Lucky McKee is worth following for his attention to isolated women and the actors playing them. His horror is less persuasive when uneven pacing and changes of tone distract from the people caught up in it.
Fi1m perspective
Loneliness matters in Lucky McKee's horror. He often puts women at the centre, bringing isolation, bodily danger and dark humour into stories built around character. We rate him most when the performance holds our attention without needing another shock to help it along. May (2002), his breakthrough as writer and director, makes Angela Bettis the sensible starting point for an acquaintance with his work: the strength of the lead performance is central to its appeal.
McKee began by co-directing All Cheerleaders Die (2001) with Chris Sivertson, and the pair returned to it for the 2013 remake. His other important partnership is with novelist and co-writer Jack Ketchum, whose work provided the basis for The Woman (2011). Here the handling of abuse and violence comes with a reservation about pacing and changes of tone. We do not need the material made comfortable, but we do need those changes to feel controlled rather than interrupt our involvement with the characters.
Television entered the picture with Masters of Horror (2006), well before his work on Rian Johnson's Poker Face (2023), including 'Time of the Monkey'. The latter is excellent company, largely because Natasha Lyonne makes the business of catching a killer so engaging. We were cheered by her performance and the pleasure the programme takes in doing that work. That warmth belongs to the series, not to McKee alone, but its interest in character and humour makes him a sensible choice of director.
A few Poker Face cases dawdle, especially when the most interesting person is kept off screen, so our recommendation comes with a caveat. That dependence on the people in the story is also what makes McKee worth following outside television. The contained thriller Old Man (2022) offers another example of his visual precision within a confined space. Start with May for Bettis, then try Poker Face when the evening calls for something more companionable.
Biography
Lucky McKee, also credited as Edward Lucky McKee, is an American film and television director, writer and actor. He was born on 1 November 1975 in Jenny Lind, California, and studied at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts.
McKee is best known for his work in horror, including the feature films May (2002) and The Woman (2011). His other directing credits include The Woods (2006), All Cheerleaders Die (2013, co-directed with Chris Sivertson), Tales of Halloween (2015) and Old Man (2022). He has also directed episodes of the anthology series Masters of Horror (2005) and the mystery series Poker Face (2023).
