May (2002) Review – A Wickedly Funny and Tragic Cult Classic

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are taking a look at a movie that was, possibly, an inspiration for it – Lucky McKee’s May starring Angela Bettis. This movie has become something of a cult classic in recent times and is one of my low-key favourite horror movies. It’s definitely not for everyone, though. Let’s take a look.

A dark tale of loneliness

May is the story of a lonely young woman with a lazy eye doing whatever she can to create perfection. May (Angela Bettis) has been shunned by friends her whole life and suffered through a difficult childhood. Now an adult, her only friend is a doll made for her by her mother.

While walking home from her job at a veterinary clinic one day, May spots a man who has, in her opinion, the most beautiful hands she has ever seen. Despite her social awkwardness, May manages to strike up a conversation with the man, setting in motion a series of events that will change both of their lives forever.

Whereas the slightly similar-feeling Excision was a simple psychological horror with a strong comedic edge, May could, more accurately, be classed as a psychological horror slasher. A fact that doesn’t really become apparent until towards the end of the movie. It’s an odd pairing. Slashers rarely spend a great deal of time placing characters under microscopes but that is what happens in May and it works incredibly well.

McKee has blended psychological horror elements with a biting sense of wit and that is the dominant theme for the majority of May. This is a wickedly funny movie that places a spotlight on our woefully troubled and incredibly awkward main character.

A comedic character study

For much of its length, May is a character study of our leading lady. May is a rather complex character; she is nuttier than squirrel farts and extremely socially awkward. A life of loneliness has led to her frequently interacting with a homemade doll, eroding her social skills and causing her to be considerably uncomfortable when talking to her co-workers and people around her. Much of the movie’s comedy comes from just how hilarious these interactions are. 

“Angela Bettis’ fantastic performance deserves special commendation. Every uncomfortable glance is carefully considered to reflect just how incapable May is of connecting socially.”

Angela Bettis’ fantastic performance deserves special commendation here. May is hilarious. Every facial expression is meaningful and deliberately placed to drag you into the awkwardness of the interaction. Every uncomfortable glance, cast at the people she is interacting with, is carefully considered to reflect just how incapable May is of connecting socially. It is brilliant stuff.

May’s continual urges to touch and to be noticed constantly overwhelm her, leading to moment after moment of toe-curling tension that will have you begging to look away. The fact that she manages to cultivate relationships is almost baffling but the ever-present sense that she is going to mess it up, one way or another, keeps you invested and keeps the comedy coming.

May is one of those characters that you absolutely have to know everything about. She is funny, tragic, complex and completely engaging throughout. It almost shouldn’t work as well as it does. It should be boring but, for some reason, it just isn’t.

A sharp ending

May spends a great deal of its time and effort convincing you that it is, basically, a psychological horror. The deep dive into the personality and mind of our titular character takes centre stage for the majority of the film.

“The movie changes into something completely different, shedding its psychological horror skin and revealing a fairly by-the-numbers slasher underneath.”

As the whirlwind of May’s life reaches something of a crescendo, the movie changes into something completely different, shedding its psychological horror skin and revealing a fairly by-the-numbers slasher underneath.

It’s a somewhat jarring change and relatively unexpected given the first hour or so of the movie. In fact, I would go as far as to say it will leave a few viewers disappointed. It’s not that the final twenty minutes or so are bad, they are just very “by-the-numbers”. May takes a lot of chances throughout its running time, only to abandon the risk-taking in the final stanza to become a generic slasher. 

Great scripting and direction

Lucky McKee was responsible for both the script and direction here and he does a fantastic job. May was the first example of McKee’s slightly grungy approach to movie making. There is almost a D.I.Y punk horror feeling to the movie that absolutely begs for cult status. The movie feels like a throwback to the 70s and 80s while managing to retain a somewhat timeless feel. The soundtrack here bears mention, as well, for being completely fitting to the feel of the movie.

McKee’s shot setups are fairly basic but always keep the focus on May. Placing the viewer as something of a voyeur into her world. McKee and Bettis’ chemistry as director and actor are very apparent, as well, with McKee never wasting a frame in capturing May’s awkwardness.

The script also deserves mention. There are some memorable lines here that you will find yourself quoting long into the future. The conversations between characters go a long way to put emphasis on just how ill-at-ease May is socially, there are a number of dialogue-based moments of comedy and there are some brilliant one-liners.

“Bettis’ lead performance as May is one for the horror ages and makes the movie worth the price of entry alone. It is hilarious, captivating, and quite unsettling.”

It’s a shame that McKee didn’t go on to do anything particularly of note after May. He reunited with Bettis a few times when he directed the tenth episode of the television series Masters of Horror episode Sick Girl and feature-length movie The Woman. As well as working with her in an acting role in Roman. He also contributed to a bunch of anthologies but it never really felt like he became that name you were excited to see attached to a movie. Special shoutout to Anna Faris here, playing a slightly hornier version of her typically dumb girl character from her comedy movies. She is a lot of fun.

Our Scoring Philosophy: A Fair Fight

Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.