May

The subgenre of queer horror has more to it than just being a regular horror story with queer characters. The lead character in May kisses a woman, but that’s not what makes the film a great example of the themes of queer horror. Instead, it’s the film’s focus on outsiders and the desire to fit in. Director Lucky Mckee has created a story and character that regardless of sexuality speaks to the queer experience and queer fears.

From childhood, May didn’t fit in. Raised in a rigid, suburban environment, May’s lazy eye and social awkwardness isolated her from her peers. Without real friends, May’s mother gifts her a doll. This doll acts as May’s closest friend into her adult years. As an adult, May (Angela Bettis) receives treatment to fix her lazy eye. This boost in confidence causes May to again search for friendship and maybe love. The main object of her interest is Adam (Jeremy Sisto). May believes Adam to have beautiful, perfect hands. While she is pursing Adam, May herself is pursued by her coworker, Polly (Anna Faris). But in both of these relationships, May’s weirdness gives Adam and Polly pause. Consistently rejected, May decides to take her mother’s advice to heart: “if you can’t find a friend, make one.”

The overt queerness in this film comes second to May’s obsession with Adam. Her relationship with Polly feels like it stems less from May’s own desire and more because Polly offered and May was desperate. It doesn’t last long as a relationship, either. May is looking for monogamy and Polly isn’t. I also want to note that lead actress Angela Bettis and Anna Faris have super similar faces. If it wasn’t for the lesbian stuff, I’d assume their characters were related. If this were a lot of other films, the amount of lesbian activity in May wouldn’t qualify for this site. But the queerness in May goes beyond her kissing women. Themes of queer horror include sympathy for the monstrous, finding beauty in the grotesque and a focus on outsiders as the lead. These are all heavily present in May whether or not she’s kissing women or not.

Director Lucky Mckee’s body of work almost always features off-beat female characters. That’s something I really like about him. His leads are usually social outcasts and weirdos. Not only does writing a weirdo come easy to him, but there’s a huge sense of empathy at play. May is definitely a horror villain. She does many a murder. But the entire film asks that you sympathize with her. And Mckee has crafted a character that’s so easy to do that with. Outsiders of all sorts will see shades of themself in May.

Admittedly, this relatable, sympathetic character doesn’t make for the best horror in the first two acts. May is a slow build. The character’s proper, horror movie psychotic break only happens int he last half hour. What happens previously is not a particularly scary film. It’s tragic, funny and awkward by turns. But the horror beats are pretty muted.

Yet this hour of build up really makes the third act work. There are so many facets to May and her crimes that come from the establishing story . May is a horror film that operates very much on a sense of tragedy. Unusually, it is not tragedy borne from May’s victims but from May herself. She starts the movie as a perfectly nice girl. She’s just a little different. But her differences being rejected over and over again weighs on May. When she does snap, it doesn’t feel sudden. And when May begins murdering, her established character remains. There’s something dark, yet childish about her actions. This leads to a tragic, disturbing final image that really sticks with you.

I can completely understand why May has achieved cult movie status. This is not a film that will appeal to everyone and certainly not the mainstream. The film has a sense of tragedy as well as a dark, off-beat sense of humour. May’s weirdness as a film and as a character brilliantly exemplifies some of the themes of queer horror. There’s definite appeal here for queer people, weirdos and anyone who considers them self an outsider.

Overall rating: 7.1/10

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