split2017-2Starring James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Blumhouse, out now

M Night Shyamalan’s tense, multiple personality thriller delivers more thrills than you might imagine, star James McAvoy has a fine old time and there’s a certain plot point that film buffs will most certainly be talking about.

I hope that its presence on this esteemed website’s pages doesn’t come across as a minor spoiler as typically a psychological thriller would fall outside of our purview. I will, however, say that while this thriller does indeed stray into fantasy territory, the extent and the manner in which it does so is something you need to discover yourself.

While many saw Shyamalan’s 2015 horror The Visit as a welcome return to form after duds like After Earth and The Last Airbender, I still wasn’t convinced the Sixth Sense wunderkind director was back, firing on all cylinders. Split, however, is a definite return to form. Lean, focused, tense and boosted by a rattling good story, this is M Night of old. As with other Blumhouse productions, the budget is low, relying on the director to pull some tricks out of his bag, and directing from his own script, Shyamalan feels like he is making the movie he wants to make, with minimal interference from the suits.

James McAvoy is the movie’s protagonist, a tortured soul with 23 personalities who warns his psychiatrist that a 24th personality is coming the tracks. This one is going to be ‘the beast’ and there’s a sense this is going to be the ultimate transformation from his chrysalis a la Tom Noonan in Manhunter. What he fails to tell his doctor is that he has also kidnapped three young girls from a parking lot, including The Witch‘s Anya Taylor-Joy (she’s excellent) and that they are likely to be victims of the beast.

And that’s really all you need to know without giving too much away. McAvoy is great fun playing the multiple personas and any fear that this is in bad taste and somewhat mocking of mental illness is quickly dispelled when you realise that this is quite clearly fantastical. Characters do crazy things – they go into cellars when they shouldn’t – and a lot of the science exposition is pure hokum. But this is a B-movie with big aspirations and if you are prepared to watch it transform from a regular thriller into something more X-Files procedural, you’ll have a blast.

And yes, there’s a scene that I barely dare mention, as I want it to be as fresh as possible. You might have stumbled upon it elsewhere on the Internet, but don’t go looking for it and instead be taken by surprise.

Verdict: Far better than expected, Split is smart, schlocky mainstream entertainment. Besides, what other film gives you up to two dozen aspects of McAvoy for the price of a single admission? 8/10

Nick Joy