"The Autopsy of Jane Doe" is Almost Perfect
Or how to make a rockin' horror flick.
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Director: André Øvredal
Screenplay by: Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing
Cinematography: Roman Osin
Starring: Emile Hirsch, Brian Cox, Olwen Catherine Kelly
Why did I wait so long to watch “The Autopsy of Jane Doe”??? This movie was on my To Be Watched list for ages, and for whatever reason, I only just got around to watching it. I’m so glad I did, too, because this comes close to being the perfect horror movie.
“The Autopsy of Jane Doe” centers around a father and son-led morgue. Police bring them an unidentified female body for autopsy that was recovered from the scene of a crime, and let’s just say things do not go the way they’re supposed to. Do the odd things happening in the morgue have something to do with Jane Doe, or is something else at play?
The setting for this film is absolutely perfect. It’s a small set, so there’s limited space to move around, which amplifies the sense of unease that abounds throughout the film. Limited space also means fewer places to escape when things start to really go wrong. Add in the tiny cast (Brian Cox as the father, Emile Hirsch as the son, and Olwen Kelly as Jane Doe), and the film almost starts to feel claustrophobic. It’s amazingly well done.
“The Autopsy of Jane Doe” is also a very quiet film. There are moments of silence designed to build tension; somehow, even when a jumpscare occurs, it’s small and unobtrusive. Plenty of dialogue happens, but all the dialogue is needed; words are almost never needlessly exchanged.
Despite playing a dead body, Olwen Kelly is the most haunting actor in the entire film. Brian Cox, as the father, has more than a few strong moments as the character tries to determine what’s happening and how to stop it. His character’s love for his son is his most worthy trait by far. Emile Hirsch’s character was a little annoying, not gonna lie, but Hirsch did a fine job of playing the (mostly) dutiful son.
My least favorite things about “The Autopsy of Jane Doe” were the (spoiler alert) death of the cat (WHY??) and the lack of women in the film. This movie definitely doesn’t pass the Bechdel test, that’s for sure. The only other woman in it besides Jane Doe is the son’s girlfriend, and she’s only there briefly to further his story. I dunno, I think this one could have been amazing with an all-female cast, but I suppose if the coroner had been a mother and daughter team working on Jane Doe, this would have been a shorter and different film entirely.
The ending of this film also felt a tiny bit lacking. While I don’t think the film could have had an ending other than the one it did, it seemed there was a lot of build-up for not a lot of pay-off, so that was somewhat disappointing. Overall, though, this movie is nearly the perfect horror flick.
What did you think of “The Autopsy of Jane Doe”? Perfect horror movie or a middling scary treat? Let me know in the comments!