May

Film Review

I saw this film about 14 years ago, so there was a lot that I couldn’t remember. However, there are certain iconic scenes that were burned into my memory.

Angela Bettis gives a strong performance as the lead actress. She plays a socially awkward loner who struggles with interacting with people due to a tough childhood. As the film progresses, she becomes increasingly psychotic. She talks to her doll and often seems to be able to hear the glass case cracking, which gets worse as she becomes more unhinged.

The scene with the blind kids and the doll somehow manages to be both horrifying and hilarious at the same time and the creepy song in the background really adds to the unsettling tone. It ends with the children crawling on the floor and ripping the doll to pieces as they desperately try to get their hands on it, despite the broken glass all over the floor.

I guess this is perhaps a turning point for May as she has lost her only friend and so she sets out to build her own Frankenstein’s monster out of her favourite body parts of all the people who she feels have wronged her in some way. She gets revenge on 5 different people by killing them and harvesting their best bits and stitching them all together with her deft needle skills.

It is nowhere near a perfect film, but it is certainly unique and memorable, with a nice balance of dark humour and gruesome horror. To me, the final scene with May’s new special friend “Amy” is just a perfect end to the film – May’s composite cadaver companion comes to life and comforts her, much to her delight.

3.5 gouged eyes out of 5