“★★★★ – May is a horror film and something more and deeper, something disturbing and oddly moving… [I]t functions as a black comedy, but then it glides past the comedy and slides slowly down into a portrait of madness and sadness. The title performance by Angela Bettis is crucial to the film’s success. She plays a twisted character who might easily go over the top into parody, and makes her believable, sympathetic and terrifying.” – Roger Ebert

One of the defining indie horror films of the 21st century, Lucky McKee’s MAY begins as the darkly funny portrait of a socially awkward veterinary assistant with a lazy eye whose only real friend is a creepy doll before gradually transforming into a twisted, terrifying, and profoundly affecting riff on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Played with haunting pathos and neurotic charm by Angela Bettis, May is an eccentric bisexual icon, bouncing between hunky Adam (Jeremy Sisto)—whose perfect hands May becomes obsessed with—sexy co-worker Polly (Anna Faris) and a nameless dirtbag punk (James Duval). But May’s relationships eventually descend into depravity as she learns that people are not 100% perfect—only certain parts of them are. A difficult-to-market but easy-to-love combination of romance, comedy, and slasher thrills, MAY wasn’t a hit upon its initial theatrical release, but it’s become a true cult classic in the intervening quarter century, the kind of film you find yourself feverishly recommending to friends just as soon as it’s hooked its bloody claws into you.

This film will be preceded by a pre-show featuring female-centered horror shorts, beginning at 6 pm.

Why should Jessie Buckley have all the fun? We’re celebrating brides, monsters, mad doctors and more this month with our FEMALE FRANKENSTEINS series, featuring thrills, chills, dark laughs and twisted loves, all culminating with our April 10 premiere of the widely-acclaimed new horror-comedy DEAD LOVER!

Arkadin does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. However, we encourage researching titles to determine if a screening may contain content that could be upsetting to you. Please feel free to contact us for guidance on specific films. Information about content can also be found on Common Sense Media, IMDB and DoesTheDogDie.com, as well as through general internet searches.