31 movies to watch in October: May

For day 23 of 31 movies to watch in October, let’s go with a horror movie trope that still works: creepy dolls. This particular movie also fits into one of my favorite horror movie sub-genres, horror with heart.

May was released in January of 2002, but it is still the perfect movie to watch in October, as we head towards Halloween. Writer/Director Lucky McKee (The Woman, All Cheerleaders Die, Kindred Spirits)is now fairly well-known within the horror world, but he was only 19 years old when he wrote the script for May. Although it took several more years for the film to come to fruition, that’s still pretty impressive.

May (Angela Bettis) is a shy young woman who has always been somewhat withdrawn due to her lazy eye. As a child, her mother made her a creepy looking doll named Suzie, telling her, “If you can’t find a friend, make one.” Remember that phrase, folks, it’s going to come back in a sinister way later in the story.

After her lazy eye is fixed, May begins to timidly connect with people, including Adam (Jeremy Sisto) and Polly (Anna Faris), a lesbian co-worker at the veterinarian’s office where she works.  At first things seem to be looking up, and she and Adam even start to become romantically involved, but he ghosts her after she behaves oddly during a passionate make-out session.

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Shortly after that, May starts a psychological downward slide, and even begins to believe that Suzie the doll is talking to her.

Everything culminates in her decision to “make” her own friend, and in the interest of not spoiling this creepy, oddly touching film, that’s all I will tell you about the plot.

Be prepared, though, because despite the often emotional nature of this film, it does feature a good bit of graphic gore. And there is a fairly horrific scene involving a group of blind children and some broken glass.

I can’t imagine any actress other than Bettis in the role of May, she owns the part. You really feel for her, even when she starts to veer off into Crazy Land. Farris and Sisto also give great performances, but it really is Bettis’s film.

May is currently streaming on iTunes, Amazon Prime and Vudu.

Are you a fan of Luck McKee, and have you seen May? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.