Stars: Julianne Moore, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jeffrey DeMunn, Frances Conroy, Brooklynn Proulx, Nathan Corddry
Running time: 112 mins
Rating: ★★★

IF you’re going to make a psychological horror movie whose premise takes a lot of swallowing always employ an Oscar-worthy actress to help persuade the audience that what they’re watching is more than a load of old tosh.

Enter Julianne Moore, a Hollywood name more than happy to work in any genre on budgets great or small. Without her, Shelter would be just another schlock-horror movie that makes you jump through loud noises and music on the soundtrack while squirming at particularly grisly killings.

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Moore plays a forensic psychiatrist, Cara, who makes it clear from the opening scene that she doesn’t believe in multiple personality disorder. Her husband’s murder by a mugger hasn’t shaken her belief in religion either.

Both of those beliefs are put to the test when she’s introduced to Adam (Jonathan Rhys Meyers – he’s ’enery the eight, he is, he is in the TV series), a patient who appears to be a classic example of multiple personality disorder.

A bit of digging around and she discovers that all the people he “becomes” are murder victims. So what exactly is going on? And can she work it out before her family – father and daughter – are put in danger by this man of many faces.

Shelter becomes increasingly ridiculous the longer Cara’s investigations continue, until the inevitable finale where she must beat the baddie or see her family harmed.

Moore, at least, looks as if she believes what’s going on. As for Meyers, his “transformations” are truly scary in this dark and gloomy drama directed by Swedish double act Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein.