Dir. M. Night Shyamalan | Now Streaming On Prime | Rating: 2/5

Believe it or not, this was actually THE film that inspired me to begin reviewing horror. I remember seeing this film in college and then sending my friend a 4 minute video review because I was thoroughly pissed off walking out of the theater. Let’s talk about the incredibly problematic M. Night box office smash – Split. 

Split follows Kevin, a man living with multiple personalities, and his kidnapping of 3 teenagers. The illness displayed in the film is supposed to be based on Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), but is an outrageously inaccurate and harmful interpretation that paints people with DID as dangerous and out of control. DID is already an exploited and taboo mental illness shrouded in fear and misunderstanding. To add a mass consumed horror film to the mix of misinformation is dangerous to those who actually live with this illness. 

This is all a shame, because Split is a masterfully acted, shot, and paced film. James McAvoy shines as a character actor in this piece, juggling over four unique roles that share significant screen time. Contrary to the poor handling of DID, the commentary on trauma and the way it morphs our futures is competent, intriguing, and intelligent. Anya Taylor Joy plays Casey skillfully, leaving us with a sickening gut punch when the twist is revealed. The mirrored storytelling of hunting deer and unraveling the story of The Beast shows the strong writing M. Night is capable of, which is one of the only redeeming qualities of this. 

I rewatched this film to decide if it truly is as problematic as I remembered and unfortunately, it really is. Though this film has intriguing qualities that make a decent horror film, I can’t reasonably support or recommend a film that handles a legitimate mental illness so irresponsibly. 

Know Before You Watch: Features death, blood, nudity, mentions of abuse, mentions of sexual assault.