Autopsy

Director - Armando Crispino (Frankenstein: Italian Style, The Dead Are Alive!)

Starring - Mimsy Farmer (Body Count, The Suspects), Barry Primus (Righteous Kill, The X-Files), and Ray Lovelock (Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, The Last House on the Beach)

Release Date - 1975

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "It'll take you...apart"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     Over the last six months or so I've found myself becoming extremely interested in giallos.  I would watch them on occasion but over the last six or so months I've been going out of my way to get them.  After watching a few back on the later part of last year I decided to go ahead and dig into the first Forgotten Gialli release from Vinegar Syndrome.  This soon spiraled into the second volume and now the third.  I received the third volume in just a few days ago and couldn't wait to see what was in store for me.  The first film I tossed in was 1975's Autopsy which was also released as The Victim and Tension.  

     The film follows a pathology student working on her thesis when a string of suicides strike Rome, Italy.  While investigating the death of a young women she becomes entangled in the search for a supposed killer by her brother, a Catholic priest.  The closer she gets to finding the real killer of the fake suicides the closer she gets to danger.

     I love the atmosphere and tension in a good giallo.  My introduction to giallo, like most Americans, was from the works of Fulci and Argento.  I often compare the giallos I watch now to these films that I first watched all those years ago.  Autopsy is a bit different.  The film is a little more colorful and bright than most of the other giallos I've seen but I really enjoyed it.  What it lacks in that traditional giallo lighting and atmosphere it more than makes up for in story and characters.  The acting in this one is pretty solid.  Mimsy Farmer is fantastic as the student caught in the middle of an unlikely conspiracy involving murder.  I really liked her character and how she ranging emotionally.  With that being said, there was a few scenes where she overacted which resulted in an unintentionally funny scene.  The supporting cast is good but a little inconsistent.  Some of the cast is pretty well grounded and well rounded but there is a few scenes where the cast is a little over the top.  These overdramatic scenes were funny when it wasn't meant to be.  The story for this one is a solid whodunit that throws several red herrings at the viewer.  It's not predictable and you keep following each scene trying to figure it out before the killer is actually revealed.  I loved the story and character development.  Those, along with the pacing, makes for a great giallo flick.  The tone of the film may not be typical of those films but the story is very much a giallo.  Finally, the film has plenty of blood and some very disturbing images.  The film uses pictures of actual autopsies that some may find too gruesome.  Also, the film has some blood and fun practical effects that really enjoyed.  Sadly, the deaths are off screen so you bloodhounds will not get to enjoy those.  Overall, Autopsy is a fantastic murder mystery that has a great cast and a pretty involving story.  It's not perfect but it is fun especially for a late night watch.  The transfer from Vin Syn looks absolutely amazing.  I highly recommend it.