justpeachfuzz

[justpeachfuzz]

The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

duration: 86 mins

director: André Øvredal

Letterboxd rating: 3.2/5

my rating: 3.5/5

my favourite quote: "Nobody's pissin' in your grits here, Shel. But we do have protocol."

synopsis: A father-son (Brian Cox, Emile Hirsch) mortuary team is met with an impossible challenge when a strange, unidentified corpse (Olwen Catherine Kelly) is delivered for investigation.

// ! review below ! //

“The Autopsy of Jane Doe” (2016) approaches supernatural horror in an inventive and attention-grabbing way. The premise is simple, a father and son must survive against un-human forces whilst dealing with their own internal issues, but the way it is managed is very unique.

For starters, Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch (as Tommy and Austin Tilden, respectively) are amazing; they play off each other well and are unquestionably convincing in their roles as coroners. This is only amplified by the director André Øvredal's dedication to anatomical accuracy in the corpses portrayed in the film. Cox and Hirsch have good chemistry and a believable dynamic as parent and child. Ophelia Lovibond is also solid as Emma, Austin's girlfriend, though her character is present for a total of around 10 minutes, but she takes her role seriously and is important for the emotional set up of the plot.

The father-son relationship in TAOJD is very typical: a father pushes a son into a historical family profession and the son tries to make his own life, with extra points added for a dead wife/mother. Whilst the acting is enjoyable, the base strain between the two is not a unique one, however this falls secondary to the overarching horror of the film, and as such does not make for a boring or predictable plot.

In my opinion, Cox's performance in TAOJD is one of the shining foundations of the film. He is likeable and professional, even to the point of coolness towards his son, but with a genuine sense of humour and love for his family. He is convincing in his fear and his acting in the emotional peaks of the plot emphasise the horror. Hirsch's performance is also very good, especially when compared to some other films following the same dynamic, and should be appreciated.

When looking at the horror of TAOJD, I have to give praise to the often forgotten art of imagination. The film is set in a morgue with corpses in various states of disrepair, and yet when the opportunity for jumpscares arises, Øvredal prefers to keep the most obvious gore in shadows and fleeting shots. For example, one of the corpses has half his face missing from a gunshot wound, and yet the damage is only very briefly shown, which further pushes this fear of the unknown that marks the entire film.

I am a lover of special effects, and TAOJD does not disappoint. With a premise of dissection and forensic investigation, any shortfalls in quality would be extremely noticeable, but consistently the anatomy of Jane Doe and the other bodies meets and exceeds all expectations.

For all my raving of this film, you may wonder why I only rated TAOJD a 3.5/5. The reason for this is the second act of the film and how the climax is treated: in the second half many important events happen, and yet it never feels like enough time is given to each one. I won't spoil anything massive, but I expected more consequences for certain actions. Instead, they were treated as inconveniences or forgettable mistakes, despite the fact they were used to shock the audience.

I will say that my disappointment does not overshadow my enjoyment or appreciation for the film, but with such a strong beginning, an underwhelming finale is hard to ignore. On my first watch through the shift wasn't too noticeable, but on repeat watches it almost feels like Øvredal was running out of time to conclude the film.

I will not take off any points for ending in a cliffhanger that hints towards initial plans for a sequel, mostly because with the right direction, there could easily be a prequel/sequel that would do the film justice and dive further into the lore set up. Hopefully one day we'll see The Autopsy of Jane Doe II: The Resurrection of Stanley, but nearly a decade on, I have my doubts.

To conclude, would I recommend The Autopsy of Jane Doe? Yes, especially to anyone who enjoys physiological and slow-burn horrors, or any fans on The Mortuary Assistant video game. Will I re-watch TAOJD? Also yes, with great enjoyment. However, I will not pretend it is my favourite of the genre. If we do get that sequel, though, I may have to reconsider.

[justpeachfuzz]

Creep (2014)

duration: 82 mins

director: Patrick Brice

Letterboxd rating: 3.3/5

my rating: 4/5

my favourite quote: “I mean, look at this scene. It's a tubby scene. It's supposed to be fun.”

synopsis: Tricked into spending a day filming for Josef (Mark Duplass), a man supposedly dying of cancer, cameraman Aaron Franklin (Patrick Brice) finds him difficult to shake off.

// ! review below ! //

‘Creep’ (2014) is an incredible mockumentary/found footage-style horror film that hits marks often missed by mockumentaries and horror-comedies alike. Josef, portrayed brilliantly by Mark Duplass, is at once chilling and pathetic, a mask that is unshakable and impressive to watch. Director Patrick Brice, who also portrays the second main Aaron Franklin, directs the movie wonderfully; the timing, dialogue and comedic beats are consistently well done without being overstated.

The horror element of Creep comes not only from the constant dread that underlines every scene from the very start, but also from the jumpscares. Normally, I’d criticise a movie’s use of jumpscares for horror and, whilst they were far from my favourite part of the film, they were handled in a way that complemented the comedy of the film. Self-awareness plays a big part in this; no vital moment is marred by a jumpscare to throw your attention, but instead they help keep the mood from dropping too low or rising too far.

Furthermore, it is incredible that a film with only two characters (three, if you count Angela’s (Katie Aselton) voice) is able to keep moving so well. Perhaps the relatively short runtime clocking in at just under 90 minutes helps this, but it is my opinion that the continuous changes in storytelling (from direct narrative to “fly on the wall” to meta videos) stop the story from feeling longwinded or repetitive.

This is definitely a re-watchable film and it’s not difficult to see why the horror community loves it so much: the bizzarre comedy of Peachfuzz, the iconic “tubby time” scene and the solid plot twist make for a great horror watch.