The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

"This is the autopsy of an Unidentified Female henceforth known as "Jane Doe". Performing the autopsy will be myself, Tommy Tilden, attending coroner. I will be assisted by Austin Tilden, certified medical technician . This autopsy will be conducted in four stages beginning with an external evaluation followed by an internal evaluation of the heart and lungs, the digestive organs, and finally the brain." - Tommy Tilden (0.19.01)


The Autopsy of Jane Doe was directed by André Øvredal and stars the acting talent of Emile Hirsch(Austin Tilden), Brian Cox (Tommy Tilden), and Olwen Catherine Kelly (Jane Doe). It was produced by 42, IM Global and Impostor Pictures and Distributed by IFC Midnight. The movie is available on Netflix.

Horror movies can often become staid rehashing the same storylines and plot points ad nauseum. Of course its not the trope its the execution. The haunted house is a common horror trope but the difference in quality between the excellent The Conjuring(2013) and the truly awful Malevolent(2018) is more than their variations of location and plot. On the other hand some movies take a unique turn showing us a horrific experience in a place that we would not have thought to have ventured. The Autopsy of Jane Doe follows a father-son team of coroners as they investigate a mysterious death. Similar to how Exorcism of Emily Rose(2005) dealt with the concept of exorcism in a tight knit court drama, TAOJD shows a realistic view of both autopsies and death investigators. That is until shit hits the fan.

The plot is well constructed with the centralized mystery of what happened to Jane Doe. The plot mirrors the struggle between the coroners and the antagonist of the film with the Tildens trying their absolute hardest to finish the autopsy and the horrors and atrocities which are afflicted upon them. The tension in the film ramps up well trading well between the release of mystery and the tension of the horror elements. Another great moment in the film was the use of bookends in the film. The ending sequences mirror the beginning giving us a greater context of the events at the beginning of the movie. A well constructed plot overall.

Hirsch and Cox are both excellent actors and add to the pathos of the film. While the plot focuses around the mystery surrounding the body on the slab the film stills makes time to characterize and sympathise the characters. A lot of the characters lives are implied but the world is fleshed out enough to believe that these characters exist rather than being paper thin canon fodder for the next blockbusters slasher-of-the-week. Cox's character had a great amount of depth having both a humorous and vulnerable side outside of his serious professional demeanor. Another great performance was by Olwen Kelly. Kelly was supposedly casted for her practice in yoga and I can honestly say her shavasana is done to perfection. It is one thing to have the personality of a corpse its another to play one.

Øvredal directing and Roman Osin's Cinematography come together to create both a disturbing and atmospheric story. One of my favorite moments of the film was the Introductions of the Tildens, the camera cuts to the autopsy room as "Midnight Black" by The Temperance Movement begins playing on the radio. the scene is almost upbeat as the aspect-to-aspect shots show you the more gruesome aspects of the autopsy. Gore and nudity is shown with a very clinical eye, while other aspects such as the various scenes of violence are implied but somehow much more personal. The direction at times seems to follow the mentality and mindset of the characters and earns the movie the title of thriller.

The scoring for the movie was fairly minimal relying mostly on the song Open Up Your Heart (And Let the Sunshine In) as a leitmotif for the antagonist. The song follows the grand tradition of child songs being creepy in a horror setting. The songs incitation of the devil is benign in its original setting but in the film the connotation seems almost satanic. The Film is pretty minimalistic scored with a few audio stings at critical moments but is otherwise Diegetic.

The Autopsy of Jane Doe is a Fascinating Mystery, an excellent drama, and a fantastic horror movie. A horror film should sit with you at the end leaving you with the horrific idea of what transpired. TAOJD does this with not just what has transpired but what is implied to happen. The film is tight knit and well polished especially for how low the budget was. If you're looking for a good horror movie to combat the hum-drum of recent offerings The Autopsy of Jane Doe is a unique story that will leave you thinking even after the ending credits.