The Big Picture

• Three girls are kidnapped by a man with 23 distinct personalities, trying to escape before a superhuman 24th emerges.
• Split's controversial depiction of DID showcases an intense story featuring The Beast and significant themes about trauma.
• Split is revealed as a secret sequel to Unbreakable, leading to the final conclusion for Kevin Wendell Crumb in Glass.

Split is commonly considered to be auteur filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan's best film since Unbreakable (which is fitting), and for good reason. There's so much to love about this tense and critically acclaimed thrill ride. Not only does it feature one of the best performances of James McAvoy's career, but it also serves as a fantastic star vehicle for a then-relatively unknown Anya Taylor-Joy. Split follows a young woman named Casey Cooke (Taylor-Joy) and two other teenage girls as they're abducted by a man with 23 different personalities (James McAvoy). Only three of them are in control: the predatory germophobe Dennis, the prim and proper Patricia, and the infantile and naive Hedwig. Against the wishes of the other personalities, the three hope to summon a 24th personality known only as "The Beast," who is prophesied to have miraculous superhuman abilities. Dennis abducts the three girls as a sacrifice to The Beast so he can grow to his full power.

Imprisoned for several days, Casey and the other two teenage girls do their best to survive and try to find a way to escape the clutches of these nefarious personalities before the Beast is summoned. It turns out that Claire not only has some relevant survivalist experience, but much like her captor, she too has a long history of abuse at the hands of a cruel guardian. The aftermath of the film leads to an ending that is tragic, engaging, and tense beyond belief. The now-iconic ending also features what is undoubtedly the best twist in a Shyamalan film since The Sixth Sense.

The Beast is Unleashed at the End of 'Split'

Though the girls make several plans to escape their captors, the day of The Beast's arrival eventually comes. It turns out, that the prophecy that Dennis, Patricia, and Dennis followed rings true, as The Beast does seem to have special abilities. Not only does The Beast have superhuman strength, but also the ability to crawl on walls, making the bloodthirsty personality a true predator. The introduction of The Beast as a superpowered serial killer personality is one of the reasons why Split became the subject of controversy. Many viewed the depiction of someone living with Dissociative Identity Disorder (or DID for short) as an otherworldly evil monster as promoting a harmful stereotype that real people living with the condition are unstable and dangerous. Was that the intent of the filmmakers and creative minds behind the film? More than likely not, but it's still a valid concern and one that is debated to this day.

Once the transformation is complete, The Beast succeeds in feeding on Casey's two fellow captors, Claire (Haley Lu Richardson) and Marcia (Jessica Sula). Also tragically in his crosshairs is the personality's therapist, Dr. Karen Flethher (Betty Buckley), who has her spine broken by The Beast when she tries to investigate what's really going on. It's not long before The Beast soon has Casey in his sights. However, Casey discovers the original name of the various personalities: Kevin Wendell Crumb. By saying his name several times, she stops the beast in his tracks as he recalls the traumatic events of Kevin's childhood. Kevin takes control of his body for the first time in years and asks Casey to kill him using the shotgun he has hidden. However, soon the other personalities return and give The Beast back control.

The Beast Spares Casey After Learning About Her Trauma

Split's depiction of a person with DID as a cannibalistic monster is undeniably problematic, but one aspect that the film does get right about the condition is its common cause — trauma and extreme stress. As mentioned above, Kevin's personalities began to manifest themselves as a result of Kevin Wendell Crumb's emotionally and physically abusive mother (Rosemary Howard). At this point in the film, though, that is the last thing on The Beast's mind, as he begins to relentlessly pursue Casey throughout the labyrinth of his abode. However, The Beast is shocked to learn of Casey's traumatic secret.

Earlier in the film via flashbacks, we learn that Casey had been getting sexually abused by her Uncle John (Brad William Henke) ever since she was five years old. The abuse continued for years, as John became Casey's legal guardian after her father passed away. It's abundantly clear the nature of Casey's long-term abuse evolved into more physical domestic violence, as The Beast soon notices that Casey is covered in scars and bruises. The experience halts The Beast's onslaught, as he views Casey's evidence of abuse not as a shame to be covered, but a purity to be celebrated. After telling Casey to "rejoice," The Beast spares Casey and flees toward the darkness. This marks the definitive end of Casey's nightmare...for now.

Casey Escapes One Abusive Environment to Live in Another

Casey may have escaped the clutches of The Beast, but the experience has still left her entirely exhausted. Thankfully, she's found by an employee doing her rounds, who quickly helps her out of the dark and desolate hallways. It is revealed that Casey has been kept in the backrooms of a local zoo the entire time, as this was Kevin and his personalities' place of work. Soon, a small army of police officers descend on the zoo to investigate. They quickly learn that Kevin was the one responsible for the abduction of Casey and her classmates, but there is not a trace of the suspect to be found. Just when you think Casey has finally found a moment of peace from this traumatic experience, she soon gets more bad news — her uncle is here to pick her up. At first glance, this is an unbelievably tragic conclusion for a character who did nothing to deserve this level of torment. However, there is a slight feeling of hope that she'll finally be able to persevere and confront her uncle's unforgivable abuse. If she can outsmart a superpowered killer like The Beast, she may yet be able to escape another abusive environment.

'Split' is Revealed to be a Secret Sequel to 'Unbreakable'

Even with the controversial depiction of DID aside, the idea of The Beast appearing as a supernatural being might be jarring to some, considering there was no hint of the supernatural at any point earlier in the film. However, there is a surprising explanation for The Beast's newfound powers. Unbeknownst to most viewers at the time, Split has taken place in a world alongside other beings with miraculous powers this entire time. In what seems to be a cheeky homage to the end-credits scenes of various comic book movies, Split has a mid-credits sequence that takes place in a local diner. The diner's TV features a telecast explaining the tragedy involving Casey and the kidnapped victims, with The Beast and his underling personalities being officially branded as "The Horde." The strange case gets the attention of diners, with one saying the story reminds her of another unusual killer from years ago. A person next to her says she's thinking of Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson), and the person who drops the bombshell revelation is the hero of Unbreakable, David Dunn (Bruce Willis).

That's right. Split was a secret continuation of the Unbreakable storyline introduced over 15 years prior. The reveal is more than just a simple explanation as to why The Beast has superpowers, as it's heavily implied that David Dunn wants to track down The Horde before they hurt anyone else. We get to see that story unfold in the final film in the trilogy, Glass.

Kevin Wendell Crumb's Story Concludes in 'Glass'

The epic crossover teased in Split's end credits takes shape in 2019's Glass. Not only do we get to see The Horde and David Dunn go head-to-head, but there is also the return of Samuel L. Jackson's Mr. Glass, the well-meaning mentor revealed to be a criminal mastermind from Unbreakable. Both David and Kevin are captured and taken to a remote psychiatric hospital, where Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson) allegedly believes that the "powers" of these three individuals are nothing more than a psychological condition. As Mr. Glass plans a new nefarious plan, Casey and David's son Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark) try to find out what's really going on at that hospital.

Glass is generally seen as the weakest of the Unbreakable/Split trilogy, but that doesn't mean it's terrible either. The film does a great job of playing with audience expectations and subverts the tropes of the now-ubiquitous superhero genre. Additionally, the film expands on Kevin Wendell Crumb and his personalities as much more sympathetic characters, portraying them as true victims of The Beast and the rest of The Horde. It doesn't completely excuse the two films' contentious portrayal of DID, but it does add more to the meaningful conversation.

Split is available to stream on Netflix.

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