The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

A father and son, both coroners, are pulled into a complex mystery while attempting to identify the body of a young woman, who was apparently harboring dark secrets.

Director:

André Øvredal

Writers:

Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing

Stars:

Brian Cox, Emile Hirsch, Ophelia Lovibond

8 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Brian Cox	...	Tommy
Emile Hirsch	...	Austin
Ophelia Lovibond	...	Emma
Michael McElhatton	...	Sheriff Burke
Olwen Catherine Kelly	...	Jane Doe (as Olwen Kelly)
Jane Perry	...	Lieutenant Wade
Parker Sawyers	...	Trooper Cole
Mary Duddy	...	Irene Daniels
Mark Phoenix	...	Louis Tannis
Sydney	...	Stanley the Cat

Storyline

While investigating the murder of a family, Sheriff Sheldon and his team are puzzled with the discovery of the body of a stranger buried in the basement that does not fit to the crime scene. He brings the corpse of the beautiful Jane Doe late night to the coroner Tommy Tilden and requests to have the cause of death until the next morning to have an answer to the press. Tommy's son and assistant Austin Tilden is ready to go to the movie theater with his girlfriend Emma, but he decides to stay to help his father in the autopsy. Along the stormy and tragic night, they disclose weird and creepy secrets about Jane Doe.

---

Plot Keywords:

autopsy | morgue | corpse | autopsy room | forensic autopsy | 

---

Taglines:

Her curse lives deep within.

---

Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for bloody horror violence, unsettling grisly images, graphic nudity, and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Production began in London, England on March 30, 2015.

---

Goofs

When Austin writes XXVII on the chalkboard, the lines on the V and the I are broken in the closeup and the line over the II extends over the X's. When the camera view changes the XXVII on the chalkboard are written in a completely different style and no broken lines.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Deputy Ballard: [over radio] Sheriff, you gotta get down here.
Sheriff Burke: [crouching down] We got an ID on her?
Deputy Ballard: No, sir. No relation to Paul and Carol.
Lieutenant Wade: Who's she?
Sheriff Burke: Well, for now, she's a Jane Doe.

---

Crazy Credits

At the end of the "Special thanks" section, the last entry is the single word: "Troll". André Øvredal's previous feature film was Trollhunter (2010).

---

Connections

References The Notebook (2004)

---

Soundtracks

Farming Man
Written by Michael Richard Hendrix
Performed by Tennessee River Crooks
Courtesy of Fervor Records

User Reviews

Family Business

Saw this at the Night Visions festival in Helsinki, November 2016. What I expected was a lighthearted, "father and son as morticians" kind of movie. What I got was a movie that chilled even my horror movie veteran soul to the bone.

To explain too much about this movie would spoil it, so I will not go into details. But the director succeeds wonderfully in first creating a comfortable atmosphere, introducing a small cast of characters and setting the scene, and then masterfully starts upping the discomfort levels of the situation, until you are sitting at the edge of your seat, biting your nails. Like in Øvredal's former movie, Troll Hunter, what you cannot see can be a million times more disconcerting than what is in plain sight. Although here he uses both..

Great characters, great atmosphere, an overall great experience. Even if at times I wished for it to end already, just because I couldn't quite bear all the anxiety. I hope this comes to Finland proper, so others can see it too! Quite possibly the best horror film I have seen this year.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site [Japan]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 December 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Autopsy of Jane Doe

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Gross USA:

$10,474

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,170,043

Company Credits

Production Co:

42, IM Global, Impostor Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1