Autopsy (2008 film)

Autopsy is a 2008 American horror film directed by Adam Gierasch.[1] It premiered on August 24, 2008 in the United Kingdom at the London FrightFest Film Festival and was selected as one of After Dark Horrorfest's "Eight Films to Die For". The films stars Michael Bowen, Jessica Lowndes, Ashley Schneider, Robert Patrick and Jenette Goldstein.[2] Filming took place in Louisiana.[3] The film received a mostly positive critical reception.

Autopsy (2008)

Autopsy
DVD cover
Directed by	Adam Gierasch
Produced by	Seven Arts Pictures Warren Zide Michael Arata
Written by	Adam Gierasch, Jace Anderson, E. L. Katz
Starring	Michael Bowen Jessica Lowndes Ashley Schneider Robert Patrick Jenette Goldstein Ross McCall
Music by	Joseph Bishara
Cinematography	Anthony B. Richmond
Edited by	Andrew Cohen
Distributed by	High Fliers Films
Release date	March 31, 2009 (2009-03-31) (United States)
Running time	80 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Premise

Five friends go to New Orleans Mardi Gras. On their way home, they get into a car accident and realize they have hit a man. Before anyone can call for help, an ambulance arrives. They are taken to a strange hospital where their injuries can be examined. Upon arrival, the five friends begin disappearing one by one.

The plot centers on Mercy Hospital where inhumane experiments are being done on the living patients by an insane staff. The "experiments" are brutal, often killing the victim. In one set piece, the internal organs of a patient are hung like a garland over the autopsy table. The experiments are designed to save the head doctor's wife, who has a terminal disease.

Cast

• Jessica Lowndes as Emily
• Ross Kohn as Bobby
• Ross McCall as Jude
• Ashley Schneider as Clare
• Arcadiy Golubovich as Dimitrly
• Robert LaSardo as Scott
• Michael Bowen as Travis
• Jenette Goldstein as Nurse Marian
• Robert Patrick as Dr. Benway
• Elijah Hardy as Gregory
• Tatyana Kanavka as Gretchen
• Eric Adams as Officer Jacobs
• Janine Venable as Lisette

Production

It released in 2008. The movie had a number of companies working with them. They officially gave 46 companies credit.[4]

The production companies are Lion Share Productions, FlipZide Pictures, Parallel Zide, Seven Arts Pictures, Voodoo Production Services, Project 8 films, A-Mark Entertainment, and Autopsythemovie.[5]

The writers include Jace Anderson, Adam Gierasch and E.L. Katz. The director of photography was Anthony B. Richmond. The editor was Andrew Cohen. The sound effects editor was Paul Timothy Carden. The music throughout the film was created by Joseph Bishara. [6] The special effects in the film were by Two Hours in the Dark and Identity Studios. [7]

The distributors are Lionsgate Home Entertainment, Seven Arts Pictures, After Dark Films, Mirovision, Shaw Organisation, Excesso Entertainment, I-On New Media, Icon Film Distribution, Parallel Media and Syfy.[5]

The filming took place in Jackson, Louisiana, New Orleans, Louisiana and Hollywood, California.

Release

The estimated cost of this movie was about $2,000,000 and during the release, it was reported that the cumulative worldwide gross was about $115,800. [8] The very first release was in 2008. The last release was in the Netherlands in 2011. [9]

Sound Track

Although the music was created by Josheph Bishara, there was thirteen other people who were a part of the sound team. The others include:

Michael Brown	foley artist / editor
Paul Timothy Carden	sound effects editor
Steven Huerstel	boom operator
Yagmur Kaplan	re-recording mixer
Sylvain Loiseau	sound facility manager
Brad Lokey	sound utility
Antonio Moncada	location sound mixer
Thomas Popp	sound mixer
Adam Ragon	foley artist
Sergio Reyes	re-recording mixer
Christopher Sheldon	foley artist / supervising sound editor
Lee Ascher	sound mixer
Phillip Perpich	adr mixer

[9]

Special Technical

The sound mix was by Dolby Digital. The aspect ratio is 1.85: 1. The main camera that was used is a Sony F900. The lens used was a Canon 7.5-158 and a Fujinon 4.5-59. The printed film format was 35mm.[9]

Reception

Critical reception for Autopsy has been mostly positive.[10][11] Fearnet commented that the film took a while to get started, but that "once Autopsy gets moving with its strange sense of humor and its admirable devotion to old-fashioned, over-the-top, Fango-friendly gore-gasms ... I have no problem calling it a weekend rental for the horror fans who've seen it all."[12] Dread Central and HorrorNews.net both gave mostly positive reviews,[13] and Dread Central stated that although the film "does have its fair share of pitfalls" it was overall "a living, breathing nightmare of a movie that's as sadistic as it is surreal."[14] In contrast, DVD Talk gave a more mixed review, writing that "Director Adam Gierasch shows some talent with a few sick set pieces and bursts of aggression, but some comatose performances, predictable jumps and a slightly aimless final third keep this in stable condition."[15] Feast On This states that they are "still unsure" about the movie and if it was good.[16] They do cannot decide if it was "good? Bad? Cheesy? Impressive?".[16] Feast On This then talks about the plot of the movie and states, "this movie obviously borrowed from a lot of other horror film plots to fill in some subplots".[16] They go into the production side of things and do not agree with the budget, " If made with a bigger (or well-maintined) budget, this movie would have been exceptional".[16] Although Feast On This is unsure of the movie, they "admit, there were actually quite a few parts that made me jump and feel scared, mostly because I was not expecting them".[16] Feast On This does not agree with the budget of this movie because it was the "production quality that very nearly made me turn off the movie: the sound".[16] Different from Feast On This, Gorepress.com enjoys the movie a lot. In fact, they give the movie an 8 out of 10 and they say it "presents interesting directional choices and flat out sickness scene after scene in such a rapid-fire fashion it is impossible to get bored".[17] Although the "acting is hit and miss as is often the case with these genre flicks", this doesn't take away their comparison, "Like it was lifted straight out of 42nd street in its prime".[17] Moriareviews.com agrees that the budget was too low, "How do four people manage to run a multi-storey hospital with so many patients? Did those posing as the staff just come across the hospital abandoned and fully equipped (most hospitals sell/auction off their used equipment, let alone the absurdity of leaving behind a fully stocked pharmacy)?".[18]

References

1. "First Photos From Adam Gierasch's 'Autopsy'". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
2. Turek, Ryan. "Exclusive Interview: Adam Gierasch of Autopsy". STYD. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
3. Scott, Mike. "Local horror film 'Autopsy' selected for national film festival". NOLA. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
4. Autopsy (2008) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-04-17
5. "Autopsy (2008)". BFI. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
6. "Autopsy (2008)". BFI. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
7. Autopsy (2008) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-04-17
8. Autopsy, retrieved 2020-04-17
9. Autopsy (2008) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-05-01
10. "Autopsy". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
11. Johnson, David. "AUTOPSY (review)". DVD Verdict. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
12. Weinberg, Scott. "FEARNET Movie Review - Autopsy". Fearnet. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
13. VanCroft, Angel. "Film Review: Autopsy (2008)". HN.n. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
14. "Review: Autopsy (2009)". Dread Central. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
15. McGaughy, Cameron. "Autopsy (review)". DVD Talk. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
16. "Autopsy (2008)". Feast on This!!. 2009-04-21. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
17. "Autopsy « Gorepress". Retrieved 2020-04-18.
18. "Autopsy (2008)". Moria. 2017-04-16. Retrieved 2020-05-01.

External links

• Autopsy on IMDb
• Autopsy at Rotten Tomatoes