If you'd like to be surprised by the The Autopsy of Jane Doe film, I don't recommend you to watch the trailer beyond 1:01, because it gives away too much of the plot. It basically provides a summary of the film.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe, movie (2016) - Watch the trailer on YouTube
Watch the trailer in Spanish
video © Autopsy Distribution
Article updated: 2023.02.12
The The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) is a supernatural thriller film. The movie was reviewed by Kadmon.
Product: The Autopsy of Jane Doe, movie (2016)
Original title: The Autopsy of Jane Doe
Series: -
Setting: contemporary fantasy Earth
Product type: Film, Genre: supernatural thriller, Style: supernatural thriller, thriller, fantasy, contemporary fantasy, witch
Release: Premiere: 2016.09.09 (Toronto International Film Festival), Release: 2016.12.21
Reviewer: Kadmon, Type: Male, 40s, Preferences: Immersive, logical story, consistent setting, prefers surprises to spoilers, prefers establishing elements before referencing them
Watched: very recent (2021.01), first time
Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Good (2+ out of 3 points)
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This is my review of The Autopsy of Jane Doe, a supernatural thriller movie from 2016. It's about a pair of coroners trying to unearth the secrets of an unidentified dead body. The The Autopsy of Jane Doe film is interesting, I recommend it to fans of the genre.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe, movie (2016)
image © Autopsy Distribution
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Review (spoiler-free) - The Autopsy of Jane Doe, movie (2016)
I'm not sure if someone recommended this movie for me, or I just ran into it. However, the premise sounded interesting, so I sat down to watch it. I don't remember watching the trailer.
The The Autopsy of Jane Doe movie is about a pair of coroners trying to unearth the secrets of an unidentified dead body.
The story good, and engaging. The pacing is consistent. There were no real character arcs. I didn't find logical problems.
Foreshadowing was great, the writers were good. There was a few jump scare, but the movie is not built on these but the atmosphere. My only problem is that the film feels like we got the introduction of a story, that didn't really get resolved.
The cinematography was good.
The characters are good. The actors are okay. The dead girl (Olwen Kelly) was a really good choice. I've read that they wanted her to be an integral part of the story, and I think they've managed to do that. The girl looks mesmerising even with the dead makeup.
The music (by Danny Bensi, Saunder Jurriaans) was fitting to the story.
There's plenty of non-erotic nudity.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe is an interesting supernatural thriller, I think fans of the genre will enjoy it.
My experience
I was satisfied with The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016). I happen to like stories with well-thought, logical plots, and The Autopsy of Jane Doe delivered just that.
Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points). The Autopsy of Jane Doe is a well-made film.
Enjoyment: Good (2+ out of 3 points). The Autopsy of Jane Doe is interesting, I liked it.
Rewatchability: Average. I think it's mostly the surprise of the story that makes you feel interested, but the story was engaging enough that you might enjoy watching it multiple times.
Chance of watching it again: There's a chance. Now that I know the story, there's probably no need to watch it again, but I liked it enough that I might watch it in the right circumstances.
Chance of watching a sequel: High. I'd sure watch it. I actually eagerly wait it.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe, movie (2016)
image © Autopsy Distribution
Will you enjoy this?
If you like mystery or thriller movies, you might like The Autopsy of Jane Doe.
If you like supernatural or fantasy movies, you might like The Autopsy of Jane Doe.
If you like horror or action thriller movies (Alien, Life, Splice), you might like the film, although there are not many action scenes or scary scenes in the The Autopsy of Jane Doe movie.
If you like forensic pathology stories, you might like The Autopsy of Jane Doe.
If you like to be surprised by the development of events, you'll love this movie.
If you prefer visuals over story, you'll be probably bored by the movie, although it has a few nice scenes.
If you hate nudity, you should avoid this movie, as there's plenty of that.
If you are disturbed by watching a dead body for a significant amount of time, this movie is not for you.
Watching for plot points
If you are interested in supernatural or contemporary fantasy stories, I think it's worth watching the The Autopsy of Jane Doe movie for the plot points.
Should you watch this on your own screen at home, or is it worth going to the cinema?
The visuals probably look similar.
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The Autopsy of Jane Doe, movie (2016)
image © Autopsy Distribution
Review with spoilers - The Autopsy of Jane Doe, movie (2016)
I liked the The Autopsy of Jane Doe movie.
Cover
The cover of the movie is okay, it doesn't say much, but it doesn't spoil the movie.
The trailer
The trailer is basically a substitute for watching the movie.
If you prefer spoilers, it's a great trailer for the The Autopsy of Jane Doe film. If you prefer to avoid spoilers, it will ruin the movie for you.
Promise of the first scene
We are going to see a murder mystery. Based on the title, it will involve an autopsy.
Execution: I wouldn't have guessed the following, but I think I got what I was promised.
Plot summary / Synopsis
There is a murder scene, where some people were killed, but they can't find the motive. In the cellar, there's a naked body of an unidentified girl (Olwen Kelly, as "Jane Doe"). They send the girl to the coroners.
The pair of coroners (Emile Hirsch as Austin, and Brian Cox as Tommy, his father) start the autopsy in the night, so they are able to finish the report by the morning, so the police can start the investigation.
During the autopsy they find disturbing signs of trauma on the inside organs, as if the girl was subjected to every possible ways of murder (stabbing, burning), but there are no signs of this on her skin, making this a mystery. There are also signs that there were ritualistic things done to the body. The radio often tunes away, to play an old song ("Open Up Your Heart (And Let the Sunshine In)").
They hear that a storm starts brewing outside, and an electric surge makes the lamps explode. When they find flashlights, they find out that the autopsied corpses are missing. They try to leave the building, but there's no electricity to the elevator, and a tree has fallen on the side door, so they are stuck here. They are able to reach the sheriff on a landline phone, but he can't hear what they say. They start to see the missing bodies walking around the building, and they get attacked by an unseen presence. When they try to burn the body, the fire spreads around the room, destroying evidence of the autopsy, burning the photos and the camera. When they put out the fire, they find that the body doesn't show signs of being burnt.
They realise that the girl was a witch during the Salem trials, and they tried to kill her in multiple ways, but she was unable to die, and she probably tries to make people around her suffer the way she suffered.
The older coroner offers himself as a sacrifice, asking the girl to leave his son alone. The girl takes his life-force, healing her body, removing any signs of the autopsy. Then she also kills the son.
In the last scene we see that policemen are investigating the coroner's office, and they send the body of the girl away to cremate. We also learn that there was no storm at all, and no lights were blown off. In the van, the radio starts to play the old song, and the leg of the girl twitches.
The setting
The story is set in contemporary Earth (2016?).
There is magic in this world.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe, movie (2016)
image © Autopsy Distribution
The witch
The girl is unable to fully die, and she has supernatural powers. Her brain lives on, probably constantly regenerating, and she probably feels everything that happens to her body. The brain doesn't show any signs of damage, so her ability probably keeps it in its original state. Outside of her brain, other parts of her body can die, and when they are removed from her body, they start to decompose quickly.
The inside of her skin has ritualistic markings - tattoos or burnt marks -, probably to stop her from coming back alive.
When she drains life-force, she makes her own damages to appear on the victim while she heals. At first, it's the skin and broken bones that heal, then the deeper tissue regenerates, until everything is healed, and the body gets alive.
She can control the bodies of the dead to animate them. She can control the perception of people, making them see and hear things.
Somebody took her tooth, wrapped it in a probably sacred cloth, with writings that refer to the Bible passage "thou shalt not suffer a witch to live".
Using her perception altering (or maybe telekinetic) abilities, she constantly tries to stop the coroners from disturbing her body:
- radio switches to another station
- punctures a bag of organs, making it leaking blood
- blood starts pouring from her wounds
- flies get out of her orifices
- squeaky noises can be heard from outside
- doors open
- sounds of a storm, and radio announcer advising against leaving the homes because of the storm
- light bulbs seemingly blow off (in reality this doesn't happen)
It might be that the undamaged skin is the result of her ability to control the senses of people around her, and they only see her undamaged, although those might be revealed on photos.
Isaac's Corner has a theory that the autopsy doesn't happen in reality. Everything that happened after they wanted to cut into her, only happened in their minds. In the end, when she transferred the wounds to the father, the father only imagined the pain, so his son would kill him. It's true that those wounds would have probably killed him without outside help.
The message of the story
I'm not sure there's one. "Stay away from witches"?
According to FoundFlix, the theme behind the story is depression - things look okay on the surface, but when you go deeper, there can be horrifying damage, that you can't see if you don't look.
The structure of the story
The scenes of the The Autopsy of Jane Doe film are played in sequence, following the same storyline.
There is no single viewpoint character.
It has a modified arc of the dramatic structure - introduction, action, ending without resolution. The ending also foreshadows a sequel.
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Things I liked
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How does it compare to the other works of the creators?
I don't remember seeing anything from the writers (Ian Goldberg & Richard Naing), but now I'm interested in their work.
The only film I've seen from the director (André Øvredal) was Trolljegeren (Trollhunter), and that was good. It was some time ago when I've seen that, but I think that movie was efficient.
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The Autopsy of Jane Doe, movie (2016)
image © Autopsy Distribution
Analysis of the story - The Autopsy of Jane Doe, movie (2016)
I mostly liked the story, I didn't find problems that would have prevented me from enjoying The Autopsy of Jane Doe.
Problematic elements
When they burn the body, it doesn't show signs of damage. Yet, they are able to cut through the skin. If I understand the abilities right, the body does take damage, but it is able to regenerate it from the life force of people. So, the burning should burn the skin and hair, but she would be able to heal that.
However, this could be explained by her control of their perception - making them see her undamaged body, while in reality it is indeed burnt.
Unanswered questions
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Possibilities of improvement
How it could have been better?
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Behind the scenes
Thoughts about the reviews of others
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The Autopsy of Jane Doe, movie (2016)
image © Autopsy Distribution
Uses for the film - The Autopsy of Jane Doe, movie (2016)
Plot
- Set on a contemporary fantasy Earth, where supernatural forces exist.
- There is a witch that is unable to die, yet able to feel being hurt.
- The seemingly dead body of a witch is sent to the coroner's office for autopsy.
Scenes
- The autopsy scenes can be used for showing an autopsy, although there are multiple other movies for just that.
Designs
Scenario ideas - Role-playing game scenario ideas
- The characters are insurance investigators, tasked with the case, where similar events happened at multiple places. It looks like fraud, and the company doesn't want to pay. This way the characters have limited resources compared to the police, making this slightly more interesting. In the end, they enter a coroner's office to take a look at the body, and the events of the film start.
- There is an organisation intent on destroying the body of the witch. When the body is sent to the coroner, they send a team of agents to retrieve it. The characters are preferably the coroners, making this an investigation, with more obstacles. If the players are not interested in investigating dead bodies, they could play the recovery team, and they can interrogate the coroners to get to know their findings.
Scenario ideas - Wargame scenario ideas
The creature: There is a building with multiple dead bodies. There is an immobile creature that can control those dead bodies. The game is a draw if the characters are able to flee the area. The characters win if they find some ways to destroy the creature. The creature wins if all of the characters die.
The characters have to spend a number of turns investigating the creature directly to get enough clues. They might need to spend a number of turns on thinking up solutions to destroy the creature, that could be spent anywhere else in the playing area.
The creature starts with -X health points. Every damage inflicted on the living gives it a health point. When it reaches a certain level, it is able to slowly move, and act on its own. When it reaches a maximum, the creature can start to act like any living creature.
The creature is technological, and it needs repair parts from the technological components of the area. The undead servants need to disassemble technology (computers, machines), and bring that to the body of the creature. When enough elements are added, it can start to move, and when the maximum amount is added, it can act on its own.
There is a third force, trying to get inside the building, making it harder to leave. This force tries to destroy the creature, along with its servants. As they can't know who is a servant and who is just an innocent bystander, they try to kill everybody who is alive.
The creature and the servants can be controlled by a player, or their moves can be automated. Every servant moves to the closest target, unless there is someone in the same room as the creature, because then they all move closer to the creature.
Miniatures - 1/50-1/60 (28-32mm scale)
Civilians: Human-sized (S3) modern (advanced) human female / male civilian.
The body: Human-sized (S3) naked human female body.
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Similar stories - The Autopsy of Jane Doe, movie (2016)
Movies
The Possession of Hannah Grace (2018): In a contemporary setting, coroners are starting the autopsy of a girl. Strange, supernatural things happen.
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Frequently asked questions - The Autopsy of Jane Doe, movie (2016)
Is the The Autopsy of Jane Doe film based on a book or comics?
No, The Autopsy of Jane Doe is not based on either books or comics.
Is the The Autopsy of Jane Doe film a remake or reboot?
No, the The Autopsy of Jane Doe film is neither a remake nor a reboot.
Is there a post credit scene in The Autopsy of Jane Doe? Does The Autopsy of Jane Doe have end credit scenes?
No, there's no post credit scene in The Autopsy of Jane Doe.
Is there a part 2 of The Autopsy of Jane Doe? / Is there an The Autopsy of Jane Doe sequel?
As of 2023.02.12, there's no sequel produced for The Autopsy of Jane Doe. But I have to admit that I'd also like to watch an Autopsy of Jane Doe sequel.
Where can I see The Autopsy of Jane Doe? What is The Autopsy of Jane Doe playing on? What streaming service is The Autopsy of Jane Doe on? Where can I watch The Autopsy of Jane Doe online? Is The Autopsy of Jane Doe available on Netflix? Is The Autopsy of Jane Doe on Amazon?
As of 2022.02.05, The Autopsy of Jane Doe is available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube.
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Resources - The Autopsy of Jane Doe, movie (2016)
Information
IMDB: The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016): Database article.
WikiPedia: The Autopsy of Jane Doe: Database article.
Letterboxd: The Autopsy of Jane Doe 2016: Database article.
Rotten Tomatoes: The Autopsy of Jane Doe 2016: Database article.
Creation
: Concept art article.¤
Reviews with no spoilers - The Autopsy of Jane Doe film (2016)
: Review video about the The Autopsy of Jane Doe film with no spoilers.¤
Reviews with spoilers - The Autopsy of Jane Doe film (2016)
: Review article of the The Autopsy of Jane Doe movie, with spoilers. Includes a very detailed plot summary.¤
Analysis - The Autopsy of Jane Doe movie (2016)
: Analysis video, explaining the finale of The Autopsy of Jane Doe.¤
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si8UOycHKDU
FoundFlix: THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE (2016) Ending Explained: Review video with spoilers. Includes a detailed plot summary.¤
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zP8epJEHP8
Isaac's Corner: Illusion is Power - An Analysis of The Autopsy of Jane Doe: Review video with spoilers. Includes a detailed plot summary.¤
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjnFymyvfFc
TheMikeLawz: I Watched THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE For The First Time! - Horror Movie Reaction: Reaction video, with spoilers.¤
https://crossthenetflixstream.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-autopsy-of-jane-doe-movie-review.html¤
Dan Lee (for Psycho Drive-in): The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
https://psychodrivein.com/the-autopsy-of-jane-doe-2016/
https://www.facebook.com/psychodrivein/posts/1661253090703142
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGYBsfGnxeR/
https://twitter.com/PsychoDriveIn/status/1316817325111140352
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Buying the product - The Autopsy of Jane Doe, movie (2016)
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Have you seen the The Autopsy of Jane Doe film? How do you like the movie? Would you recommend it to others? Do you know reviews or resources you'd like to add? What further thoughts do you have about it? Tell your opinion in the comments!
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