It stars Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch as father-and-son coroners who experience supernatural phenomena while examining the body of an unidentified woman (played by Olwen Kelly).

Sheriff Burke finds no signs of forced entry, and Lieutenant Wade suggests that the victims were trying to escape.

Sheriff Burke arrives with the body of the Jane Doe and tells Tommy that he needs the cause of death by morning.

There are no externally visible signs of trauma, but her wrist and ankle bones are shattered, her tongue has been crudely cut out, one of her molars is missing, her lungs are blackened as though she had suffered third-degree burns, and her internal organs reveal numerous scarring from stabs.

The radio spontaneously changes stations, and Austin believes he sees people standing in the morgue's hallway.

Continuing the autopsy, Tommy finds the woman's missing tooth wrapped in a piece of cloth in her stomach.

They decide to leave, but the elevator does not work, and a fallen tree has blocked the exit door.

Certain that Jane Doe's corpse has been preventing them from finding out the truth about her death, they return to the examination room.

As Tommy reaches for a knife to cut out his own tongue and complete the ritual, Austin stabs his father in the chest to end his misery.

Coming from the success of Trollhunter, Øvredal stated that he wanted to "prove something" – specifically that he could do more than found footage-style films.

[8] After watching the film, Øvredal told his agency he wanted to "find a pure horror script", which resulted in being sent Autopsy.

The website's critical consensus reads: "The Autopsy of Jane Doe subverts the gruesome expectations triggered by its title to deliver a smart, suggestively creepy thriller that bolsters director André Øvredal's growing reputation.

"[14] Metacritic gave it a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

[16] Richard Whittaker of The Austin Chronicle wrote that Øvredal "constructs a sinister claustrophobia", then "elegantly and disturbingly unwraps the enigma".

[17] Joe Lipsett of Bloody Disgusting rated it 5/5 stars and wrote, "Øvredal masterfully balances the requisite gore with some well-earned jump scares and a foreboding sense of doom.