Every Jump Scare In The Autopsy Of Jane Doe

2016’s The Autopsy of Jane Doe is a supernatural horror film with terrifying jump scares at every turn. Every jump scare in the film deserves some serious recognition; here’s each one to watch for.

From the mind of Norwegian filmmaker André Øvredal, the film features a father-and-son duo of morticians played by Emile Hirsch as the son, Austin Tilden, and Brian Cox as his father, Tommy Tilden. They are put on a case to investigate the body of an unidentified woman. Due to her lack of identity, she is given the name “Jane Doe.” As the two begin her autopsy, they start to discover strange markings and inexplicable scars. The more they uncover, the more supernatural occurrences happen around them. Regardless, they continue to examine the body.

As Tommy excavates Jane Doe’s abdomen, he discovers a flower native to the Northeast and a cloth with sigils written on it and a tooth wrapped inside. Once he peels back her skin, Tommy and Austin find that the entirety of her body is covered in the same markings. The spirit grows increasingly angry as they discover more about Jane Doe. As the two attempt to escape from the unknown entity, they conclude that she is a witch, as the sigils identify a passage of the bible that banishes witches and includes a 17^th century date. In other words, they’ve got one angry witch’s spirit on their hands.

The Autopsy Of Jane Doe’s Jump Scares

The beginning of the film features a mundane jump scare when Austin is startled by his girlfriend Emma. Once they begin their autopsy of Jane Doe, these scares start to escalate. As the radio stations change unexpectedly during their work, Austin believes he sees shadows in the morgue’s hallway. When he goes to investigate, he looks inside of one of the vents. Seeing a shadow rush by, he falls off of a ladder and discovers the mangled body of their cat, Stanley.

As they run from the autopsy room, Tommy examines himself in a bathroom mirror. Believing he sees something in the shower beside his father, Austin warns him only to discover nothing is there. Except there is and it immediately slams the door and attacks Tommy. It is a deceptive jump scare that leads to a truly terrifying moment. After that, they run back to the autopsy room where the spirit bangs on the door. Austin takes an axe to the door. As he peaks through the hole, the stitched-up face of a corpse pops up and attempts to rip open its sewn shut mouth.

The final jump scare in The Autopsy of Jane Doe is the most gut-wrenching and terrifying of them all. Tommy has died at the hands of the witch’s spirit, but Austin is free. When he tries to escape, he discovers he cannot. As Austin looks back at the only possible escape route, he sees his father’s spirit and, out of shock, falls to his death. There are many twists and turns in The Autopsy of Jane Doe that make it one of the most chilling supernatural horror films of the 2010s. The jump scares are just a portion of what makes it so frightening.

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