The Autopsy of Jane Doe
Summary
***WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD***
Brian and Jeff cut deep into the 2016 film The Autopsy of Jane Doe as part of their witch-themed Horror Joy series.
Set almost entirely in a Virginia morgue, the film follows father-son coroners Tommy (Brian Cox) and Austin Tilden (Emile Hirsch) as an unidentified, externally pristine corpse becomes a mystery that unravels through forensic clues, escalating eerie events, and a reversal of the “mad scientist” trope as rational method fails.
The hosts read the film through themes of women’s bodies as objects, inside/outside violence, sexual abuse and persecution, the male gaze, and revenge, suggesting Jane Doe becomes what society projected onto her through torture.
They examine the morgue as a gothic, possessed space, question why Emma dies, and analyze the film’s turn to Leviticus 20:27 and problematic Bible translation/authority.
They end by praising the minimalist “mystery box” structure, performances (including Olwen Kelly), and rewatch value.
Come for the horror, stay for the joy!
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