Creeptober Day 16: May

The cult favorite May is our pick for day 16 of Creeptober, and it is a movie about seeing the best in people. Or in other words, it’s about seeing the best parts of people and learning how to make friends.

Read on for our thoughts on May (2002) as well as a recap of the movie, and join the conversation on our Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram!

Reacting to May

May has been a favorite of mine for a long time. I wouldn’t call it underrated, because it’s highly regarded by a good percentage of the people who have seen it. But I do consider it more of a cult classic considering how many people still haven’t given it a chance.

Like most people, I didn’t see May in theaters when it was released. I believe it was a limited release, so I’m not sure that I even had the opportunity to see it. So, I discovered May on DVD a few years after its release, which is where I think most of its initial fan base grew from. I really enjoyed it the first time I saw it, and I’ve enjoyed it every time I’ve revisited it.

I love a good character study, and that’s exactly where May excels the most. Propelled by a heartbreaking performance from Angela Bettis in the title role, May manages to be both tragic and touching at the same time. It can be disturbing for some viewers, but the explicit horror elements are actually the least disturbing parts. It’s a movie that can be ridiculously funny in one moment, then terribly upsetting the next, and it all flows together and overlaps in a way that makes total sense when you get into the mindset of the film.

I don’t think I’ve overstating it when I say that Angela Bettis is amazing as May. Her awkwardness around other people can be felt. Her tiny voice when she asks the random shirtless guy if he’s her best friend is one of the saddest moments in the movie. But then, when May realizes what she has to do in order to be happy, the change almost makes her feel like another character. Almost. Angela Bettis connects the May of the first part of the movie with the May of the finale beautifully, making sure that we truly feel her newfound confidence. It’s the look in her eyes as she watches Adam’s hand. Or the graceful way she lures Polly into exposing her neck. The old May is still there, but the new May is in control.

For me, the hardest parts to watch are earlier in the movie when May is trying to interact with other people. Maybe the awkwardness and insecurity hit a little too close to home, but it makes me anxious every time I watch. Okay, so, I’ve never rubbed my face against a stranger’s hand while they slept, but I think lots of people can relate to the feeling of isolation that comes with not knowing how to speak or act around others. For some people it’s a phase, for others it can be much more than that. It’s hard to deal with, and it’s hard to watch. But as a lifelong fan of horror movies, chopping up bodies and sewing them together makes sense (it makes sense in a movie, just in a movie). It’s almost comforting. I suppose I consider May a comfort movie.

May – A Recap

As the movie begins, the woman who we will soon know as May is screaming while holding a bloody hand over one of her eyes. Flashing back to May’s childhood, young May is being conditioned by her mother to hide her lazy eye. May is taught that she won’t be able to form friendships if people know about her condition. She doesn’t have any friends, so her mother gives her a doll on her birthday, saying “if you can’t find a friend, make one.” May’s mother says it was the first doll she ever made, and it was her best friend. Now the doll, named Suzie, will be May’s best friend. But she can never take the doll out of its glass case, because Suzie is “special.”

In the present, the now-adult May works in a small animal hospital and sews as a hobby. She is a solitary person who has difficulty interacting with other people, and Suzie is still her best (and only) friend. But May has found someone she wants to get close to. May, who recently started wearing contact lenses which treat her lazy eye, fixates on a man named Adam. May is particularly attracted to his hands. To her, they are perfect. She follows Adam and tries to orchestrate a “chance” meeting. After a couple of awkward failed attempts, they finally begin talking. Adam invites May over to his house, but when they start to kiss, May gets aggressive which causes Adam to back off.

Feeling rejected, May directs her anger at Suzie. May hits Suzie’s box which cuts her and causes the glass to crack slightly. May’s calls to Adam go unanswered, so she goes to his house. Adam agrees to go to May’s apartment where he shows her a student film he made. The movie is a short film about two lovers who cannibalize each other. May seems to like the movie, saying it’s “sweet.” Afterward, while Adam and May are kissing, May bites Adam’s lip, drawing blood. May says it’s just like his movie, but Adam is uncomfortable. He leaves, and May is furious at Suzie.

May is distraught. She ends up having a romantic encounter with her coworker Polly (May admires Polly’s beautiful neck). She also volunteers at a daycare center to help take care of blind children. May eventually runs into Adam, and she is finally confronted with the fact that he doesn’t want to see her anymore. She also discovers that Polly is sleeping with another woman (who May thinks has great legs). May takes Suzie to show to the blind children at the daycare center, but when they want to touch the doll, Suzie’s protective case is broken. May and the children crawl through broken glass and end up pulling Suzie apart. May, too, is finally broken.

Soon after, a random guy tries to start a conversation with May on the street. May invites him back to her place, and she admires his tattoo. The guy sees a dead cat in her freezer (she accidentally killed the cat in a rage when it rejected her). May asks the guy if they’re best friends now that he’s seen what’s inside her freezer, but he calls May a freak. So, May stabs him in the head with a pair of scissors. In that moment, as she looks down at the dead man’s arms, May has a realization. She needs more parts.

May begins sizing up the people around her. Then, on Halloween night, she makes her move. May visits Polly, kills her, and takes her neck. Polly’s girlfriend arrives, and May takes her legs. She then visits Adam’s house. She kills Adam and his girlfriend, taking his hands and her ears. She assembles all the parts she’s collected into a new friend she names Amy. The only problem is, Amy doesn’t have real eyes. Amy can’t see, so May decides to take out one of her own eyes to give to her new friend. As May lies next to Amy, Amy’s hand reaches over and touches May’s face.

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