When David’s wake up at midnight, he find his wife slit her wrist in the bathtub. And this scene is seen by their daughter, Emily.
So here begins the movie. Widowed psychologist David and his daughter Emily, with whom he shares a troubled relationship, move to countryside for a new environment after Emily’s mother, Allison, committed suicide apparently.
One night, David finds that one of Emily’s favorite doll disappeared. Emily tells David that she meet a new boy called Charlie so there is no need for the toy. David think it a good transition but later he found the doll in the dustbin with its face cut. David wake up in the midnight again by a dream. The same scene flashes again; Candle light in the bathroom, wall with red words: “You made her die.” with Emily behind him.
David meets local woman Elizabeth and her niece, Amy, who is roughly the same age as Emily. David sets up a play-date for her. The play-date is spoiled however when Emily cuts up the face of Amy’s doll. Despite the unsuccessful play-date, David and Elizabeth hit it off, though Emily acts in a hostile manner towards her.
At night strange thing happen again. Emily is trapped in the basement. When David ask Emily who did this, Emily replies that she is playing hide and seek with Charlie.
A family friend, Katherine—herself a psychologist, visits David and Emily to try to help David and talks to Emily about her obsession with Charlie, her only new, imaginary, friend, Later, Elizabeth visit again, hoping to make peace with Emily. When Emily is playing hide-and-seek with Charlie, Elizabeth indulges her by pretending to look for him. However, someone pushes Elizabeth out of the window to cause her death. When David asked Emily who did it, once more she blames Charlie, admitting Charlie “made her help him”. David assumes his neighbor is Charlie and cuts him with a knife, after which the suspicious neighbor calls the police.
Back in the house, David finds that, although he had seemingly been in his study many times, the box were actually never unpacked. David realizes that he has a split personality and that Charlie is not imaginary at all; Charlie is David himself. Whenever it appeared David was in his study, Charlie was actually in control. David also realizes that under his Charlie personality, he killed his wife and made it seemed to be a suicide. He also fully recalls the events of the party the night before his wife’s death, where he had caught his wife cheating on him, which triggered David’s personality disorder.
As Charlie, David goes on a killing. He viciously attacks the local sheriff and drags his body into the cellar. Emily calls Katherine for help who later arrives but attacked by Charlie and thrown in the cellar with the sheriff. Terrified Emily manages to escape the house and runs into the cave. Katherine takes the gun from the wounded sheriff and follows Charlie to the cave. Through the hide and seek, Charlie admits that he, not Emily is sick. Katherine shoot Charlie dead.
At the end of the movie, Emily lay in bed about to go to sleep. Katherine comes in and say good night to her. Before Katherine leaves, Emily asked if she can leave the door open but Katherine said it is not allowed. Both Katherine tells Emily’s Physician-in-charge that she will never give up and the special-made door with wires on the window reveals the answer to the riddle---that Emily is a patient suffers from a split personality and the story above is all her imaginary stuff.
While watching, I have always being wondered which one is sick, the father or the daughter? I have always thought the daughter is sick and it seems right at the end of the movie. But think the end twice, you will find the ending is just like a mystery.
It’s genuine scare feast that will have you squirming in your seat and even screaming aloud. It’s the best little psychological thriller in a long time. Robert made a believable performance as a complete nut and Dakota even though looked awful but gave a great performance.
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