May

Unable to find acceptance, a lonely, awkward young woman (Angela Bettis) assembles her perfect mate from the corpses of others.

May is a great horror/black comedy that works largely due to Angela Bettis’ nuanced portrayal of the titular character. The film plays like an over the top version of Roman Polanksi’s Repulsion, albeit with a more sympathetic (and sociopathic) protagonist.

While Bettis’ deadpan delivery complements the script’s dry humor, it’s her ability to seem frightening and sympathetic at the same time that makes May something special. It’s a fine-line performance that could easily veer too far into either parody or monstrosity at any given moment, but Bettis pulls it off, creating a truly memorable character.

For his part, writer/director Lucky McKee avoids turning the film into a simple slasher film, or even a parody, and instead crafts a respectful character study of loneliness and madness. Taken out of context, May’s finale would be laughable, but after McKee’s careful, unflinching exploration, it’s both sad and disturbing, and guaranteed to stay with you.

Granted, there are moments that work less well than others, such as a scene involving a group of blind children whose greed seems more plot-driven than organic, but these are easy to overlook and shouldn’t detract too much from one of the most original horror films in recent years.