Interesting films have interesting characters. Characters become interesting when they have a degree of reality mixed with absurdity. In dealing with scientific themes like multiple personality disorder, the main distinguishing factor lies in the director's ability to deep dive into the psychosis of the source material, rather than just touch on it at a surface level. Conversely, good directors work with scientific themes and psychological elements and imbibe them into the narrative structure creating a concoction of a psychologically rich story that educates and entertains simultaneously. Here’s a look at some of the best movies about multiple personality disorder, ranked.

8 Manichitrathazhu (1993)

Directed by the legendary Indian auteur, Fazil, Manichitrathazhu combines the narrative structure of a psychological horror thriller, while also adding elements of humor to balance the darker themes in the story. The plot revolves around a young couple, Ganga and Nakulan, who arrive at Nakul’s ancestral home for a festival. Nakulan is asked by his relatives to avoid staying at the property as it is deemed haunted, but Nakulan doesn’t pay heed to them and decides to move in with Ganga. Once the couple move in, strange things start happening, a noise from anklets, lights blinking randomly, sounds of someone laughing. It's only towards the climax that it’s revealed these strange happenings are caused by one of the family members that has a case of an identity disorder.

7 The Mask (1994)

If Manichitrathazhu was dark, then The Mask is on the other end of the spectrum in terms of lightness. The now iconic film stars Jim Carrey as Stanley, a docile bank employee who turns into an eccentric, absurd and crazy green-skinned superhero after he stumbles upon a wooden mask created by the Norse God of Mischief, Loki. A hilarious contrast between two personality types, the film is a laugh-filled riot.

6 Split (2016)

Split is directed by one of horror’s most prolific poster boys, M. Night Shyamalan (Signs, The Village, The Sixth Sense). The film portrays James McAvoy as a kidnapper named Kevin, who's juggling about two-dozen distinct personalities within one body, from a Brit named Patricia to a New York fashionista. Split succeeds in scaring the daylights out of the viewer due to Mcavoy’s multifaceted approach to the various characters he portrays. Shyamalan masterfully makes us eerily despise Kevin due to his overall menacing nature throughout his various personalities, while also managing to retain a degree of empathy, highlighting Kevin’s childhood and what made him turn into who he is.

5 The Machinist (2004)

In this bizarrely unsettling film, Christian Bale plays the role of Trevor, an insomniac machinist who hasn’t been able to get a good night’s sleep since the time he was responsible for a freak accident that ended up in his co-worker loosing an arm. This incident flips Trevor’s life on its head, causing his world to spiral into a dark place. Unable to let go of the memories of the past, Trevor starts seeing an unfamiliar co-worker named Ivan popping up from time to time. Towards the end of the film, it is revealed that Ivan was a figment of Trevor’s imagination, a sort of manifestation of himself before the freak accident.

Related: 10 Times Christian Bale Completely Transofrmed Himself for a Movie

4 Fight Club (1999)

In David Fincher’s cult classic, Edward Norton portrays the role of a beat-down corporate drone of a human. Dissatisfied with life and his job despite the material comforts it affords him, the narrator majorly suffers from insomnia and constant run-ins with his boss at work. This changes when he bumps into, Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), a smooth-talking, beer-guzzling dude with a devil-may-care attitude. Soon, Durden takes the narrator under his wing, highlighting the various flaws of a capitalistic society. Then, the duo start a fight club together, which aims at viscerally beating the pulp out of each other in an attempt to relieve some stress. In the climax of the film, Fincher beautifully orchestrates the fact that Tyler Durden and the narrator are essentially the same person.

Related: Every David Fincher Movie, Ranked

3 Shutter Island (2010)

Shutter Island revolves around Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his descent into madness as he investigates a disappearance of a patient at Shutter Island’s mysterious mental hospital. As the film progresses, Daniels unravels the dark layers of the hospital, but conversely, a few facts about Daniels mental state come to the surface as well.

Related: These Are the 7 Best Stanley Kubrick Films, Ranked

2 The Shining (1980)

Based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, The Shining tells the story of Jack Torrance, a writer, who takes up the position of an off season caretaker of an isolated hotel during peak winter. As Jack and his wife and son spend time in the huge and empty hotel, Jack starts losing his sanity. His vibe shifts from creepy to outright batshit crazy towards the end of the film, where he chases his wife and young son with an axe.

1 Psycho (1960)

Hitchcock’s Psycho is one of the scariest films ever released. In the film, Hitchcock almost toys with the viewers, letting the suspense unravel gradually, thereby constantly increasing the tension. The plot revolves around a mother son duo named Norma and Norman, respectively. The duo run a motel that falls under the scrutiny of a detective's investigation as a missing girl goes missing from the hotel. As the story unfurls Norman’s intentions come to the forefront and towards the end it is revealed that Norman's mother, Norma is dead, and it’s Norman who suffers from personality issues and assumes her identity to deal with complex emotions involving other people.