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★★☆☆☆
9 December 2016
A movie review of THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE. |
“It looks like they were trying to break out,” Deputy Ballard (Yves O’Hara)
If not for the presence of talented thespian Brian Cox, this would be a C-level horror movie. Clunky, poorly made, THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE is a significant quality drop from the director of TROLLHUNTER. Body horror starts promisingly, but resorts to cheap, obvious scares, descending to unmemorable haunted house flick. Filmmakers, enough already with the jump shocks. The device is not clever or artistically interesting. When was the last time you admired that technique? JAWS (1975) with the head in the submerged boat?
If not for the presence of talented thespian Brian Cox, this would be a C-level horror movie. Clunky, poorly made, THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE is a significant quality drop from the director of TROLLHUNTER. Body horror starts promisingly, but resorts to cheap, obvious scares, descending to unmemorable haunted house flick. Filmmakers, enough already with the jump shocks. The device is not clever or artistically interesting. When was the last time you admired that technique? JAWS (1975) with the head in the submerged boat?
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Grantham, Virginia, opening on a crime scene. Atmospheric, eerie, full of potential. A mystery to be solved. Four dead bodies. The film concerns the one buried in the basement, seemingly with no relation to the domestic confrontation above. The body is pristine (why are there no comments about that?); a 20-something good-looking woman already has the whiff of exploitation. How sadistic will the plot go? “Every body has a secret,” coroner Tommy Tilden (Brian Cox) states obviously to his son Austin, a medical certified technician apprenticing under him. TV show CSI immediately springs to mind; though the crime riddle here is narrowed to just a cadaver. The body as sole evidence. Tommy is another Sherlock Holmes-esque sleuth, emitting a vast array of knowledge. These brilliant savants in the crime genre have reached cliché.
Austin Tilden (Emile Hirsch) is scheduled for a date with girlfriend Emma (Ophelia Lovibond). We become aware she works in a bookstore and wants to leave town. That’s about it for her character. Generational father and son business, ‘Tilden Morgue & Crematorium’, was established in 1919, but now looks to be ending with Tommy. There is cursory filial conundrum of how to reveal to pater that he wants to move with Emma. There is later mention of wife/mother not being in the picture as well as attributing of blame, which are at odds with Tommy’s personality and the father-son collegiate atmosphere.
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The work of Tilden Morgue & Crematorium is of course conducted in the basement. Cue no cell reception and creaky, old building. “Leave the ‘why’ to the cops and the shrinks,” states Tommy. They are there to ascertain C.O.D. – cause of death. Surely these kind of conversations and teaching must have occurred much earlier in Austin’s career, probably even in childhood? This sort of thing slightly annoys one – a lazy way of setting out parameters for the audience. Also, it is the first time Emma visits the cadaver cabinets (not sure the technical name. anyone?) in all their time dating. Really?
No identification and no known fingerprints for the Jane Doe (Olwen Catherine Kelly) brought in. It emerges a multitude of wrongs has been done to her. The Jane Doe’s wounds are sub-dermis and thus apparently supernaturally inflicted. (Props to some top-notch make-up effects.)
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She was seemingly tortured and killed in the 17th century because the population believed her a witch. By doing so did they create her? Or more disturbingly is the film vindicating them? Or is it saying hate begets hate? Sadism here without being riveting (contrast SEVEN or I SAW THE DEVIL).
Too many obvious horror genre moments occur:
- How often do malevolent entities have power over electricity? Lights unsurprisingly spookily flicker.
- Haphazard paranormal abilities. The antagonist is also telekinetic for some reason and then can reanimate and control dead bodies.
- A pet cat hackles at entity.
- A storm isolates protagonists.
- There is a predictable case of manslaughter.
- Oh look, the elevator goes out of action.
- Austin keeps putting his face near holes and gaps – does he really need to be that close?
However, the bell on the ankle of a body is a nice touch, a solid example of anticipation and payoff.
A scary puzzle being put together was on the cards, but was not delivered.
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