Summary

• The autopsy in The Autopsy of Jane Doe Autopsy reveals dark secrets of Jane Doe's past, intertwined with Salem witch trials history.
• André Øvredal crafts a smart thriller with art-house horror vibes and jump scares, though the thematic depth of The Autopsy of Jane Doe is just as impressive.
• Jane Doe's powers emerge from brutal torture, seeking revenge on those who wronged her.

The 2016 supernatural horror film The Autopsy of Jane Doe explained the story of one of the most complex witches in horror history. The film also marks Norwegian filmmaker André Øvredal’s first English language film, following his breakout in Trollhunter. Starring Emile Hirsch and Brian Cox as Austin and Tommy Tilden, the father-son coroner duo is tasked with autopsying the body of an unknown woman. This woman, only known as Jane Doe, soon opened the coroners to great horrors.

While The Autopsy of Jane Doe was a critical favorite (86% on Rotten Tomatoes), it was not a box office success. The movie finished with only a $6 million take, but it shows Øvredal’s skills as a filmmaker, leading to his fairly successful career in the horror genre. The consensus is Øvredal created a smart thriller, with a dark mystery that unravels as the movie creepily played out. It rides a tightrope between art-house horror and jump scares and much of that lies with the mystery of the witch on the autopsy table.

The Autopsy of Jane Doe is available to stream on Netflix.

How Did Tommy & Austin Learn Jane Doe Was A Witch?

The Clues That Revealed What They Were Up Against

As Austin and Tommy begin their search for a cause of death in The Autopsy of Jane Doe, the two are quickly confused by a lack of visible signs of trauma. As they continue to dissect Jane Doe, they uncover strange objects and inexplicable internal scarring. They notice that scars on her organs and the charring on her lungs cannot be explained, as there is no outward appearance of such injuries occurring. Furthermore, Tommy discovers a Jimsonweed, a plant that acts as a paralyzing agent and is not native to their location.

The scars on her organs, the removal of her tongue, the charred lungs, and the paralyzing agent explain how the New England Puritans attempted to kill the witch.

Venturing deeper into the cadaver, they find a cloth with sigils and Roman numerals written on it with a tooth wrapped inside. They discover the sigils were used as a tool to banish her uncleanly spirit, the Roman numerals indicate that the date was 1693, and the Jimsonweed is native to the Northeast.

By the end of The Autopsy of Jane Doe, they realize that Jane Doe was tried as a witch during the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts. The scars on her organs, the removal of her tongue, the charred lungs, and the paralyzing agent explain how the New England Puritans attempted to kill the witch.

The Autopsy Of Jane Doe's Witch & Her Powers

How The Witch Attacked Her Tormenters

When Tommy realizes Jane Doe is a witch in The Autopsy of Jane Doe, he reflects on the inaccuracies of the trials. He tells Austin that most women tried and accused of witchcraft were innocent and fell victim to the ramblings of children. Jane Doe was not a witch at first, but the brutality of her accusers transformed her into the vengeful spirit of one. She experienced such severe torture that Jane Doe became a symbol for all innocent women murdered in Salem and her body lives on to enact revenge.

The cloth inside of her includes a passage from Leviticus meant to condemn witches.

Jane Doe’s powers are derived from the moment she was tortured. The cloth inside of her includes a passage from Leviticus meant to condemn witches. As she was not a witch, the attempt to condemn her as one transformed her into a witch. Without the trial prosecutors forcing the cloth down her throat, she would not have become a witch in the first place.

The body of Jane Doe lives on to enact revenge on all people who attempt to take away her bodily autonomy, whether through an autopsy or otherwise. She stands as a symbol that works against the brutality of the Salem Witch Trials. The Autopsy of Jane Doe offers unique insight into the brutal workings of one of America’s oldest supernatural histories while providing a modern twist on the lore surrounding witchcraft and one of the United States' darker historical eras.