The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
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A father-and-son coroner team discovers a mysterious, potentially supernatural secret while performing an autopsy on an unidentified woman.
The story
In Grantham County, Virginia, the sheriff department discovers the intact, half-buried corpse of an unidentified woman in the basement of a house where a multiple homicide occurred. The body is delivered to a morgue where it is examined by local coroner Tommy Tilden and his son Austin. As they begin the autopsy, they find the body's condition and physical anomalies highly unusual, including evidence of ancient clothing and internal trauma. The investigation into the woman's identity and the circumstances of her death begins to take a turn as the environment around them becomes increasingly strange and unsettling.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After discovering a corpse in a murder scene, coroner Tommy Tilden and his son Austin perform an autopsy on the woman, known as Jane Doe. They find her body riddled with internal trauma and evidence of ancient rituals. As they work, the morgue becomes haunted by supernatural occurrences, including a malfunctioning radio, a missing cat, and a sudden loss of power. They find themselves trapped in the morgue as the body of Jane Doe begins to exhibit signs of life. They eventually discover that Jane was a witch who was tortured and murdered in 1693, and her death transformed her into an immortal being. In a desperate attempt to save Austin, Tommy offers himself as a sacrifice to the entity. However, a misunderstanding leads Austin to strike Tommy down. The film ends with the police arriving to find a new crime scene, while Jane Doe is transported to a hospital, still showing no signs of trauma.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 86
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- André Øvredal
- Writers
- Ian Goldberg · writer; Richard Naing · writer
- Cast and characters
- Emile Hirsch · Austin Tilden; Brian Cox · Tommy Tilden; Olwen Catherine Kelly · Jane Doe; Ophelia Lovibond · Emma Roberts; Michael McElhatten · Sheriff Sheldon Burke; Jane Perry · Lieutenant Wade; Parker Sawyers · Trooper Cole; Mary Duddy · Irene Daniels
- Genres
- supernatural horror; ghost; independent; religious horror; splatter
- Themes
- witchcraft; supernatural; sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- creepy; claustrophobic
- Setting
- A morgue in Grantham County, Virginia.
- Premise and plot tags
- horror; mystery; supernatural
- Content notes
- gore
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable reviews, described as a smart, suggestively creepy thriller and a taut, yet often slyly funny scarefest, though some critics found the climax unfulfilling or the script's end to be flawed.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 86% · scale: percentage · review count: 110; Metacritic · score: 65 · scale: 100 · review count: 20
- Production trivia
- The script was previously on the annual Black List.; The role of the corpse was played by actress Olwen Kelly to help connect the audience on a human level.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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