Netflix Supernatural Horror Brings Chilling Terror to a Single Location
Netflix has emerged as a go-to repository for horror hits. For a newly added title and compelling example of modern horror, look no further than The Autopsy of Jane Doe. The supernatural offering directed by André Øvredal came out in 2016 and will likely earn a new audience on the streaming giant. After all, its claustrophobic setting, infused with an eerie narrative and sinister atmosphere, is certainly unique.
A Single Location
Indeed, the film is set almost entirely within the narrow confines of a small-town morgue. As far as creepy settings go, a morgue is hard to beat—and the film milks the unnerving locale for all its worth.
Above all, The Autopsy of Jane Doe pronounces itself through a masterful use of a single location to heighten suspense and dread. In this vein, it harkens to horror hits of yore, like John Carpenter’s The Thing, where less is more, and claustrophobia an antagonist in its own right.
The Set-Up
Plot-wise, the film commences with local police puzzled by a mysterious homicide, itself literally and metaphorically lying beneath several other murders. If the title didn’t give it away, the principal victim is an unidentified young woman referred to (as is the practice) as Jane Doe.
Specifically, in The Autopsy of Jane Doe’s inciting event, Jane is discovered partially buried in the basement of a suburban house where multiple murders have occurred.
Amidst the chaos, cops find Jane’s mysteriously preserved corpse—a body with no external signs of trauma.
At the town’s morgue, father and son run the place, the former being Tommy Tilden, played by the excellent Brian Cox, and the latter, Austin, handled by Emile Hirsch.
The Autopsy
Soon into their autopsy, the pair realize something is terribly wrong. Despite her pristine appearance, Jane’s internal organs are ravaged, along with other grizzly details.
The further the autopsy of Jane Doe progresses, the more strange and increasingly scary phenomena occur: radios malfunction, odd noises, and supernatural frights.
It is not long before signs, many of them garnered from within Jane Doe’s body, point to the occult and witchcraft; Jane’s body would seem to be at the center of a paranormal conspiracy. But can father and son coroners halt its progression before it’s too late?
A Wonderfully Crafted Horror Film
The streaming title benefits from incredibly spooky atmospherics and the handiwork of Øvredal’s direction, which permeates the film with palpable tension. Of course, the uber-cramped setting of the morgue enhances the already stark sense of entrapment; each new discovery contributes another layer of unease.
Meanwhile, The Autopsy of Jane Doe’s sound design and lighting enrich the movie further, amplifying the terror with every creak and lingering shadow. It’s an engaging clinic in how the setting can act as its own character.
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GFR SCORE
In light of this, critics responded to the film favorably; on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the movie sports an impressive 86 percent, indicating experts enjoyed the movie’s intelligent, fright-inducing approach to the thriller template. Critics like Dennis Harvey of Variety especially lauded how the film managed some genuinely funny moments, while Joe Lipsett from Bloody Disgusting awarded the movie five out of five stars, applauding the pervasive sense of doom balanced by rewarding jump scares.
With their encouragement in mind, stream The Autopsy of Jane Doe today to experience a title carving out its own well-deserved niche in the landscape of horror cinema.
