Lucky McKee’s directorial debut May is a psychological horror/thriller film released in 2002 starring Angela Bettis, Jeremy Sisto, Anna Faris, and James Duval. Combining the elements and conventions of horror and slasher, it is an oddly moving, distinctive, and discomforting film about the desperate need and desire for human touch and belonging. It follows a socially awkward and lonely veterinary assistant with a lazy eye, and her increasingly desperate attempts to connect with the people around her. When the simpering woman-child is rejected by her crush with perfect hands and everyone around, she descends into depravity and decides to build a friend for herself, using the body parts of her former acquaintances.

May captures the way extreme isolation and stress can stir up disturbances in a woman’s conscience. Mckee draws inspiration and influence from several horror predecessors and amalgamates together to bring about a neo-feminist camp horror. Primarily,...