Horror Movie Review: Schism (2024)

Written and directed by Thor Moreno, Schism is a psychological horror film that stars Cait Moira, Hunter Phoenix, Cheyenne Goode and Annette Duffy.

Cait Moria plays Nola Riggs, a young woman with a litany of mental health issues, which has resulted in her being housed within a psychiatric facility. Something serious happened in her past, but the film is coy about that so as to not reveal too much, early on. All viewers need to know is that she is a deeply unhappy person, has visions of the dead, and would give anything to cure her condition and leave the facility.

Given the opportunity to receive experimental treatment at an isolated facility on an island, she jumps at the chance, especially as her best friend, Mara (Cheyenne Good) will also be coming with her.

Alas, Mara hangs herself the night before she’s due to leave, adding even more trauma to Nola’s fragile mind. She goes to the island and finds that she is the only patient and that the island is even more isolated than she expected. The facility is run by Dr. Sherry (Hunter Phoenix) and an intimidating nurse (Annette Duffy) and Nola is promised that if she does well there, she’s going to walk away cured.

Of course, Nola isn’t convinced and quickly finds out that the facility and island is not as ‘free and easy’ as they promise. Something sinister seems to be going on, but the line between reality and fiction is blurred to such a degree, that even the viewer is left unsure of what is real. An aspect that ensures the story stays mysterious right up to the very end.

Is what is going on all in Nola’s head? Or she part of some experiment that might end up costing her, her life?

The exploration of this, and wider mental health issues, is what makes Schism such a compelling watch. How the film navigates the treacherous path between telling a psychological horror story and showcasing the real-life effects of trauma is expertly down. The writing is smart, interesting, and respectful, with Cait Moira doing an outstanding job in the lead role.

So many other films in this style have the lead character written in a way that makes them seem stupid or overly sympathetic. Nola is neither, but she’s also an unbalanced individual, and it’s how Schism explores the mystery of her character alongside the mystery of the island facility that ensures Schism lives long in the memory.

It helps that the film has a surrealist style and many of the visuals add a nightmarish quality to things. This is a film all about atmosphere, which is where most of the horror is drawn from, and both the visual and sonic side of the film aims to ensure the viewer is never sitting comfortably.

Alas, as enjoyable as it is, there is a notable dip in the latter portion of the film. Right about the point where the mystery starts to unravel. Seemingly, in an attempt to keep it vague, the story does start to get a bit muddled. What seemed like a fairly simple story, starts to look unnecessarily complicated, all so it can keep the viewer guessing. Then, having reached its conclusion, it has a character effectively explain the entire reveal in awkward fashion.

Listen, if your story is so complex that you need it to be spelled out like this, there’s a problem. Yet, annoyingly, Schism’s story would have been better drip-feeding content throughout as this have ensured everyone watching was following along up to the reveal. Especially as what is on offer is so watchable too.

This isn’t enough to ruin the film though, not in the slightest, such is the strength of everything that comes before. A compelling story, exceptional acting, exciting dreamlike visuals, unnerving atmosphere, and a few solid scares makes this a very fine film.