The Diva Del Mar Review The Autopsy of Jane Doe
Allow me to begin with perspective. My screening for this movie was at 8:00AM after a full day of Fantastic Fest films and mingling. I dragged my sleepy ass to the Alamo Drafthouse, seated myself next to the other hardcore media maniacs willing to lose sleep for films, and hoped for the best.
I wasn’t disappointed. If you like horror movies, one the most fabulous moments in watching a movie is when you realize that you are truly having a fun with the film. I had that glorious “Eureka!” moment watching The Autopsy of Jane Doe by Andre Ovedal.
This movie is true horror and is firmly anchored around the dynamics of a father, Tony Tilden and son, Austin Tilden, played respectively by Brian Cox and Emile Hirsh. Tony is a seasoned coroner, and he has been teaching his son the family business, presumably since the death of his wife. Austin has other plans for his life, and has yet to share this information with his dad. From the get-go you recognize the fantastic chemistry between the two main actors, and it goes a long way to create the sense of tangible affection this father & son have for each other. They truly enjoy each other’s company, despite their gruesome work, and their back and forth feels natural.
The plot starts by establishing how father and son work together as a forensic investigative team. They approach each autopsy with honest curiosity and Tony guides Austin on how to look beyond what seems obvious, in order to discover the truth of each death. They are finishing up their day of autopsies, when the sheriff presents them with a new body from a violent crime scene. Sheriff needs a cause-of-death ASAP as the crime scene is particularly violent, and he is frankly puzzled by the evidence. The father/son team take on the task and accept the body of a young woman, Jane Doe. You can’t help but be excited to see what these two discover in the autopsy. From here the movie becomes a fun forensic mystery that leads to a fast paced tale of terror in the third act.
Framed with a beautiful set design and wonderful make up and gore, there isn’t much about the film that I didn’t truly enjoy or admire. It’s smart, and it’s quite scary. I can happily say that it was well worth getting up early in the morning and I was wide awake by the time the screening ended. I found it a refreshing change to the slow burn trend in horror films, which I enjoy as well, but sometimes you don’t want to be patient through two thirds of a film. Sometimes you want to watch organs being examined and scalps being peeled off. Sometimes, you really need a film like The Autopsy of Jane Doe.
Thanks for the fun morning, Mr. Ovedal, and thank you for reading!
Diva Del Mar
