The month of January is infamous in the Entertainment realm when it comes to movie releases. However, M. Night Shyamalan’s Split is definitely no exception to this rule. I am not one to be nervous to watch any thriller but I found myself rather terrified when the title screen popped up. My instincts were right. This movie is one of those rare experiences that’s hard to watch but even harder to look away.

There has been a lot of controversy over this movie over it’s ‘negative’ portrayal of the mentally ill. I will admit, I was pretty nervous myself how they were going to portray Kevin, the ‘villain’ with 23 different personalities, in a completely horrible way that just made everyone with multiple personalities out to be a creepy kidnapper. But after watching it for myself I am 99% positive all the people who claim that it is offensive have not actually watched it, because I was pleasantly surprised. Not only did they portray his multiple personalities in a rather interesting way, they also made them seem normal, because to many people they are. It showed how Kevin lived with them and how they actually ‘came’ to him to help him cope with his abusive past. The movie oddly seemed to help people understand what it’s like to live with this disorder.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the acting too. I did not know what to think about Anya Taylor-Joy after seeing her in The Witch, another scary movie that was apparently critically acclaimed even though it did not seem like it should be. I can honestly say she was incredible in the role of Casey, the loner quiet girl who was one of the three girls who was kidnapped by Kevin. James McAvoy’s acting also caught me off guard. The way he played each and every one of Kevin’s personalities was insane; it really did seem like he himself had 23 different personalities.

All in all, I would totally see this movie again and you should too. It left me dazed for several days after seeing it and there is not that many movies that have that effect on me. For its originality, oddly comedic at some scenes and the sheer terror it caused in its viewers, Split gets an A+.