The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

From director André Øvredal (Trollhunter) comes one of the best horror movies of 2016, The Autopsy of Jane Doe. Suspenseful, clever and creepy from start to finish this horror movie follows the story of father and son (played by Brain Cox and Emile Hirsch), both coroners, as they experience unexplained and paranormal events while examining the body of an unidentified woman (played by Olwen Kelly). Execution is superb, from directing, editing, camera-work, color grading, sound editing, dialogue. Movie also features some fine acting, most notably from Brian Cox (no surprise there) There is not a single moment where I felt bored, tension is always present and creepy atmosphere makes it very enjoyable. Also scares don't feel forced but rather real and well earned. Maybe couple of shortcomings or sins here and there prevent it to be a masterpiece, but it is still a very damn good movie. Simple story skillfully executed. Horror is not dead, it is still here and very alive, you just need to have passionate and talented people working behind the cameras.

The eerie and compelling first act promises much more than The Autopsy of Jane Doe ultimately delivers.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe starts strong with a mysterious corpse and two coroners who find themselves in greater danger with each clue they uncover to the death of this disturbing body. The first half of the film is fantastic. The tension builds with each passing second. Every new bit of information the characters discover cranks up the anxiety and horror. As the answers become more apparent and more terrifying, so does the fate of the coroners. But once the terror finally begins, the film falls flat. Nothing really happens. Mostly a lot of panic and implied danger, but not a lot is actually shown. What is shown is slightly below average for the typical supernatural horror film. I don’t feel like I wasted my time with this movie, but the excellence of the first half made the mediocrity of the second half much more disappointing.