Maybe the worst thing a horror film can do to a fan is bore the hell out of them. But that is exactly what Autopsy did to me and my fellow viewers during a recent screening.
Autopsy, an entry in the After Dark Films series, begins with a group of students awaiting an ambulance after a car crash that has left a stranger dead under the vehicle. The students are taken to mercy Hospital which is run a small group of staff headed by Dr. David Benway (Terminator 2's Robert Patrick).
Easily separated while awaiting minor treatment, the young stars (which include Jessica Lowndes, Ashley Schneider and Ross Kohn) soon find out that their health and safety is anything but assured while contained within the halls of the hospital.
The first half of Autopsy was boring, predictable and lacking in any enjoyment whatsoever. Director Adam Gierasch brought nothing truly original to the screen and a contagious yawn could be heard throughout my screening group.
But about half way through the film, it was as if Gierasch finally got it. He went from trying to establish mood and worthwhile characters to just having fun with the genre. There are more than a few wink wink nod nod type scenes in the second half that catapult Autopsy from a boring, meandering mess to a fairly watchable and at times enjoyable horror film. When you reach a fleeing female victim gets punched in the face by a sadistic intern, you know you have it the killerreviews turning point and that things will be more fanciful for the remainder of the film.
The gore is definitely there. There is a scene with a naked man spewing his guts onto an ever-fighting female and the scene where we see a male victim with his guts hanging on strings and slings outside of his body was top rate.
Autopsy then gets a mild recommendation based solely on the final 40 minutes. Robert Patrick is always a treat to watch and he is in full bad guy mode here (think Dr. Giggles except without the giggles). You won't care which of the young characters live or die or if any of them make it out alive for that matter. Maybe that's what made the second half so much fun. Once you stop thinking it a horror film and enjoy it as a black comedy with blood and body parts, the film takes flight.
www.killerreviews.com
Autopsy, an entry in the After Dark Films series, begins with a group of students awaiting an ambulance after a car crash that has left a stranger dead under the vehicle. The students are taken to mercy Hospital which is run a small group of staff headed by Dr. David Benway (Terminator 2's Robert Patrick).
Easily separated while awaiting minor treatment, the young stars (which include Jessica Lowndes, Ashley Schneider and Ross Kohn) soon find out that their health and safety is anything but assured while contained within the halls of the hospital.
The first half of Autopsy was boring, predictable and lacking in any enjoyment whatsoever. Director Adam Gierasch brought nothing truly original to the screen and a contagious yawn could be heard throughout my screening group.
But about half way through the film, it was as if Gierasch finally got it. He went from trying to establish mood and worthwhile characters to just having fun with the genre. There are more than a few wink wink nod nod type scenes in the second half that catapult Autopsy from a boring, meandering mess to a fairly watchable and at times enjoyable horror film. When you reach a fleeing female victim gets punched in the face by a sadistic intern, you know you have it the killerreviews turning point and that things will be more fanciful for the remainder of the film.
The gore is definitely there. There is a scene with a naked man spewing his guts onto an ever-fighting female and the scene where we see a male victim with his guts hanging on strings and slings outside of his body was top rate.
Autopsy then gets a mild recommendation based solely on the final 40 minutes. Robert Patrick is always a treat to watch and he is in full bad guy mode here (think Dr. Giggles except without the giggles). You won't care which of the young characters live or die or if any of them make it out alive for that matter. Maybe that's what made the second half so much fun. Once you stop thinking it a horror film and enjoy it as a black comedy with blood and body parts, the film takes flight.
www.killerreviews.com