapping tale that makes a silly hash of psychology.

As the marketing materials suggest, Split concerns a man with multiple personalities. Some of them are good—like Barry, a friendly, swishy aspiring fashion designer—and some of them are bad. They’re all played by James McAvoy, an actor best known for his superhero movies who has, in a series of smaller films like Danny Boyle’s art heist/hypnotism oddity Trance and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby , shown hints of a deeper, more versatile actor waiting to crawl out from underneath Professor X. (Not that he’s not good in the X-Men films; he is.) So a role like this one, with its many mannered moving parts, seems like something of a dream for an actor who wants to show us what he can really do. Sure, it’s a role in a January-release horror movie directed by a guy trying to wobble his way back into mainstream respectability—but it’s still a heck of a role!

And McAvoy tears into it, half admirably, half goofily. (Not that goofiness is never admirable; it can be!) He chiefly plays four different alters, carefully giving each an individual tenor and bearing. He’s smooth and gliding as the serenely menacing Patricia. He lisps and jitters as a little boy named Hedwig. (He dances, too, revealing further versatility.) It’s neat to watch McAvoy switch between these distinct people, hardening and softening his malleable (and, it must be said, decidedly handsome) face and finding different timbres in his voice. It may all feel a bit like a preening one-man off-Broadway show, but McAvoy largely pulls the thing off without embarrassing himself.

That said, Split is another entry in the dismayingly vast canon of stories that do a lot to demonize mental illness. Dissociative identity disorder is a controversial topic in psychiatric study, and not one understood with any scientific consensus. But Split treats it as certain, and dangerous, fact. At one point in the film, Barry/Hedwig/etc.’s condition is almost treated like werewolfism, a volatile and unwieldy becoming, endured by its sufferer like a curse. The film, in all its Sybil -esque literalism, is regressive and creakily familiar; its supposed “isn’t this crazy , man??” surprises are never really that surprising. (Except for that last one.) You can’t blame McAvoy for wanting to take on the challenge, just as you couldn’t blame Toni Collette for hamming it up on three seasons of The United States of Tara . But Shyamalan’s impulses are less forgivable.

I nonetheless found myself begrudgingly enjoying Split , stylishly framed and tensely constructed as it is. We’ve seen variations on its plot before: a madman captures and imprisons three young women with intent to do them some kind of harm. Meanwhile, a good-hearted psychiatrist, played by Betty Buckley (this is her second Shyamalan feature—might she be his new muse?), grows ever more concerned about a patient’s worsening mental state. The three women in the dungeon are played by Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson, and Jessica Sula. Sula and Richardson are mostly meant to plead and scream, and they do that well. (While watching the film, I found myself thinking about what a strange and depressing and cruel ritual we make so many—most?—up-and-coming young actresses endure, granting them access to the rest of Hollywood only if we’ve seen them begging for their lives in their underwear first.) Richardson, so lively and present in the wonderful The Edge of Seventeen, manages to give her lines a little shading, as does Sula, but Taylor-Joy, who broke out last year in The Witch , is the only one who’s really been given any sort of character.

Shyamalan is telling a story of abuse here, about internalized childhood trauma that manifests itself in dark ways later in life. Taylor-Joy’s Casey is muted and asocial, a school misfit who, trapped in this sudden horror, pretty quickly decides that she must play a psychological game with her captor rather than try to fight her way out. There’s some odd emotional connection between the two, one Shyamalan tries to elucidate in flashbacks to a hunting trip that a younger Casey took with her father and uncle. Thus Split becomes a movie about Casey reclaiming the agency and strength robbed of her long ago. At least, it seems the movie is going there. Split takes on an unexpected new personality at the very end, standing on its own story to reach something higher. That final twist is a silly doozy—in a good way—but it also diminishes the well-crafted little B-movie that came before. Shyamalan hasn’t changed, it turns out. He’s still the same person.

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Split is twisty, weird, and a great guide to writer-director M. Night Shyamalan's obsessions

Everything Shyamalan loves to explore is in this film, which stars James McAvoy as man with dissociative identity disorder.

by Alissa Wilkinson

There’s a clever hint in Split — I won’t give it away — that the latest thriller by famously twisty director M. Night Shyamalan exists in the same universe as at least one of his other movies.

That hint feels calculated to blow our collective minds. Are all of Shyamalan’s films in the same universe? Most of them are set in and around Shyamalan’s hometown of Philadelphia, as is Split . Could Cleveland Heep from Lady in the Water , out on a stroll sometime, accidentally wander into the Village ? Could Graham Hess find himself administering the Eucharist at church one day to David Dunn ?

Whether or not Split represents the birth of the Shyamalan Unified Cinematic Universe remains to be seen. But Split does unify Shyamalan’s films in other ways, specifically through its three biggest themes, which thread throughout most of the other movies he’s written and directed, from The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable to The Village and The Visit . Even less critically praised entries like The Happening and Lady in the Water echo these themes.

Split might be Shyamalan’s most straightforward exploration to date of these three big themes, but they’re present, in some form or another, in most everything he makes.

1) People are motivated by death and dark secrets

Split pits a trio of teenage girls ( Anya Taylor-Joy , Haley Lu Richardson , and Jessica Sula ) against their kidnapper ( James McAvoy ), a man with dissociative identity disorder (DID). He has 23 identities, and, it seems, a 24th may be readying itself to emerge. His therapist ( Betty Buckley ) is convinced he and others like him hold the key to some discovery that science does not yet understand.

Casey (Taylor-Joy, who was last seen in The Witch ) is introduced to us as a sullen teenager and a clear outsider who’s only at a birthday party for the other girls because Claire (Richardson) felt compelled to invite her out of kindness. When Claire, Casey, and Marcia (Sula) are kidnapped, Casey’s first instinct isn’t to fight back. She despairs. Why even try?

In flashbacks, we come to realize that this instinct comes from both Casey’s loss of her beloved father and a secret she’s been hiding since she was a child. Casey’s been helpless for a long time, and it’s part of why she keeps to herself.

In this way, Casey is just one in a long string of Shyamalan characters who’ve isolated themselves in response to the loss of someone close to them. In Signs , Graham Hess is haunted by the loss of his wife; in Lady in the Water , Cleveland Heep has lost his entire family. David Dunn in Unbreakable is haunted by the near-loss of his wife, which has caused him to suppress an important memory. The village of The Village is created by people seeking to escape their tragedy and loss. Most of the action in The Happening comes from the same place. The Visit turns out to be about losing parents, too. And the whole concept of The Sixth Sense famously hinges on death and loss.

The fact that loss is a trigger for most of Shyamalan’s films is intriguing: There’s no clear biographical motivation for this, although Shyamalan went so far as to produce a fake documentary in 2014 about his own brief death as a child , in order to promote The Village .

Of course, death is hardly an obscure inspiration for movies. But it seems to occupy a special place in Shyamalan’s psyche. He’s interested in how people react to losing someone or something close to them, and his canon reflects that. That feeling of absence where once there was a person, for him, is the ultimate way to explain why people act how they do. Split joins that long line with yet another loss-haunted character.

2) The world contains more than we can see (sometimes)

Shyamalan’s psychological horror/thrillers often suggest that our senses can deceive us, and that what we think we know about the world is often wrong. This is how the famous “Shyamalan twist” usually operates: The characters — and the audience — make a set of assumptions about the world that turn out to be untrue. Surprise!

The Village is the most clearly allegorical of these twists: For most of the film, Ivy and Lucius (and the audience) assume that frightening creatures are keeping the villagers from entering the woods. The truth, of course, is much more complicated. A similar narrative move, in which a basic assumption about the movie’s setup turns out to be false, is what twists The Visit . (Shyamalan also served as a producer on Wayward Pines and directed one episode, which draws on the same uncertainty.)

In some films, like Lady in the Water , The Sixth Sense, and Unbreakable, it’s what the characters believe about themselves that turns out to be totally false. Can we even be sure our minds are accurately feeding us information about our own nature? Or — as in Signs and The Happening — has science really sorted out the natural and supernatural world as neatly as we think?

Split capitalizes on similar moments of pulling the rug out from under the audience. While the characters quickly figure out that their kidnapper has DID and is manifesting multiple personalities, how that condition actually works in this instance is the mystery. (McAvoy’s extraordinarily committed performance — in the credits, he’s listed as playing nine different characters — is a feat of remarkable shape-shifting.)

Shyamalan’s propensity to turn the tables on his characters and the audience works to his advantage in Split, which is actually less twisty than some of his other movies. But because we know it’s a Shyamalan movie, we spend the whole time second-guessing whether what we think we’re seeing onscreen is actually what we’re seeing, and whether the assumptions we’ve made are true. That means even when there’s nothing to second-guess, we’re still second-guessing — and so seemingly simple plot elements (some candy on a table, for instance, or the way someone dances) feel like they could be clues about some unknown mystery. That could be annoying, but in Split it feels like it’s all part of the game Shyamalan is playing with us.

But the self-deception common to Shyamalan’s characters is here, too; Casey has to find the truth about herself and discover her own agency through the fog of trauma in order to stay alive. This self-deception is also refracted in the kidnapper, who has so many personalities warring within him that it’s basically impossible for him to know himself.

As for science, the therapist, Dr. Fletcher, is sure she’s found something remarkable in this patient, something that may unlock mysteries of the human brain and belief in the divine. And she has. It’s just not what she thinks it is.

3) Your trauma is your superpower

This is the main theme of Split , and to be honest, it’s a troubling one. It’s voiced most clearly at the end, by a (literal) predator, who tells Casey that she is pure because of what she’s endured at the hands of others.

Naturally, the words of a predator and a villain should be taken with a hearty dash of salt — but it seems like the movie doesn’t discount this suggestion at all. Split’s whole bent is toward saying that only those who’ve endured extreme anguish or abuse are really capable of surviving in the world, and that they ought, in some manner, to be grateful for it. The kidnapper’s disorder came about as a way to cope with an abusive mother, while Dr. Fletcher is certain that the results of that abuse will give the human race new insight into its own condition, maybe even unlock its own potential.

This is a common trope in superhero stories from Batman to Captain America: Trauma is what gives heroes their powers. And it’s a continued theme throughout Shyamalan’s work as well. In Unbreakable , the superhero connection is made explicit, and trauma is what surfaces David’s potential. In Lady in the Water , Heep’s repressed grief is what makes him powerful. In The Sixth Sense , it’s what gives Cole the ability to see ghosts.

Given how common this trope is, there’s probably some truth buried in it, and some utility to it as well: Trauma is horrible to endure, but those who get through it can develop reactive instincts that can be an advantage in future troubling circumstances.

But the coupling of this suggestionwith DID feels off in Split . Of course, people with DID do at times display extraordinary abilities that don’t seem to fit into what we know about human biology and psychology. There’s an argument to be made, and the movie seems to want to make it, that DID can and even ought be treated as more of a feature than a bug — that the kidnapper’s disorder gives him superpowers, which he developed to survive his childhood abuse. And Casey, too, received a sort of gift from her own trauma.

However, Split isn’t deeply reflective on this point. And by mirroring the trauma-as-superpower trope in both the kidnapper and Casey, the movie runs the risk of exploiting something that lots of people struggle with — both the effects of abuse and disorders like DID — and saying that they’re more special than other people, which could be taken as just another way of saying that they’re weird.

That almost certainly wasn’t Shyamalan’s aim. He tends to like a positive ending, and he seems to be going after something interesting with Split. But while this idea of trauma-induced ability could be taken as empowering, it also feels a little fetishistic here. And Split ’s ultimate outcome is a little troubling for those who actually do struggle with DID. A bit more attention to the implications of the screenplay would have not just avoided some of these pitfalls but also picked up the pace in some spots where the film lags unnecessarily.

Still, even with its drawbacks, Split is a solid encapsulation of what Shyamalan is all about, propelled by all his favorite topics, goosed by the audience’s expectations of a Shyamalan film, and topped off with the signature Shyamalan twist. And if it turns out to launch the Shyamalan Unified Cinematic Universe, too, I doubt fans will complain.

Split opens in theaters on January 20.

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Three girls are kidnapped by a man with a diagnosed 23 distinct personalities. They must try to escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th. Three girls are kidnapped by a man with a diagnosed 23 distinct personalities. They must try to escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th. Three girls are kidnapped by a man with a diagnosed 23 distinct personalities. They must try to escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th.

• M. Night Shyamalan
• James McAvoy
• Anya Taylor-Joy
• Haley Lu Richardson
• 1.1K User reviews
• 574 Critic reviews
• 63 Metascore
• 10 wins & 27 nominations

• Casey Cooke

• Claire Benoit

• Dr. Karen Fletcher

• Five-Year-Old Casey
• (as Izzie Leigh Coffey)

• Casey's Father

• News Anchor
• Game Show Enthusiast

• Kevin's Mother
• Vince, Security Guard

• Academic Moderator
• (as Lyne Renee)
• Dr. Fletcher's Patient
• Taxi Driver
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

The 'Glass' Connections Even the Cast Didn't Know

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Did you know

• Trivia Inspiration for the film, real-life multiple-personality Billy Milligan (14 February 1955 - 12 December 2014), charged with three rapes, was the first person diagnosed with multiple personality disorder to use an insanity defense by reason of that disorder, and also first to be acquitted thus. Milligan had 24 personalities, consisting of 10 Desirables: Billy Milligan, Arthur, Ragen Vadascovinich, Allen, Tommy, Danny, David, Christene, Christopher, and Adalana; and 13 Undesirables: Phil, Kevin, Walter, April, Samuel, Mark, Steve, Lee, Jason, Bobby, Shawn, Martin, and Timothy; and The Teacher, a fusion of all of the other personalities.
• Goofs In the close-up shot of Dr. Fletcher's degree scroll from Tulane University, the school of political sciences is misspelled as "political scineces". In addition, her degree of Master of Psychology would not be awarded by a school of political sciences.

The Beast : You are different from the rest. Your heart is pure! Rejoice! The broken are the more evolved. Rejoice.

• Crazy credits The end credits are shown in 24 frames in the background of the scrolling credits to simulate the 24 different personalities that Kevin has in the movie.
• Connections Featured in The Graham Norton Show: New Year's Eve Show: Michael Fassbender/Marion Cotillard/James McAvoy/Frank Skinner/Gary O'Donovan/Paul O'Donovan/Pete Tong with the Heritage Orchestra (2016)
• Soundtracks In September Written by Slam Allen (as Harrison Allen Jr.) Performed by Slam Allen Courtesy of LoveCat Music

User reviews 1.1K

• sherryismyrealtor
• Jul 1, 2017

Everything New on Prime Video in July

• How long is Split? Powered by Alexa
• January 20, 2017 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook Page
• Official site
• Untitled M. Night Shyamalan Project
• Philadelphia Zoo - 3400 W. Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
• Universal Pictures
• Blinding Edge Pictures
• Blumhouse Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $9,000,000 (estimated)
• $138,291,365
• $40,010,975
• Jan 22, 2017
• $278,454,417

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 57 minutes
• Dolby Digital
• Dolby Atmos
• Dolby Surround 7.1

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Teen girls in danger in smart, satisfying, scary thriller.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Not a lot of overtly positive messages messages, b

Casey is a survivor, clever and self-reliant under

Women are kidnapped and locked up. They're treated

Teen girls are forced to remove articles of clothi

One use of "f--k" and an abbreviated use of "mothe

Adults drink cans of beer during a deer hunt.

Parents need to know that Split is a smart, satisfying horror thriller from Sixth Sense director M. Night Shyamalan. It's about a man (James McAvoy) with multiple personalities (aka dissociative identity disorder). Violence and scariness are the big issues here. Characters die, women are kidnapped…

Positive Messages

Not a lot of overtly positive messages messages, but the film does explore the unknown possibilities of the human body -- and how a certain state of mind can exert control over our physical selves.

Positive Role Models

Casey is a survivor, clever and self-reliant under pressure. She stands up for herself and thinks clearly in a crisis, although she gets very little reward for her strength.

Violence & Scariness

Women are kidnapped and locked up. They're treated roughly and sprayed with a mace-like knockout spray. A man holds a knife to a girl's stomach. A man is hit with a chair. A young woman's stomach is ripped open (very brief). A man squeezes a woman around her middle, breaking ribs/spine. Characters die. Fighting with baseball bat. Sounds of ripping/eating a human body. Suggestions of an abusive uncle-niece relationship; a teen girl is shown with multiple scars on hr stomach and arms. Rifles and shotguns seen/used; shots are fired. A small girl points a rifle at a man. Characters hunt deer in the woods; dead deer seen. Offscreen attack.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Teen girls are forced to remove articles of clothing; they're shown in bras, panties, and other underthings. Reference to a man who "likes to watch young girls dance naked." Reference to a "prank" in which teen girls grab a man's hands and put them on their breasts. Strange, brief, comical kiss, with a reference to "being pregnant."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

One use of "f--k" and an abbreviated use of "motherf----r," as well as two uses of "s--t," plus "blow me," "ass," "damn," "hell," "Jesus," and "God" (as exclamations).

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Split is a smart, satisfying horror thriller from Sixth Sense director M. Night Shyamalan . It's about a man ( James McAvoy ) with multiple personalities (aka dissociative identity disorder). Violence and scariness are the big issues here. Characters die, women are kidnapped and hurt, and a young girl is abused by her uncle (though there's not a lot of gore or horror, and much takes place off screen). Characters fight; one is hit with a chair, and others are threatened with baseball bats and knives. A body is briefly shown with its stomach ripped open. Rifles and shotguns are seen and sometimes fired; characters hunt deer. Teen girls are forced to remove some of their clothes, revealing their bras, panties, and other underthings. There are also spoken sexual references, as well as infrequent swearing (including one "f--k," plus "s--t," "ass," and more) and some social drinking by adults. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (40)
• Kids say (70)

Based on 40 parent reviews

An outstanding film with incredible acting but it's very important not to let any kid under 14 watch it.

What's the story.

In SPLIT, teen birthday girl Claire ( Haley Lu Richardson ) is finishing up a party with her friend Marcia ( Jessica Sula ). But her "mercy invite," troubled Casey ( Anya Taylor-Joy ), can't find a ride home. Claire's dad prepares to drive them, but then a mysterious man ( James McAvoy ) kidnaps all three girls and locks them in a windowless room. They notice that he acts strangely, showing different personalities and holding conversations with himself. Unbeknownst to the girls, the man goes to see his therapist, Dr. Fletcher ( Betty Buckley ), who tries to communicate with his 23 personalities. But he warns her of the coming of "the Beast," an all-powerful monster that could be a twenty-fourth -- and who might just have an appetite for teen girls.

Is It Any Good?

Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan launches a full-fledged comeback with this tense, satisfying horror-thriller. Split is refreshingly infused with thoughtful ideas and sly suggestion, rather than gore or brutality. Shyamalan has had quite an up-and-down career; in 2016 he tested the waters with the small-scale The Visit , and he now makes a bold return to his Sixth Sense and Unbreakable glory days. Split actually resembles the latter film in some ways, rooted in real-world theories about the elastic limits of human possibility.

As ever, the director's camerawork is above reproach; he creates a sinister, windowless, underground lair, smoothly snaking with corridors, dingy doors and pipes, and harsh pools of light. His writing is subtler here than in other films, with a few odd touches but confident overall. Best of all are the two leads: Joy ( The Witch ) has an awesome, ethereal presence, and McAvoy conveys at least a half-dozen of his character's personalities with an uncanny, haunting clarity. Split is a smart movie that will undoubtedly leave viewers thinking -- and discussing.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Split 's violence . How much takes place on screen vs. off? Does that approach soften the impact of the violence ?

Is the movie scary ? Why or why not? What tools and tricks do filmmakers use to scare viewers? Why is it sometimes fun to be scared?

How does Split compare to other movies about dissociative identity disorder (multiple-personality disorder)?

Do you believe the human mind is capable of asserting control over the body, possibly correcting and curing diseases and disorders or gaining strength?

How does Split compare to Shyamalan's other movies? How is it similar? How is it different? What is he known for?

Movie Details

• In theaters : January 20, 2017
• On DVD or streaming : April 18, 2017
• Cast : James McAvoy , Haley Lu Richardson , Anya Taylor-Joy
• Director : M. Night Shyamalan
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Latino actors
• Studio : Universal Pictures
• Genre : Horror
• Run time : 116 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : disturbing thematic content and behavior, violence and some language
• Last updated : June 26, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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‘Split’ Movie Review: One of M. Night Shyamalan’s Best Films

James McAvoy delivers a riveting performance as a man with 23 personalities in Split , the latest thriller from writer/director M. Night Shyamalan. Coming off a lengthy run of critically panned movies, M. Night returns to his The Sixth Sense form with this chilling psychological horror film. Split proves Shyamalan still has entertaining stories to tell and that he can still deliver an ending with an unexpected ‘gotcha’ twist.

McAvoy plays Kevin Crumb, a man with dissociative identity disorder whose many personalities struggle for control. We catch up with him at a period in his life when the least desirable and most dangerous of his personalities has taken control. Forcing the other personalities into submission, two terrifying personalities – clean freak Dennis and matronly Miss Patricia – mind the store, so to speak, making the decisions while completely suppressing all but one of the other personalities. Hedwig, an enthusiastic nine-year old, sides with Dennis and Patricia in their quest for control of Kevin’s mind and body. Hedwig’s allowed to be the dominant personality on occasion, but he’s kept in line by Dennis and Patricia’s talk of a terrifying entity.

Free of the shackles of other personalities, Dennis kidnaps three high school students – best friends Claire (Haley Lu Richardson) and Marcia (Jessica Sula), plus outcast Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy) – and locks them up in his underground lair. Kevin’s other personalities use what little time they can manage to be in charge to send urgent emails and texts seeking help from their psychiatrist, Dr. Karen Fletcher (Betty Buckley), who begins to wonder what’s going on that has Kevin’s personalities so anxious and afraid.

M. Night Shyamalan made absolutely the right choice in casting McAvoy in the lead role. McAvoy is completely convincing in his portrayal of multiple personalities jockeying for control within one man. It’s a wildly divergent batch of characters that McAvoy throws himself into, the best of which is a fashionista named Barry who’s flamboyant and non-threatening. McAvoy’s such a chameleon that each of the personalities introduced to the audience is fully fleshed out and a complete individual. He deftly slips from character to character, going all in on each one and making it easy for the audience to differentiate who’s who.

McAvoy grabs so much of your attention that the performances of the three actresses who play the kidnapped girls, as well as the always terrific Betty Buckley, are overshadowed. Of the three kidnap victims, it’s The Witch ’s Anya Taylor-Joy who stands out and who gives us someone we can root for. Taylor-Joy’s Casey quickly transforms from victim to fighter, defiantly standing up to her kidnapper even when the odds are heavily stacked against her escape.

Split has a few decent jump scares but it’s McAvoy’s performance more than any single scene that makes this horror film such a wild ride. Oh, and that ending! Shyamalan has reason to be proud of Split ’s twist. I can pretty much guarantee no one will see it coming.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for disturbing thematic content and behavior, violence and some language

Release Date: January 20, 2017

Running Time: 117 minutes

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Split Review

20 Jan 2017

117 minutes

Split (2017)

Around the turn of the century, writer-director M. Night Shyamalan essentially created his own genre with The Sixth Sense , Unbreakable and Signs : suspenseful character studies with a paranormal vibe, a reverse spoof approach whereby subjects (ghosts, superheroes, alien invaders) usually played tongue-in-cheek are presented in high seriousness, through intense, anguished central performances from established male movie stars, and the sort of last-reel twists associated with The Twilight Zone (all Shyamalan’s other traits can be found in Rod Serling, as it happens). One sign of Shyamalan’s success is that other people started making M. Night Shyamalan-type movies: Joel Schumacher with The Number 23 , Alex Proyas with Knowing .

Perhaps as a response to becoming an imitable brand and perhaps down to the muted (and sometimes peculiarly hostile) response to The Village , Lady In The Water and The Happening (all interesting films), Shyamalan moved away from his personal cinema to take shots at fantasy ( The Last Airbender ), sci-fi ( After Earth ) and found-footage shocker ( The Visit ). With Split , he returns to ‘Night Classic’ mode. We’re back in sombre Philadelphia where soft-spoken, well-heeled folks go quietly mad and a psycho thriller plot evolves into something weirder on the boiling-a-frog principle of slowly adding bizarre, freakish elements to an extreme case study. This time, perhaps frustrated by the attention paid to his most easily parodied habit, Shyamalan holds off on a twist in favour of a measured development of a far-out premise, though an intensely fan- satisfying development pops up near the end.

All actors want to play Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and McAvoy seizes with obvious relish on the role of one man with 23 personalities due to be usurped by a 24th who is more animal than man. Head finely stubbled as his Professor X cut grows out, he uses a few props (glasses, a woolly hat) but mostly conveys Kevin’s alters — who range from a gay fashion designer through an OCD caretaker and a sinister British matriarch to a tittering child — with changes of expression and voice. It’s a show-off tour de force, and McAvoy is dazzling throughout — funny, creepy, threatening, pathetic and monstrous by turns. Note especially set-pieces like his perfectly uncoordinated demonstration of what a nine-year-old might think are radical dance moves, and the unsettling moments where one of Kevin’s more controlled, sinister personalities impersonates a more open, appealing one to reassure his analyst (Betty Buckley) that things aren’t going south in his skull.

As often with Shyamalan, the actual plot is less important than the character business. Even Kevin loses interest in two of his young captives, who get shoved into storerooms as misfit Casey (Taylor-Joy) emerges as the heroine, realising she’s most likely to survive by engaging with her captor than by crawling through ventilation ducts or relying on teen-princess karate lessons. That Casey’s life experience has prepared her for the ordeal is established in tactful, unsettling micro-flashbacks which feature standout work from Izzie Coffey, whose wide eyes perfectly match Taylor-Joy’s. After The Witch and Morgan , Taylor-Joy is shaping up as the weird chick of her generation — but she has to work as hard as her character to find her screen-space here when her co-star is busily upstaging himself, let alone her.

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'Split' Review: M. Night Shyamalan Delivers Sympathetic Cinematic Audacity

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'Minions 3' Gets Bananas Update as 'Despicable Me 4' Smashes Box Office Records

‘a quiet place: day one’ creeps past coveted domestic box office milestone, the 10 most underrated slow-burn horror movies, ranked.

[NOTE: This is a repost of our review from Fantastic Fest;  Split  opens in theaters nationwide this Friday]

Ladies and gentlemen, M. Night Shyamalan has officially caught his second wind. Last year's The Visit surprised audiences with a delightfully twisted spin on "to grandmother's house we go," and with Split  Shyamalan has reaffirmed his status as B-Movie extraordinaire. You're going to hear a lot about the end surprise here, it is Shyamalan after all, but do yourself a favor and don't seek out the twist, because the movie is more than that. (And the end is no fun if you don't earn it.) While the film's final moments add an extra WTF delight that will prove rewarding to career-long viewers of Shyamalan's work, it is essentially a tremendously sympathetic film about those who have suffered trauma and the strength it gives them.

As the title suggests, the film centers around James McAvoy as a young man, Kevin, with Dissociative Identity Disorder, or as it was referred to in crasser times, a split identity -- 23 identities, to be exact. But as we learn over the course of the film, there is a 24th identity that threatens to emerge. That identity is "the beast", and it hungers for the flesh of the clean and the unbroken as "sacred food".

Split is spread out across three narratives. The first, which is the throughline for the film, follows the abduction of three teenage girls at the hands of McAvoy's tormented personalities. The second follows the relationship between McAvoy's characters with his psychiatrist Dr. Fletcher ( Betty Buckley ), who is quick to discern that her patient is demonstrating troubling signs of instability despite their long-standing progress. The third, and this one is important, follows The Witch breakout Anya Taylor-Joy 's Casey, one of the girls Kevin abducted, in childhood flashbacks where her father taught her to be a survivor and her uncle taught her a much more twisted, sinister reality of life.

Much of the film plays out as a thriller as the three girls try to escape from their confinement while Dr. Fletcher attempts to suss out just how far Kevin has strayed from the path and exactly which personality she's dealing with. The film will probably catch some heat for its portrayal of mental illness and abuse, but such complaints overlook the fact that the film treats all its victims, in all their varieties, with a tremendous affection.

The girls are smart from the word "go". They make choices any of us might make in their situation, proactively seeking escape with a fighter's spirit, and occasionally, an intuitive wit. It's easy to sit back and judge fictional characters, but at no point do any of them make an obviously stupid decision, and much of the film plays out as a thriller as we root for the strong-willed young women to find a way out of captivity.

But Kevin, and Sage, and Dennis, and all the other multitudes within him are, against all expectation, equally sympathetic; each character within a character rendered with nuance and detail. Simply put, a movie like Split does not function without an actor of McAvoy's caliber in the lead role. But Shyamalan also does his part with moments of cinematic flourish, my personal favorite being a shot of 23 toothbrushes scrunched together as a symbol of Kevin's tightly-packed discord.

Because of McAvoy's skill, we are able to know and empathize with every personality presented to us (even the three behind the sinister inciting act of the film), and Shyamalan uses that opportunity to alternately fun and emotionally engaging effect. In time, we find that Casey and Kevin are two sides of the same coin, each changed by their personal trauma, one made kind and one made dangerous. But the ultimate message is that which does not kill us, makes us stronger; that mental illness or the things that will allow society to mark us as "less than" may actually make us our strongest and our best. What if that which breaks us also makes us more than?

That said, Split is not without its flaws. The message becomes a bit on-the-nose in the third act with more than a little ham-fisted dialogue and it never quite reaches the level of visceral horror it seems to be striving for. It also has an unnecessary cruel streak towards a few characters who deserve better in the end. But those flaws are easy enough to forgive in such an engaging, entertaining, and ultimately (surprisingly) poignant stance on the broken and dismissed.

As for the final moments, it's not a twist in Shyamalan's conventional sense, but as I advised earlier, you'd do well to avoid it. It's an extremely fun tag that made most of the audience scream "WHAT?" at the screen, and I have to admit I couldn't stop smiling for about twenty minutes after the film. Because it's Shyamalan, most of us spend the runtime waiting for the twist, but this one is so off the wall and so unconventional there's truly no way you'll ever see it coming.

Shyamalan is back, baby, and the best he's been in decades.

Split  is in theaters January 20.

• M. Night Shaymalan
• James McAvoy

Movie reviews, Oscar predictions, and more!

‘Split’ review — James McAvoy gives the performance of his career

Split  is an incredibly tense and well-made thriller that features fantastic performances by james mcavoy and anya taylor joy..

M. Night Shyamalan is back, for better or worst. The last Shyamalan movie I watched was 2008’s  The Happening , so you could understand my hesitance going into this movie. Although I heard mostly good things about his last movie  The Visit,  dissociative identity disorder or multiple personalities is a hard subject to pull off well. Of course, you get into the dilemma of portraying mental illness as a danger to society. However, Shyamalan toes the line gently with  Split . 

And it’s not just the opening scene that is filled with tension. All of Split  has this impressive slow-burning dread that underlies every scene. It makes you want to turn away from the screen. It’s a combination of the creative elements that Shyamalan was able to pull together that pulls it off. Specifically, the simple production design of the bunker, which feels like an endless maze of tunnels, the heavy bass of the score, the cinematography, and the performances come together to create an ominous mood. When we start getting into the meat of the story some of that goes away, but generally, the movie keeps tightening and tightening until the last 20 minutes.

The girls’ captor is revealed to have Dissociative Identity Disorder, which means 23 different personalities control this one body — a spirited nine-year-old, an obsessive-compulsive brute, a disciplined and proper English woman. The main alter, Barry is a fashion designer with a generally happy attitude and motivation to get past his condition. His scenes with his therapist Dr. Karen Fletcher ( Betty Buckley ) have nearly as much tension as the scenes with the three girls as they attempt to escape from the bunker he brought them to. It’s difficult to talk about why the use of DID as a plot device is justified without edging into spoilers. However, this is a movie that is recontextualized by its ending — for the better.

James McAvoy is remarkable. Not only because he has to play a menagerie characters, but because the way he distinguishes between each is so specific. When he walks into a room you can tell just by his posture which alter he is. And when he becomes each alter, he inhabits them wholly in his speech, facial expressions, and even the way he moves his jaw. Though he’s certainly playing to the back of the theater, it works because of the recontextualization of the movie.

That’s not to take away from the other performances. Betty Buckley is marvelous and sure-footed as Dr. Fletcher and Anya Taylor-Joy gives a complex, yet nuanced performance as Casey. But you just can’t help but be both drawn in and terrified by McAvoy.

Split  is built like a mystery that allows the audience to piece together the clues without tipping its ultimate hand.

Up until the last 20 or so minutes,  Split   is a tense, tightly directed thriller that would probably have ended up among my favorite movies at the end of the year. It is still a really great movie, but the ending nearly takes all the momentum it had going. Does it make it a bad movie? No. It’s still a good movie. While Shyamalan is known for his self-indulgence – some low brow humor and of course an appearance in the movie – he shows restraint for most of the movie. However, nearly all of its success has to be put on James McAvoy who should hopefully finally get the roles and respect he deserves. If anything, watch  Split  for the masterclass in acting happening on the screen.

★★★ out of 5

Karl Delossantos

Hey, I'm Karl, founder and film critic at Smash Cut. I started Smash Cut in 2014 to share my love of movies and give a perspective I haven't yet seen represented. I'm also an editor at The New York Times, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and a member of the Online Film Critics Society.

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Split (2016) Review

We review the 2016 film Split, which does not contain any significant spoilers.

Everyone loves a comeback story. In sports, in the movies, in life; we enjoy seeing someone get beaten down and told they can’t until, eventually, they can. What was it that Rocky Balboa said? “It ain’t about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward.”

M. Night Shyamalan has been hitting himself harder and longer than most directors could survive. He’s coming back from Lady in the Water , The Happening , The Last Airbender , After Earth, and The Visit , which is a bit like coming back from being shot, stabbed, and buried alive. You can like one or all of those movies, but you can’t escape the fact that most people don’t. A Shyamalan return-to-form feels less like a comeback and more like reincarnation. Or a release from a decade-and-a-half of wacky psychiatric internment.

There was something about The Visit , his last movie before this one, that lent credence to that theory. It felt like he’d been away for a while. Like he was catching up. It presented a white kid rapping and found-footage horror as though they were bold and new, rather than tired and faintly embarrassing. Split , Shyamalan’s latest, feels different still. It feels like he’s finally caught back up again.

Split Review and Plot Summary

I’m as surprised as anyone. I was one of the few people who seemed to enjoy The Visit , but what I enjoyed most about it was how divorced it felt from the broader culture that Shyamalan’s movies used to be at the centre of. He was working with a lower budget and even lower expectations, which obviously helped. You could feel him respond to the challenge of trying to regain his form under those restrictive conditions. And, in fairness, he did manage to open up the format and do something fairly effective with it.

But The Visit wasn’t a flat-out good movie the way Split is, and people didn’t respond to it the way they’re responding to this one. This is the comeback. We know Shyamalan’s partial to a twist, but that his resurgence is a genre movie released in the wastelands of January might be the best he’s ever come up with.

Given the title, it’s hardly surprising that Split mines the misinformation surrounding dissociative identity disorder for its premise. James McAvoy plays a deeply disturbed kidnapper named Kevin with 23 distinct personalities, who stuffs his creepy subterranean lair with three young women who he’s keeping around for initially-mysterious purposes.

Two of the girls are played by Haley Lu Richardson and Jessica Sula , but the one who matters is a standoffish loner brought to life by Anya Taylor-Joy , who you’ll remember as the only good part of Robert Eggers’ The Witch . I probably shouldn’t have to say this given who we’re talking about here, but Split is not a sensitive and measured portrayal of mental illness, and while that didn’t bother me personally, that Shyamalan is literally making up facets of a legitimate psychiatric disorder to suit his narrative purposes is going to seriously piss some people off.

Yes, I know, it’s just a movie and it shouldn’t be taken all that seriously, but there’s a strong likelihood that highly-fictionalized and insensitive portrayals of real-life issues and conditions probably make life even harder for people who struggle with them. I’m just saying.

What’s undeniable though is that Shyamalan’s loose understanding of DID makes for a hell of horror-movie conceit. The girls aren’t just dealing with one nemesis, but twenty-three separate ones, each with their own distinct personalities, accents and agendas.

The most common are Dennis, a steely obsessive-compulsive control freak, and Patricia, a slightly-crazy church lady, who together embody the mother and father of McAvoy’s internalised family of identities. Their child is a lisping, sinister nine-year-old named Hedwig. He’s creepy in a way that only a grown man asking for kisses can truly be.

McAvoy’s bald and ripped here, which becomes an eerie constant of all the characters he ends up playing, including the women and children. Sometimes a visual cue gives away who he’s supposed to be (a tightly buttoned-up shirt means Dennis; a shawl means Patricia), but just as often it’s not immediately apparent, to the audience, his captives or, at several points, his therapist, Dr Fletcher ( Betty Buckley ).

Shyamalan often cuts away to these wordy scenes in Dr Fletcher’s quaint home-office, where Kevin adopts the personality of Barry, a likeable, presumably-gay fashion designer, while Dr Fletcher continuously battles not just Kevin’s wavering sanity but also the scepticism of her colleagues. See, the good doctor has a long-held belief that people who suffer from DID are capable of transforming themselves not just psychologically but also physiologically, and she sees Kevin as proof of this theory. Which is troubling because the one thing all Kevin’s personalities seem to share is a mutual fear of a hypothetical twenty-fourth personality, whom they have named “The Beast”, and whom they all insist is literally a man-eating monster. Wherever could this be going?

Don’t worry. That isn’t the twist. All of this flagrant narrative absurdity is treated as inevitable, and it’s really just a series of hooks on which to hang a creepy, exactingly well-executed psychological thriller. These days Shyamalan is best-known for his pretentious auteurist nonsense, but the fact remains that he’s an extraordinarily gifted director of schlocky suspense, and his material has a habit of teasing out great performances. We get two here: McAvoy’s, obviously, which is the best of his career and reason enough to see the movie on its own, but also Taylor-Joy’s, who has a remarkable screen presence and perhaps, when asked to show more range, could become Hollywood’s next great young actress.

Is the movie Split good?

There are problems, of course. For all his talents as a shot-maker and a builder of suspense, Shyamalan has never been a particularly great writer, and the scenes with Dr. Fletcher are so leaden with ham-fisted exposition that they’re impossible to take even halfway seriously. More egregious is a running subplot, told in flashback, that’s supposed to explain why the heroine is better-suited to deal with the issue at hand than her fellow captives, but it ultimately just ends up feeling exploitative and unpleasant in a way that’s quite arbitrary; inappropriate, tonally-askew deviations being yet another item on the long list of things a Shyamalan picture seemingly must include.

Still, on balance, Split is an extremely distinguished variety of lurid B-movie pulp, and it’s absolutely the best Shyamalan movie since Unbreakable . And the ending? Jesus fucking Christ. You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you.

What did you think of the 2016 movie Split? Comment below.

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CineFiles Movie Reviews

Split (2017) Movie Review

The cold open to M. Night Shyamalan’s new venture, Split , features an intriguing mix of directorial choices. There is a Hitchcockian motivated mobile POV, one that starts as an innocent track. There are motivated pans and tilts that follow our protagonist Casey’s (Anya Taylor-Joy) increasingly cautious gazes. There is a sense of impending dread with each edit.

This opening kidnapping was shown in almost its entirety in Split ‘s trailer, which presents the premise of a man with multiple personalities (James McAvoy) who steals away three teenage girls (Haley Lu Richardson, Jessica Sula, and Taylor-Joy). Ignore the ridiculous notion that a multiple personality sufferer can alter his or her body chemistry with thoughts, and it is a buyable premise.

Shyamalan’s modus operandi for this film, in terms of the camera, is tightness and `perspective. It is not a novel approach in the thriller/horror genre, but he does well with his camera choices. We get plenty of rack focuses, closeups, and standard horror POV shots.

The formulaic similarities between Split and last year’s 10 Cloverfield Lane are unavoidable given proximity, but Split differentiates itself with McAvoy’s movie-stealing performance. Not only does he wear multiple hats, but he gives personality to the otherwise one-dimensional characters inside Kevin’s head. His various ticks and mannerisms transition seamlessly from identity to identity. Even if it can get cartoonish at times, his performance is something to behold.

Shyamalan often works in a Hitchcock framework. Only, in previous films the Hitchcock Macguffin is often replaced by bad twists. In the case of this film, the lack of a standard twist is helpful, even if it leaves the ending noticeably lacking in climax.

Other Hitchcock tropes—suspense, set pieces, macabre humor—Shyamalan does not do nearly as seamlessly, but here they accumulate into something thoroughly entertaining. The suspense bites often, if perhaps not amplified enough. The macabre humor, at times, is superb (note a scene in which one of the prisoners attempts to open a lock with a hanger). The set pieces are limited by environment, but there are few scattered within the 2-hour film that command attention.

While nowhere near perfect thriller territory, Split offers viewers a nevertheless fun romp, a charge led by McAvoy’s fantastic performance.

The Post-Script

Something about the end of the film rubs me the wrong way. It is the equivalent of a post-credits sting a la Marvel (and I guess it the closest thing to a twist in the film). Will this be the start of the M. Night Shyamalan Cinematic Universe (they could even call it the MCU. Oh, wait…)

As always, thanks for reading!

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—Alex Brannan ( @TheAlexBrannan )

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Trigger Warning

Dissociative Identity Disorder

What the movie 'split' got right (and wrong).

Author’s Note : The following is a discussion of the movie “Split” and contains spoilers.

A “split” is a separation, a rift between two things. It can be a split within the mind, something that happens for survival. In the real world, such a “split” (more of a separation, a dissociation than a schism), isn’t horrific. A split can also refer to a fissure between the real and the fictitious, the truth and the untruth. Movies, books and the like dance around this fissure in an attempt to inform us and entertain us. I recently saw a movie I thought might take the split between reality and unreality and blast it into a giant chasm.

The movie “ Split ” premiered in theaters across the U.S. on a January weekend in 2017. As a mental health writer, someone who lives with mental illness, a certified counselor and author of a novel (“Twenty-Four Shadows” published by Apprentice House Press) about dissociative identity disorder (DID), I was highly curious about this new movie.

Curious, to be sure, but skeptical. “Split,” after all, is a thriller and the previews made it look creepy indeed. Was this going to be another uninformed, sensationalized, inaccurate portrayal of mental illness and people who live with it? Seeking an unbiased impression of what this movie was up to, I went in with an open mind, a notebook and a pen. I emerged with mixed feelings. Split between pleasantly surprised and somewhat disappointed.

A Pleasant Surprise: “Split” Got Some Things Right

“Split,” for the most part, wasn’t overly sensationalized. For much of the movie, “Split” portrayed a man with DID as an actual person. Or more accurately, as actual people. We find out fairly late in the movie the original identity is Kevin and that Kevin has 23 alternate parts. “Split” treats these alters as it should: separate identities in their own right, each with different traits and personalities.

The alters, collectively called a system  (a term the movie correctly uses), see a psychiatrist by the name of Dr. Fletcher who explains, “The brain has learned to adapt to the trauma.” This is exactly what happens  in DID. A child experiences severe trauma — usually in the form of abuse — and to handle it, the psyche splits, shatters, into alternate parts.

In “Twenty-Four Shadows,” Dr. Charlie, Isaac’s psychiatrist, uses a starfish analogy to explain DID to Isaac and his wife.

“It [the separation into alternate parts] happened because the one, whole starfish couldn’t withstand the severity of the abuse. It was either fragment into different entities or be completely destroyed. To survive, the starfish fragmented. Little Isaac’s mind was shattered for self-preservation.”

“Split” does a refreshingly good job of showing dissociative identity disorder isn’t behavior fabricated for attention, nor is it a weakness. It’s the brain’s survival instinct rising up to meet a terrible challenge. “Split” was spot-on in other ways. Through Dr. Fletcher and Kevin’s alters, “Split” lets us know:

• Different alters can and do have different traits (right or left handedness, IQ, strengths, need for glasses, medical issues and more.)
• Someone with DID can function well in life (Kevin’s system has held a job for 10 years, sees a therapist, prepares food, etc.)
• Alters have a disconcerting sense of lost time that happens when a different alter is “in the light” (a correct expression used in the movie).
• People with DID frequently use the terms “we” or “us” rather than “I” or “me”
• Brain scans show significant differences between the identities; the scans are unique for each alter.
• Protection is an important concept (alters Dennis and Patricia believe they’re the only ones who can protect Kevin while in reality, all of the alters serve the function of protecting the primary identity, each in different ways).
• DID systems have a structure, a place for the alters to be and live when they’re not out in the world (in “Split” it’s very simple, just a room with a chair for each alter, but in reality, the structure is often more complex. In “Twenty-Four Shadows,” the structure is an elaborate blanket fort.

Another surprise is the movie’s subtle acknowledgement of the stigma people living with DID face . Dr. Fletcher’s friend, for example, refers to clients as “those people” and she doesn’t see how Dr. Fletcher can stand to work with them. I was pleased with Dr. Fletcher’s positive response. She countered the “those people” remark and talked about the alters having strengths and other legitimate characteristics. It’s also refreshing Dr. Fletcher doesn’t automatically assume her system of clients is involved in the kidnapping and disappearance of three local teenage girls. She doesn’t equate such an incident with the behavior of someone with DID. Good for her. However, this segues into the less palatable aspect of the film…

Unpleasant Expectations: “Split” is a Thriller

As accurate as some of the movie’s conceptualizations of DID are, this movie is a thriller. Thrillers must scare. They must be real enough to invade our psyche and put us on edge. “Split” is real enough. The bad guy is a real person with a real disorder portrayed, for the most part, in a realistic way. For full fright effect, a thriller must go beyond the real into that which is unthinkable outside of the movie theater. “Split” achieves the real and the unthinkably unreal .

The movie splits from accurate reality when it veers from what DID is to what it isn’t: supernatural. The good news: the kidnapped teenage girls aren’t tormented by the person who is a system of alters. The bad news: the alters are actually elements of a horrible, nasty, scary beast who wants to get them all.

Here’s a counter to the eye-roll, you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me elements. Contrary to what we see in “Split”:

• The person with DID is not a monster, nor does he or she host a monster inside.
• The Incredible Hulk stuff like super-human size, strength and speed really is just the stuff of movies and comic books.
• DID isn’t in the realm of the supernatural.
• People with DID can’t scale walls like salamanders.

Does “Split” Perpetuate Stigma?

I am very curious to learn how others are answering this question. Any movie, show, commercial, book or greeting card that doesn’t get something right is perpetuating misunderstanding, which in turn decreases empathy. That’s stigma.

Therefore, “Split” contributes to the perpetuation of stigma against DID. Kind of. The morphing into the beast is so incredibly and ridiculously unrealistic I wonder if it’s even possible to really increase the stigma against DID. So many aspects of the disorder are portrayed correctly and well and favorably. This movie is a thriller and is meant to thrill and frighten. Since DID isn’t frightening, the movie had to create a monster.

The movie’s end shows us what is dangerous in the real world. A TV news reporter stands at the scene giving a sensationalized, uninformed account of what had occurred, and she blatantly suggested “pure evil.” This is maddening. However, as I think about it, I realize the reporter kept the focus on the supernatural. She didn’t blame mental illness in general or DID in particular. People expect news to be trustworthy. Hopefully we don’t expect movies like thrillers to be fully trustworthy.

I went into “Split” unsure. I don’t love the fact mental illness is used as the basis of a thriller. However, seeing the movie rather than just the trailers left me pleasantly surprised. DID is a disorder that arises as a survival mechanism out of horrendous abuse in childhood. DID is about survival, not destruction. As Dr. Charlie continues to explain to Isaac and his wife Reese in “Twenty-Four Shadows,”

“Just like with an actual starfish, the pieces live. And they grow. And they regenerate—form new identities. But they are still physically part of the original starfish, the ore of the being, the part that’s also a fighter and a survivor.”

We want to hear your story. Become a Mighty contributor here .

Image via the “Split” Facebook page

With credentials as a Nationally Certified Counselor and personal experience with mental health care, novelist and columnist, Tanya J. Peterson uses writing to increase understanding of and compassion for people living with mental illness. She has written four critically acclaimed, award-winning novels, a self-help book about acceptance and commitment therapy, and she writes extensively for the mental health website HealthyPlace.com. Her HealthyPlace writing includes a weekly column entitled Anxiety-Schmanxiety. Additionally, she writes individual articles about mental health for all ages that appear in various online and print sources. She takes her novel Losing Elizabeth and the accompanying curriculum into high schools and community programs. she also has a monthly radio show entitled Wellbeing & Words. Visit tanyajpeterson.com to learn more about Tanya and find links to connect with her.

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Movie Review: Split (2016)

• Carlos Cuevas
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• --> May 12, 2017

For some, watching an M. Night Shyamalan film is an experience that fills them with dread. But this dread can be separated in two distinct camps: First, the good kind of dread that accompanied Shyamalan’s first blockbusters in Hollywood — “The Sixth Sense,” “Unbreakable,” “Signs” — all quietly unsettling thrillers that, despite some weaknesses, still hailed Shyamalan as a filmmaker with unparalleled gifts; and second, the bad kind of dread that was felt by anyone who sat through his later films such as “Lady in the Water,” “ The Happening ,” or “ The Visit ,” cringe-inducing flicks where logic went out the window in waves of implausibility that belied the director’s original promise. What happened to this wunderkind and how exactly did he lose his touch?

With his new film Split , Shyamalan delivers an unexpectedly solid piece of horror entertainment that feels like the film he should’ve made right after “The Village” and before he went off course. The story centers on Kevin (James McAvoy, “ X-Men: Apocalypse ”), a man with Dissociative Identity Disorder who kidnaps three teenage girls and locks them up in a basement for some unclear purpose. As the young women interact with Kevin, they start to realize he has other personalities inside: Dennis, the voyeuristic abductor; Patricia, a stern cross-dresser; Hedwig, a nine-year-old boy. In fact, Kevin has a whopping 23 different “characters” that take turns manifesting, a fact we eventually learn from the longtime psychiatrist (Betty Buckley, “The Scare Hole”) who treats him. It is also revealed that Kevin’s own body chemistry changes with each personality, able to affect physical traits such as voice, posture, and strength.

This being a Shyamalan movie, there’s also a rumored 24th personality called The Beast that is waiting to come out . . . and of course, it does, making an appearance towards the film’s climax, as the most savvy and thoughtful of the teenagers, Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy, “ Morgan ”), comes face to face with the most evil embodiment of Kevin’s scarred psyche.

I am sure you’re rolling your eyes, but it all plays out surprisingly well, with an emphasis on silent moments that ramp up the tension. Shyamalan, a wizard behind the camera above anything else, frames his 2:35:1 compositions as tightly as ever, going back to the meticulous control of his earlier films, most notably “Unbreakable.” Just the opening scene alone is a master class in restraint and suspense, as Kevin subdues Casey’s friends (Haley Lu Richardson, “ The Edge of Seventeen ,” and Jessica Sula, “Honeytrap”) with chloroform spray as she looks on in shock and disbelief, virtually unable to move.

However, there are two very specific reasons why Split rises above similar fare: James McAvoy as the troubled Kevin and Anya Taylor-Joy as the equally troubled Casey. Giving these two characters similar backstories of familial abuse comes across as heavy-handed, yet both actors manage to imbue their performances with layers of unspoken grief. Taylor-Joy — fantastic in “ The Witch ” — once again proves to be a talent to watch: Just the first shot of Casey, sitting away from other friends at a restaurant, speaks volumes about her character, an outcast who in many ways is as broken as Kevin. And McAvoy has creepy fun in a role that asks him to switch from role to role effortlessly without going over-the-top, one moment a boy trying to kiss a girl, the next a fearsome monster that can climb walls (and apparently eat people).

As Split comes closer to its slightly bonkers supernatural denouement, the suspension of disbelief starts to strain. But it’s somehow held together by McAvoy and Taylor-Joy’s commitment to the material. There’s also a final “twist” in which Shyamalan references one of his earlier movies, and although it’s utterly unnecessary, the film geek in me found it oddly interesting (hint hint: A sequel to both films is coming). In any case, don’t think about it too much and just take Split for what it is: A cool little suspense flick that will make you think that maybe, just maybe, Shyamalan is back.

Tagged: doctor , girl , kidnap , mental illness , murder , survival

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What Happened To Michael Oher In Real Life After The Blind Side

Lucius' gladiator 2 story means russell crowe's unrealized ending can finally happen after 24 years, zac efron’s popular new netflix movie continues a disappointing 17-year trend after his 92% rt rom-com.

• The Shyamalanaissance is real, with Split marking a major comeback for M. Night Shyamalan.
• Split dives into a complex look at Dissociative Identity Disorder through Kevin's 23 personalities.
• The surprising twist in Split ties it to Unbreakable, setting up the dark superhero trilogy with Glass.

MAJOR SPOILERS for Split and Glass ahead.

The Shyamalanaissance is real and the ending of Split more than proves it. M. Night Shyamalan famously entered a massive slump in the '00s, following up his success on films like The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable with a series of critical duds. Following the outright failure of After Earth , however, Shyamalan made some course corrections . The director's 2015 film The Visit saw him take a step back, making a low-budget movie high on ideas. Shyamalan followed that project up with the well-reviewed Split , his most layered movie in well over a decade.

Split , which is loosely inspired by a true story , follows three high school girls who are kidnapped after a birthday party and locked up by Kevin, a man (James McAvoy) with 23 distinct personalities hidden within him. Two of the darker personalities have taken over and hope to use the girls as part of a dark evolutionary plan, all focused on Anya Taylor-Joy's Casey. Shyamalan’s movies always have complicated endings that leave viewers with boundless questions and lots to discuss and Split is one of his most complex. There’s a drip-feed of information about the main plot, a frankly haunting background to one of the main characters and, without a hint of hyperbole, arguably the best M. Night Shyamalan movie plot twist since The Sixth Sense .

What Was Up With Kevin's Personalities In Split?

Kevin suffers from a fantastical form of dissociative identity disorder.

McAvoy’s "main" character is Kevin, a regular guy who, due to a series of traumatic childhood events, has created a string of alternative personalities, or alters, most of whom are mentally stronger than he was initially. In this world, dissociative identity disorder doesn't just lead to a psychological change, but also a physical one; Kevin can actually alter his body with each personality switch, meaning some personalities can have OCD and need glasses, while others need insulin shots. Who Kevin is at any given moment depends on who has stepped into "the light" in his mind, something typically controlled by the personality known as Barry.

In the movie, the core personalities shown are Dennis, Patricia, Hedwig, and Barry. The former two - who call themselves the Horde - are the darker sides of Kevin, who have previously been pushed down by Barry and the rest but break out by manipulating the childlike Hedwig, who can take control of the light at will. Others try and break through to make a cry for help, but the Horde repeatedly pushes them back. It’s important to note that while this is Kevin’s body, his personality doesn’t seem complicit in either side of this – when he finally does emerge, he begs to be killed, revealing that even though Barry and co. are the good guys, they’re still going against the original alter’s will.

The Horde’s plan is to unleash The Beast, a mythical (at least in Kevin’s psyche) 24th personality. It’s only alluded to in the film, but it appears to be based on the animals in the zoo above where Kevin lives. In the third act, the Beast breaks out thanks to Dennis and kills two of the kidnapped girls, but allows protagonist Casey to live due to her own troubled past, recognizing a bond between them. After this murder spree, Kevin appears to have reached a point where the Horde is in full control and can bring the indestructible Beast out at will, making him an almost Jekyll and Hyde superhero. And, yes, superhero really is the word, as shown in the sequel, Glass .

How Casey's Past Protected Her From The Beast In Split

Her trauma echoed in the beast's shared memories.

While the film is ostensibly concerned with Kevin’s past, the person whose backstory is elaborated on most explicitly is Casey's. She’s introduced as the weird kid who's always on her own and constantly getting into trouble, only invited to the birthday party from which the girls were kidnapped out of pity. Despite these social defects, she shows a proactiveness and understanding of the dire situation that allows her to succeed where the others fail.

The truth behind this, however, is rather haunting. In a series of flashbacks, audiences see her being taught to hunt by her father, at first assumed to be the cause of her skewed view of the world, but later revealed as context for the horrific abuse at the hands of her uncle. The film provides a chilling representation of pedophilia - the grooming scene, with the adult wanting to “ play animals ” is terrifying, as is the power the uncle wields even when held at gunpoint - and goes to great efforts to show how it affected Casey's life growing up.

The story resolves itself with Casey finally finding the power to talk about her experiences, a decision in stark contrast to Kevin. Rather than letting a troubled past manifest, she chooses to deal with the problem , which ties directly into the film’s core theme. It's a theme that continues on in the final movie in the trilogy, Glass .

Split's Themes Of Generational Abuse & Trauma Explained

How casey and kevin deal with their pasts affects their futures.

On a thematic level, Split is predominantly about how people deal with abuse. Both the protagonist and antagonist are the product of turbulent childhoods that have led to them becoming outsiders. For Casey, this manifests in her desire to be alone, with silence essentially her coping mechanism - she causes trouble so she can be sent to detention and get away from everyone. Kevin's is a more extreme case, hinted to come from a darker past, where he's completely repressed the pain and birthed new personalities to cope with the trauma.

There's an interesting connection between those " damaged " people. Casey uses her vague grasp of Kevin's mental fracturing to try and help herself escape while the other hostages can't concentrate. Later, the Beast doesn't kill Casey because he sees on her self-harm scars that show him she's similar to him. It's a brutal but strangely poignant reflection on how people suffering from mental health issues can view themselves as alone, not seeing their connection to the wider world. This ties into the bigger solution to this insular thinking that the director presents; finding and accepting the compassion and understanding of others.

It's a brutal but strangely poignant reflection on how people suffering from mental health issues can view themselves as alone, not seeing their connection to the wider world.

Throughout the movie, Kevin is offered empathy from Dr. Fletcher despite the mocking from her neighbors and peers, but the Dennis personality keeps ignoring it, willingly leading him down the dark Beast path - literally finding comfort in only himself. In contrast, Casey learns to address her past, making an active move against it and starting herself on a better trajectory. It's a rather simple notion, but a well-meaning one. The film preaches acceptance and openness, both to oneself and to others.

Split Is Actually Unbreakable 2 (& Sets Up Glass)

For years, Shyamalan had teased a sequel to 2000’s Unbreakable , his dark superhero drama. It turned out he wasn’t lying – in a jaw-dropping rug pull, it’s revealed in Split 's final scene the film is actually Unbreakable 2 . The coda plays immediately after the end credits title card, showing a diner where a TV report about Kevin is playing and customers comment on its similarity to an event from 15 years ago involving a guy in a wheelchair. The camera then tracks over to reveal Bruce Willis, reprising his role of David Dunn (evidenced by his nametag), who dryly confirms the old villain’s identity as Mr. Glass and walks out. It's a plot twist that reveals the characters of Split and Unbreakable have been in the same world all along.

No matter Split 's effectiveness as a thriller, it is an astounding twist. It’s completely unexpected and more audacious than any other movie before; Split is a surprise sequel and nobody had a clue until its release. Building to this shocker is likely why some parts of the film feel a bit scattered or off-base, but it does retroactively make the whole thing a lot more intriguing.

In fact, it pretty much reshapes the entire purpose of the film; Split isn't a hostage thriller, but a supervillain origin story . By the time he's able to control the Beast, Kevin has essentially become the sort of monster that a traditional comic book hero would take on, and, as Glass later proved, that was Shyamalan's real goal. As with Unbreakable, which revealed the twist that Samuel L. Jackson was the bad guy, Split explores the psychology of what would make someone become a maniacal villain.

As with Unbreakable, which revealed the twist that Samuel L. Jackson was the bad guy, Split explores the psychology of what would make someone become a maniacal villain.

What Happened After The Events Of Split

It all finally built to shyamalan's dark superhero trilogy.

The ending of Split set up a broad scope for the threequel ending to Shyamalan's intense, low-budget superhero riff. Unbreakable told the origin story of Bruce Willis' David Dunn, a.k.a. The Overseer; Split told the origin story of James McAvoy's Kevin Wendell Crumb, a.k.a. The Beast; while Glass wrapped up the trilogy with the origin story of Samuel L. Jackson's diabolical villain Elijah Price, a.k.a. Mr. Glass. The third movie brings them all together in a knock-down, drag-out fight between a noble hero, the beast he pursues, and the manipulative supervillain pulling the strings from the shadows.

The third movie brings them all together in a knock-down, drag-out fight between a noble hero, the beast he pursues, and the manipulative supervillain pulling the strings from the shadows.

After the events of Split , which occur three weeks before those of Glass , it's revealed that David has been hunting Kevin since the news of his kidnapping and killing the girls got out. When the police arrive, Dunn agrees to turn himself in quietly and soon finds himself locked up in a psychiatric ward with Kevin and Elijah. The three break out and clash again after Price convinces Kevin to help him, and another returning Split character is revealed: during their fight, Split's Casey also shows up, seemingly no worse for wear, and tries to get through to Kevin. Though he's in Beast mode, she's hoping that the brief connection she shared with Kevin will be enough to once again tame the Beast.

Of course, it's M. Night Shyamalan, so there isn't just one twist in the third act, but two. It's revealed Mr. Glass created both the superhero The Overseer and the supervillain The Beast with the Eastrail 177 train crash . Not only did David Dunn survive the crash, but Kevin's father was killed in the same crash, leaving Kevin to grow up with an abusive mother. Then it's revealed that the psych ward psychiatrist, Dr. Staple, is actually an agent of a secret society that monitors and eliminates threats from superpowered people. By the ending of Glass, all three - David, Kevin, and Elijah - are dead. Considering the terror of the Beast unleashed at the ending of Split , however, that may have been the most merciful ending for both Kevin and the world.

*Availability in US

M. Night Shyamalan's Split follows Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), a man with dissociative identity disorder, who kidnaps three teenage girls and imprisons them in an underground facility. When Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy) realizes that she can play Crumb's personalities against one another, she begins to form a plan for escape before she is sacrificed to a creature he refers to as "the Beast". 

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M. Night Shyamalan’s Split Is Exploitative Trash

This review of Split is loaded with spoilers. I wish there were even more. It would be nice to spoil the entire movie.

The huge success of M. Night Shyamalan’s Split is a surprise, but only because of the director’s recent track record. Shyamalan  — or, as I like to call him, the Shyamster — is a real showman. He has a gift for making clunkiness look like high seriousness, so that a second-rate shock show like Split is being greeted as a thriller of substance. Many critics have been enthusiastic and audiences seem to like the movie, too. What I can’t figure out is why more people aren’t disgusted by how the Shyamster exploits the trauma of childhood sexual abuse for his own stupid, meretricious ends.

All horror films exploit something , obviously. Shyamalan’s last film, The Visit , was an unusually unpretentious (for him) scare picture about two kids and their freaky grandparents: Shyamalan cunningly played on the idea that your grandparents’ home is where you go for comfort when your real home doesn’t feel like one. (He’s a cultural reactionary — and a prude. The kids end up like Hansel and Gretel because their single mom is on a trip with her latest boyfriend.) The Visit ’s relative modesty was calculated. It followed a line of risible big-budget bombs, among them The Narf in the Bathtub (I forget the actual title), in which a mermaid-goddess materialized on Earth to inspire a messianic writer played by Shyamalan, and The Happening , a psychotic version of The Lorax . (The Truffula trees drive people to suicide.) Now, emboldened by the success of The Visit , Shyamalan has returned to what he loves to do: use cheap horror tropes to create his own harebrained mythos.

The hook of Split is that a man named Kevin (James McAvoy) has 24 separate and distinct personalities and seems to be able to alter his physiology, neurochemistry, and accent with every one. It’s true that the split-personality concept, which is now called dissociative identity disorder, doesn’t work like it does in the movie*, but that’s not worth getting exercised about: This is still an effective horror-movie conceit. The film opens with a scary sequence in which Kevin — or, as we’ll learn, “Dennis,” Kevin’s steeliest alter ego — renders three teenage girls unconscious and whisks them to a decrepit underground lair. In this scene and others, the Shyamster uses POV shots with chilling dexterity: We have no idea until later what happened to the father of one girl. And for once in a modern thriller, the spatial confusion is purposeful.

Where voices are concerned, though, McAvoy is no Peter Sellers. One of those Brits (he’s Scottish) who can’t quite nail American inflections, McAvoy makes most of his characters sound like they’re from Brooklyn. But you certainly see the acting, which is enough to make some people say, “Wow! He’s some actor!” Apart from Dennis, McAvoy’s most striking characterizations are Barry, a likable, presumably gay dress designer, and Hedwig, a nasty, lisping nine-year-old. Maybe Hedwig is the creepiest. In one of the best scenes, he lets himself be tricked by the heroine, Casey Cooke (Anya Taylor-Joy), into taking her to his room. We watch him vogue to Madonna from Casey’s fixed perspective — in and out of the frame and then suddenly close, too close, to ask what she thought of the grisly spectacle. She is suitably tongue-tied. When he asks if he can kiss her the audience groans, as if he’s really a nine-year-old. You just know he’ll have too much saliva.

Taylor-Joy, best known for The Witch , is a remarkable camera object and perhaps — we’ll see when she’s called on to show more range — an actress of real power. Her eyes are huge and far apart, but what makes them so spooky is the way the pupils merge with the dark irises, so that those eyes look like two big balls of blackness. She’s like an alien-abductee’s sketch made flesh. She looks at Kevin in all his guises as one who has seen the worst of this world and still can’t fathom the depths of this depravity.

But whenever the psychosexual stuff gets intense, Shyamalan loses the pulse. He cuts to wordy, exposition-crammed scenes in which a therapist, Dr. Karen Fletcher (Betty Buckley), demonstrates that she’s engaged in a battle not just for Kevin’s sanity but also to show to her skeptical colleagues that the human body is more malleable than scientists believe. People like Kevin are proof, she says, that certain kinds of stress can literally transform you. Flashbacks show that the 24 personalities arrived after the young Kevin was hideously abused. Now, each one (they’re all named) sits patiently waiting for his or her turn in the spotlight to protect Kevin from the world’s evils, even if it means crowding him out altogether.

Dr. Fletcher and Kevin are on the same page. Kevin’s most radical iteration, number 24, “the Beast,” is no mere monster. He’s an evangelist for a more evolved kind of human. The Beast eats inferiors — including two of his teenage captives — but realizes in the end that Casey is like him. As a series of flashbacks makes clear, she has also been abused. Her uncle — a burly guy who likes to strip off his clothes — began messing with her even before her dad died and he became her guardian. Now, she shuns her peers and hacks away at her own flesh. The Beast is impressed.

It has been 25 years since Carol Clover in Men, Women, and Chain Saws identified the archetype of the “Final Girl,” the lone woman who survives the monster’s onslaught and is able to vanquish him. (It’s almost always a “him.”) In many cases, the Final Girl is so strong because she’s sexually pure, although such films as I Spit On Your Grave and Ms. 45 suggest that sexual violation will turn her into a predator more powerful than her violators. The Shyamster is not the first to suggest that what doesn’t kill a victim makes him or her stronger. That would be Nietzsche. It would also be the David Cronenberg of such ‘80s horror films as The Brood , in which a doctor believes that by acting out a repressed trauma you can make it flesh (and be unable to control it). There’s a link between extreme torture and spiritual transcendence in the seminal French film Martyrs (which I strongly warn you off seeing if you haven’t — not because it’s bad but because it can’t be unseen). And then, of course, there are the X-Men and their ilk, whose superpowers are extensions of adolescent woes. We know that Shyamalan takes comic-book powers seriously. He created his own pretentious superhero/supervillain movie, Unbreakable , which he actually invokes in Split ’s unbelievably stilted coda . From that perspective, the Beast is his dark take on Wolverine and Casey his Rogue.

My loathing of Split goes beyond its derivative ideas and second-hand parts. Though Shyamalan doesn’t use a lot of blood in Split  — there’s barely any — his framing sexualizes the torture of the other two teenage girls in a way I found reprehensible. And his depictions of childhood sexual abuse are clinically accurate enough to make anyone with experience of such things feel sick. All this is used in the most opportunistic way imaginable, to prop up astonishingly dumb ideas about the human psyche. Those superhero comic books deal in metaphor. Only someone as grandiose and insular as Shyamalan would use the most cheapjack psycho-on-the-loose formula to make the case that the victims of childhood sexual trauma are actually more, not less, powerful than other people.

A reasonable objection to what I’ve written is that this notion is the Beast’s and not Shyamalan’s and therefore no more objective than any other monster’s. But the Beast isn’t imagining his superhuman powers. He is superhuman. And his abuse of Casey inspires her — presumably — to tell the kindly policewoman that she doesn’t want to go back to her pederast uncle. The Shyamster obviously thinks he’s onto something, that he can once more raise the existential and/or religious stakes of trashy genre movies. The voice I hear in my head is not Casey’s but Little Carol Anne from Poltergeist . “He’s baaaaaaaack.”

*  This article had been updated to reflect that dissociative identity disorder is a recognized illness in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders .

• m. night shyamalan
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• Entertainment

Split is the latest horror film to misunderstand why mental illness is terrifying

Horror that understands its antagonists isn’t just more sensitive, it’s scarier.

By Charles Bramesco

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Spoilers ahead for M. Night Shyamalan’s Split .

“The only idea more overused than serial killers is multiple personality.” That scripting advice from one screenwriter to another (both played by Nicolas Cage in 2002’s Adaptation ), could practically be a diss aimed directly at Split. The latest effort from suspense maestro M. Night Shyamalan casts James McAvoy as mentally ill serial killer Kevin, and more specifically, as Jade, Hedwig, Patricia, Barry, and upward of a dozen more personalities splintering from Kevin’s unstable psyche. The personae wrestle for control of a single body as they carry out the dark work of kidnapping and preparing three teenage girls for sacrifice to something inhuman. This makes for one doozy of a trailer, but in mining terror from dissociative identity disorder (DID), Shyamalan travels one of horror cinema’s most well-trod paths, and faceplants into the same pitfalls that have tarnished scary movies for decades.

In short, we need to talk about Kevin. Or rather, Shyamalan does. The character’s original identity briefly surfaces late in the film, but most of the run time goes to the array of caricatures cooped up in the dysfunctional boarding house of his brain. The original personality is mostly an afterthought, a brief interlude in a hammy performance from McAvoy, clearly having the time of his life. The end of the film makes Kevin out to be a literal supervillain and dubs him “the Horde” — an appropriate fate, considering how intent Shyamalan seems on divorcing the character from the vulnerability that makes him compelling. He loses sight of Kevin’s fundamental humanity, and in doing so, misunderstands what can really make mental illness a terrifying ordeal. Loads of horror flicks have used mental abnormalities to create fearsome antagonists, but the best of them relate how these conditions also torment the afflicted, who can be as frightened by their own nagging thoughts as the audience is.

Where else could the phenomenon begin but with Psycho , Alfred Hitchcock’s Rosetta Stone for translating a huge chunk of modern horror cinema? The mind’s capabilities to misfire have frightened the public imagination since Jack the Ripper’s sociopathy cleared the streets of Whitechapel after dark, but Hitchcock was the first to put it into pop-psych layman’s terms. He vilified the brain itself, and its ability to turn on its owner and whisper troubling orders into the subconscious. Norman Bates’ mommy complex is torn straight from Freud 101, but Hitchcock lent the character more nuance than the analyst’s profile in the concluding scene suggests. Norman is the truest casualty of his tyrannical mother, and Hitchcock has a clear compassion for the character’s tragic dimension. Sympathizing with him and making him human makes him a richer character overall, and lends the murder scenes a stronger emotional and psychological undercurrent. Viewers are torn, sympathizing both with Norman’s victims and with Norman himself, and that ambiguity is what sticks long after the credits roll.

The ideal horror film makes its audience care about a mentally ill character, not just acknowledge their sickness and move right along. Sympathy doesn’t just make for more finely shaded characters — it combats the toxic real-world stigma that’s come from reprehensible depictions of mental illness. Plenty of works of fiction have used disorders to make their rogues’ gallery more distinctive and striking. But obscuring the underlying personhood of mentally struggling characters reinforces the harmful notion that people with mental disorders are somehow beyond human.

The Friday the 13th franchise began with another psychological case study, as grieving mother Pamela Voorhees descended into post-traumatic madness and took revenge on the camp counselors her fractured mind believed were responsible for the death of her son, Jason. The original film extended a minimum of sympathy to her, and offered the audience a disturbing look at how mental stressors can distort a mother’s love for her son into homicidal urges. The films that followed sacrificed whatever slight nuance they had by shifting the focus to Jason, an indestructible killing machine whose famed hockey mask deliberately rendered him a blank slate. It’s a lucrative but wrongheaded approach — a lack of basic relatability makes Jason larger (and more fearsome) than life, but it also rapidly reduced him to a caricature.

Split tops the Friday the 13th franchise in a walk, however. To its credit, Shyamalan’s script uses the more up-to-date term of dissociative identity disorder rather than “multiple-personality” to refer to Kevin’s condition. Not to its credit is the rest of the film, which repeatedly fixates on the brain’s potential to psychosomatically change a body’s physiology. Kevin’s analyst, Dr. Karen Fletcher, repeatedly spells out her controversial theory that DID grants sufferers extraordinary control of their bodies, citing such examples as a blind woman with a personality capable of vision, or a strongman personality spontaneously developing extraordinary strength. Shyamalan extends the concept to a cartoonish extreme when he introduces Kevin’s personality “the Beast,” which has superhuman abilities and a monstrous appearance. By the end of the film, Kevin is exhibiting abilities that amount to superpowers, somehow derived from what professional consensus indicates is his brain’s extreme coping mechanism to a fleetingly shown childhood of abuse. ( Medical orthodoxy favors the notion that personalities fracture as an attempt to quarantine and compartmentalize harmful mental stressors.) The act of other-ing Kevin as a patient of DID isn’t even incidental; it’s the whole point. It’s hard to imagine a more squarely on-the-nose example of demonizing mental illness than portraying a mentally ill man as a literal demon.

Even when not deliberately toxic, many on-screen depictions of mental illness have been factually and flatly wrong. Plenty of myths have already been debunked; cases of alternate personalities turning violent are incredibly scarce, and cases of archly evil behavior are nonexistent. Sybil , starring Sally Field, is widely considered the definitive portrait of a dissociating psyche, but it’s a work of pure fiction. Shirley Mason , the real-life model for the theatrically disturbed character, has confessed that she was faking, and did not actually house multiple identities. The act of “flipping” from one mind to another has more dramatic heft than the reality of the situation, where patients slip between mental spaces.

Maybe a demand for baseline factual accuracy seems like nitpicking when it comes to scary movies. For the sake of argument, let’s assume the lone service of a horror picture is to scare the bejesus out of its audience. That’s fine — the problem isn’t just that Shyamalan’s approach compounds public distrust for the mentally unwell, it’s the way it ignores the rich potential for more complex storytelling and raw, visceral frights. Split works in quick jabs of terror, spooking the trembling teen captives with the occasional burst of violence or terror. Films that provide a window into an unwell mentality , however, can color every scene with free-floating fear. Black Swan had the good sense to take its visual and stylistic cues from the mental interior of Natalie Portman’s paranoid ballerina as she cracks under the pressure of the gig of a lifetime. Likewise, for Tim Robbins’ PTSD-stricken veteran in Jacob’s Ladder, chilling hallucinations can pop out of anywhere, keeping the viewer permanently on guard.

Mental illness does have its place in the horror genre, and it is scary. The feeling that your brain no longer follows the commands you give it, that your senses can’t be trusted, that you’re at the mercy of internal forces you can’t comprehend or control — it can be a nightmare sprung to life. It’s a filmmaker’s responsibility to keep it all in perspective, and extend a grain of sympathy to affected characters, even as they slide further into their delusion. The world remembers Hannibal Lecter and his refinement coexisting with savagery, not Buffalo Bill, whose body dysmorphia transforms him into a snarling, feral animal. One is a character, the other’s a ghoul.

It’s possible that Shyamalan realizes this, too. When Kevin briefly appears, he’s a friendly figure, compared to his alternate personalities. But Shyamalan’s creaky dialogue and McAvoy’s detached stoicism in the moment make that moment ring false, more lip service than a character beat. The real Kevin seems to be a relatively normal guy, only faintly affected by his own psychosis. In that moment, all the tension and internal conflict evaporates, and any connection the audience may have had with him is instantly severed. That moment encapsulates the trouble with Split, and with the countless films that have made the same error: before we can feel her pain, we’ve got to feel his.

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Mother of Movies

Split Review & Trailer Ending Explained

The Split trailer is a great example of how to entice a viewer. ‘ Split ‘ would have to be one of my favorite films to come out of 2016. The reason I love Split so much is that it combines a serial killer theme with everyday crime fighting. That means more compelling characters in the long run and a little something for everyone. Most people would agree that its predecessor ‘ Unbreakable’ was not as strong as the sequel but both movies were great entries into the comic book realm of superhero fandom. This Split review explains the ending of the movie and also lists who’s inside Kevin Crumb.

• Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan,
• Produced & distributed by Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions,
• Released in 2016

Split Review Plot and Storyline

Split is listed as a psychological horror and stars James McAvoy as Kevin Crumb. With him are Anya Taylor-Joy (Morgan 2016), and Betty Buckley (Carrie 1976.)

The story starts as three girls are kidnapped by a man diagnosed with 23 personalities . It’s Dennis who gets into the car they are waiting in and ferries them to a hidden location. All of the people the girls meet inside Kevin Crumb, hear them talk about a 24th entity. The one they refer to as The Beast. Can they escape before The Beast is given time to emerge?

Which Alternates for Kevin Crumb Do We Meet in Split?

For a full description of all the personalities inside Kevin Crumb, who is the primary, see below. Mother of Movies lists The Horde, Dennis, Barry, Patricia, Hedwig,Orwell, Jade and The Beast.

The Horde is the collective name given to the personalities who work for The Beast. Some want The Beast to be the dominant entity with an ultimate grand plan in mind. Each person talks about being allowed in ‘the light’ almost like that of a stage to have control of the outside body.

Some want Kevin to be the dominant personality and think they are more powerful if The Beast is allowed to thrive. It’s at this precipice that there is a war between the two sides. Good vs Evil in one person.

Kevin Crumb

Kevin Wendell Crumb is the core personality of the Horde. Due to his overwhelming conscience, the other personalities spend their time pushing him out of the way. It could be assumed that Kevin inherited DID from his father who is seen in the last film Glass in a flashback, reading a book on multiple personalities.

Dennis is the first person we meet. He is serious, has OCD about cleanliness and order, and meticulously kidnaps Casey, Claire, and Marcia. Dennis takes them to his home after knocking out Claire’s dad who was about to drive them home after a party.

He is also a bit of a perve and likes to watch girls dance. Dennis is known for having an extreme temper and often explosive fits of rage . He was created by Kevin in reaction to his mother’s abusive punishments as a child. Some of these punishments have given him an extreme obsession with being clean.

He is proficient in manipulation, as seen when he pretends to be Barry while in therapy. His OCD gives him away and Dr. Fletcher realizes something is amiss and creates a scenario that Dennis cannot overlook.

He has a flair for design and fashion and believes that Dennis and Patricia are completely unstable. Barry is not a dominant personality though and is often pushed aside by the two. In Split, Barry champions Casey’s well-being and tries to convince the other stronger personalities of an alternative to hurting her. Until Dennis began pretending he was Barry, Barry was in therapy with Dr. Fletcher, the most.

It’s probable that Patricia is The Beast’s commander in charge. She cites being the person to ultimately hand control over to Him when the time comes. As the ringleader of many in the group, she demands authority and has no issue with making threats to get what she wants. She is even able to subdue someone like Dennis by quashing his plans of perversion with the girls due to the fact they have a higher purpose than to be messed with.

She revels in the fact that she can be overly nice to the captives while playing into their fears, giving them ‘fun facts’ about animals in the wild. A precursor to their fate, Patricia feels like she is better than everyone else, except The Beast.

Hedwig is nine years old but due to his subservience to most of the other personas is allowed to hold the prime position often. Through his fear and reverence of both the Beast and Patricia, he could be seen as both the lookout and the snitch for whatever happens. A special bond forms between Casey and Hedwig, one which ultimately causes a loophole for the girls to get inside information.

Orwell is a historian who loves to compare situational events with references to points in history that he feels highlight an explanation. He never speaks plainly but rather hides his point inside overly complicated stories. It’s through Orwell that we learn The Horde does not comprise all of the 23 personalities but rather a select group that strives to give The Beast power. He explains that not only is he not part of The Horde but he has concerns with their ultimate plan.

Jade is a teenage vlogger who loves to swear and has diabetes. Her frustration at being the only person who is not 100% healthy makes her feel victimized.

The Beast is the 24th entity and the totalitarian protector for Kevin who created him when his father was killed. Each personality causes a physical transformation on the outside which is more clearly seen when taking on this persona. His muscles bulge and large veins appear. He takes on superhuman strength and his teeth become elongated. He has a penchant for human flesh and appears to be somewhat snake-like as his favorite method of killing is a stranglehold and squeezing his victims to death.

Who’s Inside Kevin Crumb?

Meet Most of Them in the Split Trailer

Through both the mention of their names and from pausing the film while they were listed on the screen, the following are all of his characters. Of course, there are some that we possibly never met but perhaps saw them without realizing.

Kevin Crumbs Alternates In Split

Kevin crums alternates in glass.

• Norma — Also from the South, nothing else is known of her.
• Luke — From the South, Luke likes to announce the ends of movies.
• Mary Reynolds —Is Irish and has a twin sister, Mary.
• Ann Reynolds — Is Irish and has a twin sister, Mary.
• Mr. Pritchard — A professor of cinema, has a passion for 1950’s Japanese film. He appears to not be part of The Horde, wanting Kevin to be the dominant persona, and feels the imprisonment is highly unjust.

All of Kevin Wendell Crumbs Alternates

• Samuel mentioned in Split.
• Heinrich mentioned in Split

Split Review

This was the first of the trilogy that I watched. I was so enamored with the horror-laden comic book-dripped-stance this film takes I watched the first film days later. The film doesn’t play at all like something that would end up being the most fascinating glimpse into a comic book conception and instead starts with kidnapping. Not an extraordinary kidnapping either, but one committed by a man who seems to be suffering from Dissociative identity disorder (DID) and has 23 personalities.

It’s in this story we meet Kevin who is undertaking therapy and the roles of other personalities are brought to light and given an explanation as to how the whole split personality thing works. Many films with premises touch on this topic, but for me, this is the most intense portrayal. The most intricate and thought-provoking and also one that made me obsessed with James McAvoy. His performance in this role is absolutely incredible and I’m constantly astounded that he never received an award of any kind. If I were in charge, he would get one, but that’s just me.

Who’s More Dangerous? Kevin Crumb?

The three kidnapped girls all get acquainted with a few of the main people trapped within a seemingly benign yet scarily conflicting body. Not only do we have to sift our way through which of the personalities is the most dangerous but it seems as though they all cower to an additional character referred to as ‘The Beast.’ It’s with a name like this that low-lying fans of the Unbreakable film saw the more than obvious clues. There is even mention of the train which is more than a central focus in the first film.

I, however, did not pick up on any of the clues while watching this film. I watched this thinking it was a standalone movie. Trust me when I say I was excited to discover there was more to this film than meets the eye.

The Magician inside Kevin Wendell Crumb

Ever the magician of ‘look over there’ misdirection, Shyamalan keeps viewers invested in the mind of Kevin and his associated ‘disorder.’ It is a fascinating view of the relationships forming between Casey and a few of Kevin’s cast.

This film continues to be my favorite, and I wish I could watch it more times than I’ve been able to. Due to the extensive flashbacks and big-picture explanations of the following film Glass, it’s easy to watch these films out of order.

Movie recommendation for another film with disassociation disorder, watch

I give Split

4.75 give that man an Emmy out of 5

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Critics split on Beverly Hills Cop sequel Axel F

Critics have given a mixed response to the fourth outing of Beverly Hills Cop, which sees Eddie Murphy and other cast members from the original 1984 film reunite.

Many reviews agreed Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F inspired feelings of nostalgia, with Murphy back in the iconic role of Detective Axel Foley 40 years after the first film smashed box office records.

In a three-star review, USA Today called the film "a true comfort-food throwback".

But The Guardian gave it just two stars, arguing there was "little energy to enliven their formulaic reunion".

The original Beverley Hills Cop made Murphy a superstar and led to two sequels over the following decade and a chart-topping soundtrack.

In the new film, released on Wednesday on Netflix, Foley is back on the beat in Beverly Hills and his estranged daughter's life is threatened.

The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey awarded it two stars, writing: "The film has the confidence to poke fun at the franchise’s infamously bad third entry, yet comes to the table with nothing to prove, nothing to say, and nothing for Murphy to work with."

She continued: "It has landed at Netflix, with a bloated $150m [£118m] budget, hot on the tail of Bad Boys: Ride or Die.

"Bad Boys owes a large chunk of its existence to Beverly Hills Cop, and yet that franchise has succeeded in maturing where this one has certainly failed. A lot of it has to do with the simple acknowledgement that time has passed."

There was more enthusiasm for the film from USA Today's Brian Truitt , who described it as "a confident fourth outing" in the action-comedy franchise.

Truitt praised the film's classic elements, including "retro Bob Seger and Pointer Sisters tunes, that signature Detroit Lions varsity jacket and the impressive commitment to on-duty ridiculousness".

"And while it's a very modern release – via streaming rather than movie theatres – everything else leans pretty old school," he noted.

In the LA Times, Glenn Whipp was similarly positive, commenting that from as early as the opening credits, "you realise that everyone involved understood the assignment".

"The solution to creating a new Beverly Hills Cop movie was to simply make the first one all over again."

He continued: "Murphy is effective, even if the tone has shifted from a brash swagger to nostalgic cheer. The heat is gone."

"While it’s easy to view Axel F as a calculated cash grab, it’s clear that Murphy possesses an affection for the title character."

Original cast members Judge Reinhold and John Ashton have joined Murphy for the fourth instalment.

The film also stars Taylour Paige, as Foley's daughter Jane, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as his new partner, detective Bobby Abbott.

However, Robert Daniels at The New York Times criticised the film, writing that Murphy "struggles to revive the moribund action-comedy franchise".

"Murphy returns with the same Detroit Lions jacket, his familiar chuckle and his movie star grin.

"But there’s little to smile about in this painfully lacklustre retread desperately trying to justify its own existence," he added.

Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian agreed , adding: "There’s something a bit tired and formulaic about this further go-around for his iconic Detroit cop Axel Foley.

He continued: "It’s still funny when Murphy does his “white people” voice, once a staple of his stand-up days. But like Murphy’s Coming 2 America, this feels a bit stale, and a mature guy like him can’t play the subversive anarchist comedy energy in the way he did.

"Murphy could still play comedy or drama with the right script, but this presumes a great deal on the audience’s brand loyalty."

The latest film is the first time Murphy has reprised the role, which paved the way to his stardom, in 30 years.

He was in his 20s when he shot the first film, and is now 63, with a string of films including The Nutty Professor, Shrek and Norbit under his belt.

In a four-star review, the Telegraph's Robbie Collin said: "Murphy’s comedy is stuck in the 80s – and that’s fine.

"First-time director Mark Molloy and his team uncannily recreate the original film’s rhythm, texture and spirit," he said, adding that "Murphy is on bright, lively form, and seems to be enjoying the experience".

The Hollywood trade publications broadly approved of the first new instalment in three decades, with Deadline's Pete Hammond commenting: "Thanks to Murphy and the cast reunion, [the film] is great fun and moves like a rocket.

"It should have been in theatres where it could have thrived, but Netflix subscribers will love it."

Variety's Owen Gleiberman suggested the film "might tickle your nostalgia bone", but added: "Of course, the difference between then and now is that in the 40 years since Beverly Hills Cop, there have been 400 action comedies spun out of these same tropes. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is just one more of them."

Ultimately, the film will "satisfy diehard fans," concluded The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney.

"But the shortage of fresh perspective, the absence of excitement and the slavishness with which the filmmakers stick to the original formula in one unimaginative action sequence after another makes the sequel seem past its expiration date."

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Demon Slayer movie trilogy announced: The Infinity Castle arc is getting split into three films

Slay demons on the big screen.

A Demon Slayer movie trilogy has been officially announced.

The rumors swirling around a grand Demon Slayer cinematic experience were finally confirmed on July 1, 2024.

After the season 4 finale, ufotable, the Japanese animation studio behind Koyoharu Gotouge’s hit series, unveiled their plans to adapt the Demon Slayer Infinity Castle arc into a three-part movie saga.

Demon Slayer Infinity Castle movie trilogy poster

Following the hour-long season 4 finale, ufotable released the first official poster for the Demon Slayer Infinity Castle movie trilogy. The poster depicts Tanjiro Kamado plummeting towards the ominous Infinity Castle.

Below him, the seven Hashira stand resolute, joined by their demon ally Tamayo. The caption, “The All-Out War Begins,” is written on the poster, setting the stage for Demon Slayer Infinity Castle the Movie.

These upcoming films mark a shift from the last two Demon Slayer movie releases, “To the Hashira Village,” released in 2023, and “To the Hashira Training,” released in 2024.

Unlike these shorter features, the Infinity Castle arc will be adapted into three full-length feature films with no previous episode recaps, similar to the record-breaking “Demon Slayer Mugen Train” movie released in 2020.

Mugen Train remains the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time , earning US$507 million worldwide. The Infinity Castle trilogy aims to continue this cinematic success, bringing the Demon Slayer franchise back to the big screen in grand fashion.

You can watch the official first Demon Slayer Infinity Castle trailer below.

Demon Slayer movie trilogy will have the most intense battles in the series

The highly anticipated Demon Slayer movie trilogy will adapt the Infinity Castle arc, known for featuring the most intense battles in the entire series.

Season 4’s finale featured the much-awaited confrontation in which Muzan Kibutsuji targeted the leader of the Demon Slayers, Kagaya Ubuyashiki.

Ubuyashiki’s sacrifice empowers the remaining Demon Slayers, particularly the elite Hashira, for their final confrontation with Muzan.

In a desperate move, Muzan teleports nearly all the demon hunters, including all the Hashira, to his fortified base – the Infinity Castle.

This arc is the penultimate act of the Demon Slayer storyline and features intense battles between the remaining Demon Slayers and Muzan’s strongest demons, the Upper Demon Moons .

Fans can expect brutal and fast-paced fight sequences as the Hashira unleash their full potential in this epic clash.

READ MORE: Demon Slayer season 4 episodes and where to watch them

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

I saw the ‘scariest film of the decade’ – but Longlegs is not what you expect at all

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Nicolas Cage ’s terrifying new psychological horror movie Longlegs has already been anointed the scariest film of the decade by giddy critics and fans.

There have been confessions of frightened tears, and descriptions ranging from ‘unholy’ and ‘rancid’ to ‘demented’ – the hype is so extreme that it can surely only disappoint fans driven into a frenzy of anticipation.

And that’s especially so, considering that it boasted a rare 100% fresh rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes for a few weeks (and is still on a stunning 91%).

Except I think it won’t, regardless of how you like your horror served up.

Longlegs probably won’t make you cry or faint or scream, but it will creep into your consciousness and under your skin, staying there uncomfortably until long after the credits roll.

It’s a masterclass in building an atmosphere and sustaining an extremely potent level of tension: it takes an nerve-testing 50 minutes – half of the film’s run-time – before you see Cage in his full, freaky serial killer glory .

Writer and director Osgood Perkins, son of Psycho actor Anthony Perkins, knows just how to tease the iconic actor’s fanbase, as the 60-year-old star has been kept hidden in the trailer and public view, as well as largely away from the press.

Even his co-stars didn’t get to see him ahead of time. Lead actress Maika Monroe, who was hooked up to a heart rate monitor while filming her climactic face-to-face with Cage, was so terrified when she saw him in his full, gross get-up, her heartbeat hit a shocking 170bpm.

A lot of Longlegs’ enjoyment is wondering just exactly what it is he’ll look like… and you won’t be disappointed by the stark transformation, which takes inspiration from silent movie star Lon Chaney’s grotesque makeup from the 1925 version of The Phantom of the Opera.

Cage is a murderer of several years standing being pursued by FBI agent Lee Harker (a vulnerable yet steely Monroe), who leaves coded letters by the bodies at his crime scenes signed ‘Longlegs’.

As her investigation becomes more complicated, with occult evidence uncovered, Harker discovers a personal link to the killer and must act quickly to end his terrifying killing spree.

Longlegs is a veritable buffet of shudders, hitting all the most popular tropes in the horror genre organically – from devil worship, riddles, nuns and creepy dolls to the classic panic of an intruder being in the house with you and a soundtrack of chilling plucking springs.

You can guess at least one of the twists in Longlegs, but it’s still an entertaining ride to its bloody conclusion.

Cage is absolutely made for his role, which even has room for some trademark off-the-wall Cage-isms, such as him suddenly screaming and rocking as he drives, yowling: ‘Daddy, Mummy! Save me from the hell of living!’

It sounds utterly barmy as I write it – as does his reported 24-minute rendition of ‘happy birthday’ that will haunt you (the phrase ‘birthday girl’ will be ruined forever too) – but it’s deliciously perfect in the film.

No other actor could have pulled this blend of baffling yet monstrous off – and let’s not forget about the sassy ‘mwah!’ he offers as he blows a kiss at one point.

The tension never relents in the well-crafted and unsettling Longlegs, but it’s Cage’s unhinged turn that is deservedly driving the conversation.

Longlegs is out in cinemas on Friday, July 12.

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'The Bear' season 3 features surprising cameo: Did you miss it?

Spoilers for the season 3 finale ahead!

"The Bear" season 3 is chock-full of celebrity guest stars and real-life chefs playing themselves, but one moment from the finale has fans lit up.

Spoiler warning! We will be discussing details from the season 3 finale of "The Bear" below.

In a blink-and-you-miss-it scene during the season 3 finale, Carmy ( Jeremy Allen White ) attends a funeral dinner for the fictional restaurant Ever run in the show by Chef Andrea Terry (Olivia Colman), who has decided to close up shop and retire.

The real Ever -- the actual one, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant co-owned by Chef Curtis Duffy and Michael Muser in Chicago -- is not closing, we should note.

Jeremy Allen White, Matty Matheson, 'The Bear' cast open up ahead of new season

Carmy looks at a collage of photos featuring non-fictional chefs when, for a brief moment, a snap of Bradley Cooper in the 2015 film "Burnt" flashes across the screen.

In "Burnt," directed by John Wells, Cooper plays Adam Jones, a fictional down-on-his-luck chef who sets out redeem himself and restart his career.

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Review: 'The Bear' season 3 sets a new gold standard for TV

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There's no additional context provided as to why we see this reference to Cooper's "Burnt" character, and the actor himself doesn't make an appearance.

Does "The Bear" take place in the same universe as "Burnt," or is it some sort of inside joke either played by the characters within the show or the show's creator, Christopher Storer?

We'd like to order one explanation, please, chef.

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Bea Alonzo says Dominic Roque split was mutual, no one at fault

MANILA, Philippines — Actress Bea Alonzo opened up a bit more about her break-up with partner Dominic Roque and the subsequent end of their engagement earlier this year.

Bea appeared on the special July two-cover for Tatler Philippines magazine, the other showcasing several athletes ahead of the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.

In the write-up penned by Maritess Garcia Reyes, Bea talked about her split with Dominic after dating for over four years and being engaged a year ago.

"I saw myself marrying this man. But sometimes, things don't go according to plan. Sometimes God's plan is better, and I have learnt to embrace that," Bea said, confirming the engagement ended last January but was only publicized a month later.

The actress admitted the two tried to sort things out between them, adding it was a mutual decision to call it quits and not just hers alone, lamenting there were many who initially thought so.

"It always takes two to tango. Sometimes relationships don't work, and that's fine," Bea continued. "I guess I also have to thank him because had he not been courageous enough actually to acknowledge that there was something wrong in our relationship, I may have continued to be carried away by the pressures of society."

Bea ended by sharing she stayed off social media for months to detox in order to help accept the decision they'd made, pointing how online negativity could have affected her further.

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Ossipee Valley Fair, Moxie Festival and more happening this weekend

The Maine International Film Festival starts Friday in Waterville.

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Now that we’re all comfortably settled into the rhythm of summer, let’s do a classic summer thing and go to a fair!

Jeremy Schoff of York leads his oxen, Pete and Red, during the ox pull on Thursday at the Ossippe Valley Fair in 2021. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

The Ossipee Valley Fair starts today and runs through Sunday. We especially love the Farmer Olympics because the hay bale toss and blind wheelbarrow obstacle course competition is fierce. Ray Routhier has details about Ossipee Valley and several others fairs happening this summer in Bangor, Waterville and Acton, among other locales.

Go a little farther afield and find a Maine summer fair for you

Aretha Aoki & Ryan MacDonald (right, in bear suit) performing IzumonookunI (stet capital letter at the end). Aretha Aoki & Ryan MacDonald will be bringing this dance program to the Bates Dance Festival July 12 and 14, 2024 at the Schaeffer Theatre on the Bates College campus in Lewiston, Maine. Photo by Colin Kelly

Another summer tradition is the Bates Dates Festival in Lewiston . Performances are underway, and arts writer Megan Gray has the scoop on “IzumonookunI” by Aretha Aoki and Ryan MacDonald. See it tonight and Saturday.

Topsham couple’s Bates Dance Festival performance is inspired by kabuki, punk rock and their 7-year-old

Big Yellow Taxi. Photo by Julian Parker Burns

I’m headed to One Longfellow Square on Friday night to see the Massachusetts-based Joni Mitchell tribute band Big Yellow Taxi. They’ll be playing Mitchell’s 1974 album “Court and Spark,” along with other tunes.

Tribute to Joni Mitchell celebrates 50 years of ‘Court and Spark’

“3 Vendors of Ipanema” is directed by Lewiston native Jonathan S. Lee. Courtesy of JSL Films

We weren’t kidding when we said there’s a lot going on right now. The 27th annual Maine International Film Festival starts on Friday and runs through July 21 in Waterville. Our film writer, Dennis Perkins, offers up his picks for 12 screenings worth your while.

12 hidden gems of this year’s Maine International Film Festival

Spectators watching a previous year’s Moxie Festival Parade in Lisbon Falls. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer

Our weekly events roundup includes the East Bayside block party in Portland and the Moxie Festival in Lisbon Falls. Should you make it to the festival on Saturday, don’t miss “American Idol” alum Julia Gagnon singing at 1:30 p.m.

Kennebunks garden tour, Moxie Festival, East Bayside block party

One with Everything from Gunnar’s Icelandic Hot Dogs. Photo by Ray Routhier

Need a break from standard-issue hot dogs? We love them too, but sometimes a new twist is just what your taste buds need. Ray Routhier stopped by Gunnar’s Icelandic Hot Dogs cart . If you like what you read, you can find it parked from 4-9 p.m. Thursday at Apres in Portland, then on the roof of Bayside Bowl on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Sick of red snappers? Try an Icelandic hot dog instead

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Covered bridges in Maine: 8 historic sites plus some modern options

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