FILM · 2002 · USA
May
24 archived facts 3 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (24)
- #001
May originally opened with an extended introduction showing May as a child, but most of these scenes were cut because they took too long to reach the film's point. The opening with the adult May, particularly the first scene with her and her doll, was shot quickly and only to emphasize that May is alone as soon as possible.
- #002
There are several references to the famous Italian horror and giallo director Dario Argento: Adam goes to a screening of Trauma (93), a picture from Opera (87) hangs on the wall of Adam's room, and a portrait of Argento hangs on the same wall.
- #003
The scene where Blank and May meet was a reshoot. In the original scene, May was not cold and ambiguous but angry, insulting people as she walked down the street, and the scene ended with the pair in the park. That scene is still in the film but was completely changed and re-edited; this is now where Adam and May meet and have their final conversation in the park. The scene is told only in close-ups, with both May and Adam looking off camera; originally they were looking at Blank, who sat beside her, but he was cut from the scene entirely.
- #004
Adam is also in the elevator with his girlfriend twice.
- #005
May says she likes Blank's tattoo, which depicts Frankenstein's monster. Frankenstein (1931) is about an obsessive scientist who creates a living being from body parts, and May similarly builds a "friend" out of body parts.
- #006
Although May failed at the box office, it received positive reviews from critics and is now considered a cult film.
- #007
When May leaves Adam a phone message, she gives her number as 742-5663, which spells SICK ONE on a keypad.
- #008
May's creation is made up of Adam's hands, Blank's torso and arms, Polly's neck, Ambrosia's legs, and the eyes and head of her old doll Suzie, along with the cat Loopy on the fabric on its head, until May finally decides to sacrifice one of her own eyes.
- #009
The "friend" May finally creates is named "Amy," which is not only an anagram of "May" but also a pun on "Ami," the French word for "friend."
- #010
In the film, every victim except Adam is killed at the neck or higher. Lupe (Cat) is killed by an ashtray thrown at the back of her head, Blank (Arms) is killed with scissors to the forehead, Polly (Neck) has her throat cut with two scalpels, Ambrosia (Legs) is killed with two scalpels to the sides of her forehead, and May (supposedly) kills herself with a knife wound to her eye. Adam, however, is attacked early in the film when May stabs him in the stomach with a retractable knife. In another small detail, Polly stabs the eye of the half-carved pumpkin at the start of the film.
- #011
May's Halloween costume is a replica of her doll Suzie.
- #012
Adam's full name is "Adam Stubbs," as seen in the credits of the film he made and screened, May.
- #013
Susie represents May's inner/child self. Susie makes many attempts to keep May from being hurt; when May gets involved with people who want to use her, the glass of Susie's case begins to crack loudly as a warning May can hear. May constantly tries to suppress Suzie and her warnings, even yelling at her, which is her ignoring her intuition and betraying herself. She admits Suzie is fragile and "never comes out," speaking about her true nature, which she tries to suppress in the hope of being accepted. In the end she realizes Susie is her only real friend, because Susie is the only one who cares most about her. Suzie is a nickname for Susan; common terms using the name are Lazy Susan and Black-eyed Susan, so the doll's name may be a slight nod to that connection.
- #014
The poster on the wall of Adam's house is from the film Opera.
- #015
It has been theorized that when Suzie's glass case shatters after May visits the blind nursery, May hallucinates as a result of glass getting into her eyes along with her weakened mental state. Her mind unraveling because she has cut her only real friend Suzie to pieces, May hallucinates revenge on the people she tried to connect with. As seen in the film, her eyes look incredibly injured after the nursery scene, yet the next day May appears back to normal and meets Blank; only then does she become more relaxed and confident when talking to people, and she speaks in a more focused and powerful tone as she kills and assembles her creation. It may all have been in May's head, because she was alone and slowly dying, having actually removed her own eye, which is thought to be her own fault and the cause of her difficult and lonely childhood.
- #016
As Suzie's glass case breaks, so does May's mind, until the case is completely shattered and Suzie falls apart. May then begins her plan to make a new friend and becomes more confident in herself.
- #017
Angela Bettis and Jesse Hlubik both appeared in Masters of Horror, Sick Girl (2006).
- #018
The film may satirically address society's superficial, never-ending obsession with show and perfection, and how absurd it is to ostracize a person for their flaws.
- #019
When May is in Adam's apartment playing with the spring-loaded propeller blade, it foreshadows that she will actually stab and kill Adam.
- #020
Angela Bettis's performance as May is frequently highlighted by critics as one of the film's strongest aspects.
- #021
Despite a poor performance at the box office, May later developed a strong cult following among horror fans.
- #022
Director Lucky McKee cited classic psychological horror influences in shaping the film's tone.
- #023
The film is regarded as a cult psychological horror and is frequently praised for its unique blend of horror, dark comedy and tragedy.
- #024
The film explores themes of loneliness, obsession and the desire to connect with other people.
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