Autopsy (1975)

Synopsis

The movie Autopsy (1975) is an Italian horror film about a deranged doctor who performs sinister experiments on corpses.

Simona Sana is a young pathologist who works in a morgue in Rome, Italy. One summer, the city is hit with a wave of violent suicides that are attributed to a heat wave. The intense heat and long hours worked leave Simona exhausted, but she is determined to complete her college thesis about natural deaths. One day, a “suicide” victim is brought into the morgue, identified by a young Catholic priest named Paul Lenox as being his sister. He claims she did not commit suicide but was murdered. Simona is intrigued and decides to team up with Father Lenox to solve the mystery. As they get closer to the truth, a mysterious killer begins to stalk them.

Cast

Mimsy Farmer as Simona Sana
Barry Primus as Dr. Dwight
Ray Lovelock as Edgar

Trivia

The film was partly inspired by real experiments performed on corpses by Nazi doctors during WWII.

Reviews

“Some questionable dialog and a disappointing ending prevent me from giving Autopsy a higher score but I cannot deny the film is actually quite entertaining. ” [1]

“AUTOPSY is another one of those strange transmissions from deep in the heart of the Eurohorror vortex. It’s not the ultimate Mimsy Movie – that honour goes to the previous year’s PERFUME OF THE LADY IN BLACK – but it’ll certainly make you sit up and pay attention, whether you love or hate it.” [2]

“Most films in this genre tend to lean towards thrillers, but Autopsy has its feet firmly planted in horror. It is very gory at times and is more about building scares than suspense. This makes it scarier than other giallo, but it often comes at the detriment of the actual mystery. ” [3]