Autopsy

For some reason I was really looking forward to this movie - the description, the poster, something just made it good. And I may be a bit harsh because I felt let down. It had some good parts, and gore if you like that.

The plot, pretty basic, reminded me of Night of the Dead: Leben Tod for the most part. It is pretty straight-forward and predictable, and I think about 3 good jump scenes. I was worried at first with the Mardi Gras footage that it was going to be another "handheld" style, but that was just for the credits thankfully.

A couple of rewrites could have made this work a lot better. The main problem is you really don't care. You don't care about the kids, you don't care why the bad guys are doing anything - there is just nothing. Robert Patrick's Doctor could have had some real depth to him if they tried. The nurse is so stereotypical it's not worth it. The lead actress did deliver a good scene, but that was an exception to the script.

All in all, it had some memorable moments for those into the Saw/Hostel style gore, but mostly it was forgettable.

This isn't a masterpiece of horror of course, but for what it was, still very entertaining. Of course, when it comes to trash the only trash in genre that I can see is horror films, just because there's always something to be enjoyed. But as it is the film wasn't as trashy as I expected, and was actually damn effective. The gory scenes are pretty well-done and some of them truly horrifying. There are some effective jump scares as well, mostly due to the editing and music. There is a scene in the end that is truly a sight to behold, one involving the lead and her boyfriend that made it all even more worth it. As a huge horror fan, I do recommend this.

Autopsy exists primarily to provide gory scenes. From the opening several people manage to crash into some random guy. An ambulance shows up despite not being called but everyone is in shock. Unsurprisingly, nobody notices. They're in shock. Gory films don't usually interest me but at least this one achieved some shock value.

Therefore everyone arrives at the hospital where insane paramedics, doctors and such try to experiment on their newfound victims or murder victims.

Naturally the story doesn't matter because it's only setup for gory stuff that comes later. The kids are only there to be victims.

However, although I consider "Event Horizon" and "Hostel" unmemorable, and "Hostel 2" groan-inducingly stupid, Autopsy actually managed to shock me during at least once.

"Autopsy" was apart of the After Dark Horror Fest 3 which was a collection of eight movies released in 2009. Keeping with my current theme of movies featuring insane doctors and medical madness, "Autopsy" fits the bill with mixed results. With an extremely simplistic plot and generic characters, all the movie has to offer is shock value. Most of it is pretty creative and gross but still unable to support any sort of story.

A group of college kids are partying at Mardi Gras having a fun time, but when they get back on the road to wherever they're going next they accidentally hit a man in a hospital gown who comes running out of the woods. A few moments of panicked arguing and finding out their cell phones can't get any reception an ambulance shows up out of nowhere. Hesitant at first but the paramedics take the kids back to an eerily empty Mercy Hospital to get checked out. An older nurse runs the show up front as Dr. Benway takes care of thing behind closed doors.

In typical horror movie fashion they are quickly split up, some just wander off to explore the dark and spooky building, while others are taken by the orderly to be fodder for the doctors experiments. Emily is the girl we follow the most and will undoubtedly be the final girl who will have to fight for her life against the doctor and other crazies. When things start to go bad Emily is able to call for help and a lone police officer shows up. Its no surprise that he doesn't last more than a few scenes before he is taken out.

The character of Dr. Benway is pretty weak and uninspired for being the main bad guy. He is not scary, threatening, or all that interesting. He has a very thin and clichéd back story and most it leads up to a few shocking gore filled scenes at the end. The gore and effects as I have said are pretty good, but this is a strictly by the numbers horror film that will drift off into obscurity. One final note for those interested the film was scored by Joseph Bishara, who has most recently done the two "Insidious" movies.

In Louisiana, while driving on the State Route 53, Emily (Jessica Lowndes) has a car accident. Her boyfriend Bobby (Ross Kohn) and their friends Clare (Ashley Schneider), Dmitriy (Arcady Golubovich) and Jude (Ross McCall) find that she had hit a stranger. When they see an ambulance on the road, they ask for help and the attendants Travis (Michael Bowen) and Scott (Robert LaSardo) bring them to the Mercy Hospital.

In the reception, the nurse Marian (Jenette Goldstein) realizes that Bobby is seriously wounded and sends him to the surgery room. When Emily tries to get information about her boyfriend, she meets Dr. David Benway (Robert Patrick) that tells her the Bobby is all right. But sooner Emily unravels a dark secret about Dr. Benway and his team.

"Autopsy" is a gore, bizarre and insane horror film that uses the clichés of a group of youngsters that has a car accident and end in a creepy hospital. The special effects and make-up are top-notch and the weird story has many ups and downs. When Emily finds her boyfriend in the hospital in the end of the story, the scene is insane. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Autópsia" ("Autopsy")