The Jane Doe Identity

This movie is like a well wrapped present. You might have an idea what it is, but you can't really be sure before you unwrap and open it.

The music and overall ambience quickly tells us it is going to be dark, scary and bloody. As the movie progresses we are introduced to the aftermath of what seems like a slaughter within an ordinary home.

It quickly takes a turn as the body of an unknown woman (Hint: Jane Doe) is discovered in the basement. Partly burried, but in mint condition.

... wuush we change location an meet the main characters, a father and son, both coroners. Lucky as they are, they get a new patient(?) - well a body. This is of course the Jane Doe and as they begin to cut her open, the well wrapped presents presents itself as a true and horrifying horror film.

The father and son-relashionship makes us care for the characters as they try to discover the dark and creepy truth that lies beneath Jane Does skin.

I really liked. I even made this review ... It is worth your time. Watch it with your lads or perhaps on a second or third date .. a winner ;-)

Enjoy - I did.

The main thing this initially slow-burning horror has going for it is the fact that it is almost constantly genuinely unpredictable, but it's also one of the most uneven (promising) films of recent years; the best bit is the fantastically enigmatic, truly interesting first-half of the second-act in which the eponymous autopsy is carried out (with tangible grisly detail yet unexpected forensic accuracy) and the body's numerous mystifying mysteries are revealed, and the worst is pretty much everything after once it all goes off the rails and dips into more traditional, less engaging generic genre fare - it's a good job that the direction is pretty phenomenal for most of the piece and that the central father/son relationship is both believable and effecting, otherwise the whole piece would sink. 6/10

Without spoiling this movie, let me sum up my impression after I just finished watching "The Autopsy Of Jane Doe". I went out without seeing the trailer, so I thought it was a police/detective movie at first.

But it didn't take long for us to realize it was a horror movie.

Acting : excellent. Bryan Cox and Emile Hirsh play a very believable pair of father-son, working at the family morgue.

Story : very different from the usual horror movies. I appreciated it, as I grew tired of the same ghosts, zombie, vampire stories.

Directing : smart use of the shadows without being excessive.

I highly recommend it.

Saw this at the Night Visions festival in Helsinki, November 2016. What I expected was a lighthearted, "father and son as morticians" kind of movie. What I got was a movie that chilled even my horror movie veteran soul to the bone.

To explain too much about this movie would spoil it, so I will not go into details. But the director succeeds wonderfully in first creating a comfortable atmosphere, introducing a small cast of characters and setting the scene, and then masterfully starts upping the discomfort levels of the situation, until you are sitting at the edge of your seat, biting your nails. Like in Øvredal's former movie, Troll Hunter, what you cannot see can be a million times more disconcerting than what is in plain sight. Although here he uses both..

Great characters, great atmosphere, an overall great experience. Even if at times I wished for it to end already, just because I couldn't quite bear all the anxiety. I hope this comes to Finland proper, so others can see it too! Quite possibly the best horror film I have seen this year.

After the police discover a corpse in a shallow grave, they take it to father-and-son coroners Austin and Tommy Tilden. During their invasive examination, the duo comes into realization that they are dealing with something supernatural.

The Autopsy of Jane Doe - Was a visual treat to enjoy. I think if you are a fan of well paced films you will enjoy this one. Although it's being treated as a horror film - Which is not a problem unless you generalize this as the overall genre for this movie - Its more of a Suspense Thriller/Drama/Horror. This is not something I feel needs to be clarified, but understood as the film envelops all three entities.

Emile Hirsch and Brian Cox are excellent as father-and-son coroners Austin and Tommy Tilden. One particular moment in the film allows the actors to reflect and truly shine in their respected roles.

André Øvredal (Trollhunter) directs this close quartered film with limited room for our actors to breathe once the tension unfolds - He makes great use of this tension by placing the camera in dark areas allowing us to truly feel the weight of the actors.

Screenwriters Ian Goldberg and Richard Naing craft a smart and well paced story with a few false scares, and flat third act leaving us yearning for more.

Overall, this is a movie that deserves and requires your time :)