10 Perfect Horror Movies You've Never Heard Of
2. The Autopsy Of Jane Doe
Like the most effective horrors, the premise for The Autopsy of Jane Doe couldn't be simpler. In Andre Ovredal's supernatural flick, father-and-son morticians Tommy (Brian Cox) and Austin (Emile Hirsch) are tasked with performing a coronary examination on a female corpse.
Although her name and cause of death are unknown, Tommy and Austin believe all will be revealed once the autopsy is carried out. But as they analyse our Jane Doe's body, the coroners find themselves becoming increasingly mystified by what they find.
Like Ovredal's work on Trollhunter, this gem relies on atmosphere and building tension, rather than indulging in distracting special effects. As we've seen in Ovredal's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, The Autopsy of Jane Doe knows how to be gruesome and nasty without going overboard with the gore.
Even though the concept has B-movie vibes, Cox and Hirsch take their material dead seriously, compelling us to do the same. Because of their sincere performances, it feels like you're watching a detective thriller rather than a chiller, which makes it more shocking when things get nasty.