This is my first horror film review. I’m excited to write about The Autopsy of Jane Doe written by Ian B. Goldberg and Richard Naing. It is directed by André Øvredal, who brought me one of my favorite indie films, Troll Hunter. So going into this I had high expectations and let me tell you it did not disappoint. This movie is scary as hell. So scary that I turned the lights on in the bedroom where I was watching it. Don’t judge me.
As you would expect the story is about a female corpse whose identity is unknown hence the title. Two coroners, a father and son duo, are tasked with finding her cause of death or COD as they call it. However, things start to get strange really strange. Now with most horror films, the characters in question are in denial of what’s happening. In this case, the writers did a great job in explaining to us why the father is not so easily moved. Despite the spooky events taking place. Yet the son does not hesitate in expressing his uneasiness.
The atmosphere of this movie was just bone chilling. Yeah I know, it takes place in a morgue but there’s more to it. For one, the place is built under the family house but not connected to it. In order to enter/exit they have to go through the storm shelter doors. Now if that isn’t claustrophobic I don’t know what is. In addition, the facility is fairly large for just two people to work there so the imagination can easily run wild as well as other things. The room where the autopsy takes place is very close and intimate. Lots of dangerous tools, dead bodies, chemicals, and loud instruments.
Sound design played a pivotal role in the storytelling. Why? Because there is something extremely offputting about hearing noises in a place that is supposed to be dead silent (see what I did there). As the characters continue their procedure, you get this eerie feeling that things will get worse the more they learn. I’m telling you now, that there is a huge twist playing throughout the film. Being that I watch a lot of movies like this I figured it out earlier on. Still it surprised me with how they executed the reveal. If you’re looking for something to make you quiver other than the temperature outside, go watch The Autopsy of Jane Doe. This one gets an 8.5 out of 10.