by Steven Fenton
I’ll start with a confession. I’m not typically the first in line for a horror movie...in fact, I’m rarely in line for them at all. But recently I’ve found myself opening up to the possibilities of the genre, and it feels like I’m not the only one. There’s something in the water (and no, I’m not talking about Blake Lively). This new wave of “sophisticated horror” (for lack of a better term), from high profile festival hits like The Babadook and The Witch and critical sensations like Get Out, has done an amazing job of re-branding the genre for new audiences. So that’s why when I heard one of my favorite festival programmer sing the praises of The Autopsy of Jane Doe, I knew I had to check it out.
The film, which has slowly rolled out over the past few months and is now available for streaming, was directed by Andre Ovredal (Trollhunter) and stars Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch as Tommy and Austin Tilden, father and son coroners. Austin is your typical movie 20-something, with aspirations beyond his current circumstances. He and his girlfriend Emma (Ophelia Lovibond) have plans to move to the city, but he hasn’t broken the news to his father. Having recently lost his mother, Austin is feeling deeply guilty about the idea of leaving his father to run the family business on his own. As Austin and Emma are about to head out for the night, the local sheriff arrives with an emergency. A local family was found slaughtered locked in their home and during the investigation, his crew discovered a corpse of a young woman half buried in their basement. The sheriff begs the Tildens to figure out the cause of death so he has something to say for his morning press briefing. Austin can’t resist the intrigue and insists on staying to help his father, which I think we all know...is a mistake.
Tommy and Austin shut themselves the lab, and as they begin the autopsy, a strange mystery begins to take shape. The body presents no external injuries, but her wrists and ankles are completely shattered; the signs they use to tell time of death are completely off; and they find traces of foreign materials in her hair and nails that don’t add up. Nothing about her makes sense, and the deeper they dive, the further they seem from finding any answers. And as they become engrossed in the enigma of Jane Doe, a dangerous takes shape outside; and inside an unsettling sensation takes hold: they’re not alone.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe is a beautifully made film, with striking cinematography and meticulous art direction. The sets are authentically mundane, perfectly capturing the uncompromising stodginess of a coroner’s office in rural America. However, as soon as the action picks up, the benign devolves into the malignant. The hominess of the old school gives way to the daunting reality of relying on outdated equipment and technology to save your life.
Autopsy's most enjoyable element is its acute self-awareness. It plays up some of the genre’s most familiar tropes to the point of inuring the audience, but then doubles down on them to chilling effect. The setting alone: the dark, basement offices of a coroner, in the only house for miles in the middle of a freak storm...it’s so on the nose, but it just works. The brilliant composing team, Danny Bensi and Saunder Juriaans (The Fits, Enemy, Martha Marcy May Marlene) have created a score that is so bombastic and overwrought, it’s almost nauseating. You’ll feel it pulsing throughout your body long after the movie’s over. The music is so over the top, you quickly realize how easily they’re fooling you into thinking a new terror lurks around every corner. At a certain point, you’ll make a conscious decision to stop falling for its false cues or risk a heart attack half-way through. The music draws back, reduced to an eerie throbbing, abandoning the ungrateful viewer to their fears.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe is smart about how it uses horror elements and never tips the scales of gruesome violence or gore. While not as atmospheric as The Witch or Let the Right One In, it has a similar haunting foreboding throughout. For those like me, who are still getting their feet wet with the genre, I would call this a transitional horror film - if you can handle the terrors of this film, you’re ready to try something even darker. If you haven't caught The Autopsy of Jane Doe yet, or if it never got to your town, it's available to rent on Amazon and iTunes. Check it out!
Grade: B+
Readers, have any of you seen The Autopsy of Jane Doe? What other recent or upcoming horror movies are you excited about?