Claustrophobic Corpse Horror. 

A corpse of a twenty-something year old woman is discovered half buried in the basement of a home. Taken for autopsy, a father and son examine the mysterious body. There is something odd – not only has her tongue been severed, but her joints are fractured. As the duo look further into her cause of death, they realise that something isn’t quite right…What happened to this girl?

Starting off as a slow-burner, The Autopsy of Jane Doe resembles that of an 80’s horror film at parts. A few unique concepts in the film are watered down by cliches, which proves to be a little disappointing. And although the final act is most unsatisfying, the remainder of the film holds up and provides a tense atmosphere that is certain to keep your attention span from drifting. Cheap jump scares are avoided for the most part; the unsteady camera angles are fundamental in creating ambience.

Horror films all too often miss the mark in convincing its audience to sympathise for the characters. Unusually so, this film focuses just the right amount of time on the protagonists; we genuinely care what happens to them. The script aids this, packed with intelligence, unlike the dumb one-liners which infamously pop up time and time again in the genre. Cox and  Hirsch make for a convincing father and son duo, which only adds to the realism.

For the lack of hair-raising horrors on the table in 2016, The Autopsy of Jane Doe makes for one of the better viewing experiences. Its realism sparks shivers, and stands as one of few in the genre where the antagonist doesn’t move a muscle…