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Rating: 4.5 out of 5
I was watching my favorite YouTuber, Sean “Jacksepticeye” McLoughlin, playing the demo of a game called The Mortuary Assistant. If you don’t know anything about the game, it revolves around a worker taking a job at a mortuary. During a stormy and dark night, the assistant is tasked with embalming several dead bodies. As the night progresses, supernatural and demonic shit starts happening that would make you say, “NOPE!” During the video and gameplay, Sean stated that the game reminded him of the film, The Autopsy of Jane Doe. The game was creepy and scary and made my skin crawl, making me interested in watching the movie. I looked up the Rotten Tomatoes score and saw it was heavily rated with a score of around 86%. Thank God Tubi had it. This film made me realize why I never want to work in a mortuary.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe begins when the corpse of an unidentified woman is found at the scene of a multiple homicide in the basement of a home. Sheriff Burke is perplexed while looking at the scene, as there seems to be no forced entry or foul play. A lieutenant states that it looked like the victims tried to escape. Looking at the body, the Jane Doe seemed to be a young woman in her mid-twenties without any injuries. Looking for answers, Sheriff Burke arrives and asks for the help of the experienced coroner, Tommy Tilden, and his son, Austin. Burke asks for an emergency autopsy to figure out the cause of death. Even though Austin has a date with his girlfriend, he decides to stay back and help his dad with the autopsy. The pair notices the cloudy eyes, but as they begin their autopsy, they notice peat under the cryptic woman’s fingernails, the severed tongue, and her completely shattered joints. As the pair plunge into their work, shit starts getting weird and creepy with each new discovery. The more they perform their autopsy, they soon find out they are up against a force they are unprepared for.
This film is creepy but good. Anyone who loves horror and suspense would be pleasantly surprised and enjoy this film. I have to give it to director André Øvredal. He set up an environment and setting that draws you in and keeps you locked in the environment. The story is simple enough with a father/son mortuary team. Tommy is the wise old man who has seen more death than anyone and can spot the causes of death with a simple look. His son Austin is learning the trade. Even though he is good, he still is wet behind the ears. You can see that the pair care for each other. The night begins with Austin about to go on a date but cancels it to help his father. Should’ve gone on the date.
André Øvredal expertly sets up the suspense as the Jane Doe is wheeled into the room. Her pale skin seems to shine under the light. Her cloudy eyes show she has been dead for a while, but no one knows how long. In her life, she probably was one of the most beautiful women. As the autopsy begins, you think the film would be calm. There are no externally visible signs of trauma, but her wrist and ankle bones had been shattered. With each cut, the pair soon realized this wasn’t a standard autopsy. Her tongue had been cut out, she had a missing molar, her lungs were straight-up black, and her internal organs revealed numerous cuts and scarring. With each new cut and the deeper the pair ventures into the body, strange shit begins. Blood samples are destroyed, the cat is hurt and has to be put down. Strange noises happen everywhere, and your NOPE meter tells you to get out.
Listen when the radio comes on and starts playing “Open Up Your Heart (And Let the Sunshine In)”; it is time to get the fuck out of town. When Austin believes he sees people standing in the morgue’s hallway, that is when you pack your shit up and go home or to a whole new location. This is where Øvredal really brings to life the film, as you can’t turn away because you want to know why this one body is strange. When Tommy finds cloth inside the woman’s body, you soon realize this isn’t normal. When the other bodies in the morgue vanish, you want to run but can only stand and watch. The scene that completely got me was when Tommy was in the bathroom, and suddenly, a force pulled him violently. It was an “OH SHIT!” moment for me.
Øvredal expertly gave an ending and explanation that was spot on but not over the top. He brought the film full circle explaining why the body was the way it was and gave a little backstory that would make your mind fill in the details. Sometimes, movies try to get overcomplicated with the ending, but this one was gory and sad but also felt right with how it ended.
I must give it up to the two stars, Emile Hirsch and Brian Cox. Both of them set up an environment that made you invested in the pair but knew they were about to see some shit. Hirsch was the innocent son who was in love. He had a caring girlfriend and really supported his father and the business. Cox was excellent. He was a calming present who cared for his son and was an old soul. I can’t tell you enough how each actor did their performance with the utmost ability.
If you get a chance, play the game, The Mortuary Assistant, and then watch this film. You could do it the other way around. The Autopsy of Jane Doe is an excellent film with a nice blend of suspense and horror. You won’t be able to turn your head away as the father/son pair goes deeper into their autopsy. Beware of the bodies that come into the morgue. You never know what the story of a body has in store for you.
