Tagline
“Every cut reveals a deeper horror.”
The Review
André Øvredal's The Autopsy of Jane Doe is a brilliantly contained single-location horror film. Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch play a father-son coroner team who receive an unidentified female corpse with no external cause of death. As the autopsy progresses, each layer of tissue reveals impossibilities — internal burns, a missing tongue, ritual symbols carved inside the skin — and the morgue itself begins to turn against them. The film's procedural first half is engrossing, and the supernatural second half delivers genuine terror. Cox is magnificent.
Fun Fact
The 'Jane Doe' body was a combination of a silicone prosthetic and actress Olwen Kelly, who trained to remain perfectly still for extended takes. Kelly held her breath for up to two minutes during close-up shots. The entire film was shot in a single morgue set built on a London soundstage.
Score Breakdown
Total Score
19/30
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