Split **** Movie Voodoo review by Chris Hembury

Split ****
Hitchcockian Horror with 23 Twists

Been a funny old career for M.Night Shyamalan. When his good (6th Sense, Unbreakable) his good but when his bad (Lady in the Water, After Earth) his er... not so good.


Recently he drifted more into the Horror genre from The Happening, which is well... see that one for yourself and a return to form last year with creepy The Visit contemporary shot via Camcorder found footage a break away from his usual style.

 Bringing us up to date with his latest offering Split starring James McAvoy. The film starts with the abduction of three teenage girls, who later discover that their captor Kevin (McAvoy) has not one but twenty three personalities. The outcast of the trio of girls Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy) must find a way to escape and also discover the reason they have been abducted

before it's too late.

The girls discovery of their captor's mental condition amps the creepiness and the intentional or not black comedy as one minute his fierce Dennis, to cross dressing as Patricia, to a nine year old boy. Its a perfect

blend of scares, freakishness, comedy and jumps as you literally don't know who he is or what he could next at this or any other point.

One of the make or break aspects of this film would be the actor himself who plays Kevin. If you got that casting wrong the the film would lose realism and integrity with a fate destined for the DVD bargain bucket basket at Pound Land (Where I recently bought Starship Trooper 3 on Blu Ray for £1 from as a comical Christmas Present for my brother if that heightens my point). 

I can unmistakably conclude the film made a great investment in casting McAvoy as the lead of Kevin. A skin head McAvoy seems to relish the role of not just one part but twenty three parts off whom he does a commendable job of portraying sometimes multiple characters at the same time. 

At one point McAvoy has to skips through some his personalities in succession as if a CD was jumping from track to track which he pulls off with ease despite the obvious concentration and skill required to make this look effortless and more importantly natural. Here McAvoy joyfully seems like his back in Drama school going through a improvisations of multiply characters in class.  

Particular highlights of the 23 personalities have to go the scene stealing 9 year old boy who literally goes through the emotions from humorous banter, sweet adolescences, laugh out loud dancing, violent mood swings and has he would say "etcetera". 

The film is inter cut with Kevin's Therapist Dr Karen Flecther played tenderly and with conviction by Betty Buckley. This gives the story a nice Thriller vibe as the shrink begins to discover something is terribly wrong and must work out the sinister secret her client, whom she deeply cares about, has done before it's too late. 

Lower budgets seems to have served Shyamalan's creatively well here the Direction of his story has become a back to basics simplistic return to form. The director allows the camera to become the audience's window into the unfolding events with a abundance of Point of View shots which fit the story's format well. 

There are a few wasted opportunities in any other wise neatly written script including the later revealed location of the captives which seems eccentric and not used to any potential unless it figuratively which isn't a real necessity. 

There are back flashes in the story which are welcomed additions bringing depth and understanding to the characterization of Casey giving her a tragic back story making her more than just the stereotypical high school recluse. Don't let the black humour fool you this film can and will get dark which goes further to back up the genre.

However combined with a ending that seems quite rushed and cramped with multiple open ended possibilities to an otherwise self contained story which does not entirely fit with the theme established up to that point. But with M.Night you have to ask was that his point of doing it?

Split has a unique premise which at times during it execution steps on the borderlines of pure lunacy with it's own action but to be quite honest that what makes this film so much fun. It's a horror that's well acted, well crafted, unique, funny, jumpy and fun. 

Let's face it that's about as rare as bumping into someone suffering with dissociative identity disorder with 23 personalities in tow.   

By Chris Hembury