[Review] The Autopsy of Jane Doe: The Wrong Autopsy

First, I'd like to thank Bravos Pictures for inviting me to an advance screening of The Autopsy of Jane Doe. This film has been out for a while abroad and has finally premiered in Hong Kong, and it certainly didn't disappoint!

Horror films aren't for everyone. Many of my friends are terrified of watching them, but I've always thought I'd largely mastered the horror film formula, able to predict when scares would happen, and thus claimed to never be afraid of horror movies. The last horror film that truly scared me was Mirrors, starring Kiefer Sutherland, nearly 10 years ago, primarily due to its concept, and I was younger then (chuckles). I never expected that a decade later, one or two scenes in The Autopsy of Jane Doe would nearly make me jump out of my seat. In my opinion, two points are crucial for a horror film: first, the terrifying atmosphere created throughout the film; and second, the unexpected, startling jump scares. This time, The Autopsy of Jane Doe excels in both aspects, making it a horror film worth watching.

The setup of The Autopsy of Jane Doe is very simple, a typical horror film premise: a father and son are trapped in an underground morgue during a storm. The first thirty minutes of the film simply introduce the setting and begin to build a terrifying atmosphere in the cold morgue. As the title suggests, the film's focus is naturally the unidentified female corpse. As the two protagonists perform the autopsy, they encounter a series of bizarre occurrences. In many horror films, these corpses would suddenly reanimate, startling the audience. But in The Autopsy of Jane Doe, the female corpse never directly comes to life. Instead, the film cleverly uses the surrounding environment to create a terrifying atmosphere: radios turning on, flies appearing, other corpses moving, etc. As the plot progresses, the audience, just like the father and son in the film, gradually feels uneasy and worries about what will happen next. Then, the plot takes a turn, and the father and son find themselves in an even more dire situation. Flickering lights, dense smoke, combined with camera movements, truly make it difficult to see what's ahead, or even distinguish reality from illusion, increasing the fear of the unknown.

As for the setting, the design of this underground morgue is meticulously done. The autopsy tools are also very complete and thoughtfully chosen, no different from a real morgue. Furthermore, this morgue, combined with post-production color grading, gives the film a chilling feel, intensifying the sense of unease. Additionally, as a horror film, it doesn't lack gory scenes. The details of the organs during the autopsy are very carefully rendered; the bloody brain and intestines are incredibly realistic! Besides the overall atmosphere of the film, there are also many startling jump scares that occur suddenly without much buildup, successfully scaring many audience members, with some even screaming out loud!

For me, the film's ending wasn't a huge surprise, as there were hints in the first section of the film, and the execution isn't particularly innovative. However, I still really like the background setting of the female corpse. It connects to American history and culture, and at the same time carries a special contemporary significance in modern America, as if, like the existence of the female corpse itself, it's conveying a strong accusation. However, I felt that in the latter half of the film, when explaining the female corpse's background, it relied too heavily on dialogue for explanation, making that section seem overly simplistic and wasting the long-established horror atmosphere and suspense. The ending also felt a bit rushed.

Overall, The Autopsy of Jane Doe is a fairly successful horror film, doing very well in creating an unsettling atmosphere and sudden jump scares. If the film had been handled better in the latter half, I believe it would have been even more brilliant.