TW: Suicide, Violence Against Children, Animal Abuse, Attempted Rape
In true giallo fashion, the first two minutes of Autopsy contains graphic depictions of suicide and a murder suicide containing two small children. It’s brutal, shocking, and bold.
In true giallo fashion, the first two minutes of Autopsy contains graphic depictions of suicide and a murder suicide containing two small children. It’s brutal, shocking, and bold.
Some history for the giallo newbies. Giallo (gee-ah-low, which I affectionately pronounce as "jello"), the Italian word for "yellow", was named " because of thriller novels which were distributed in the 1950s and marked by their yellow pages" (Wilhelmi, 2020). Giallo is an Italian horror subgenre. Common themes are social commentary, sex, mental illness, fetishism, bloody violence, bright colors, and brutal crimes. These films are traditionally gritty, gaudy, and bold. Some notables are Tenebrae (1982), Suspiria (1977), and Deep Red (1975). Dario Argento is said to be the king of Italian Horror, and he directed all three of the previous movies mentioned.
The story begins with a young autopsy doctor in Rome writing her thesis on suicides begins having vivid visions of the dead bodies in the morgue. They’re coming to life, walking around, screaming, and banging each other. Honestly, it’s a strong start to a movie and a way to draw you right in.
There’s a pattern of suicides in the area with no known cause. Out of nowhere, a (completely unhinged and sus) priest walked in to the morgue to tell everyone the most recent victim, his sister, wasn’t a suicide. Cue the D R A M A. Unhinged priest is convinced the deaths are linked to the doctors father until he too jumps off a building. Yikes. All signs start pointing to the priest. From there, it's a downward spiral to the finale.
Go into this movie anticipating the 70's and suspend your disbelief because it’s one hell of a weird and confusing ride. It's deliberately chaotic and feels like a fever dream. I will say, the scene with a dog being whipped with a belt was and always will be completely unnecessary. The fork stabbing after the rape attempt though? Totally necessary.
Rating:
Story: 6/10
Practical effects: 9/10
Acting: 7/10
Fork stabbing after rape attempt: 7/10
Dog whipping: 0/10
Ending: 8/10
Overall rating: 6/10
Where can you watch?
Pluto TV, Tubi, AMC+, Shudder
As of this post:
IMDB Rating: 5.9
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: --
Story: 6/10
Practical effects: 9/10
Acting: 7/10
Fork stabbing after rape attempt: 7/10
Dog whipping: 0/10
Ending: 8/10
Overall rating: 6/10
Where can you watch?
Pluto TV, Tubi, AMC+, Shudder
As of this post:
IMDB Rating: 5.9
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: --
References
Wilhelmi, J. (2020, April 2). Giallo explained: A history of the Italian horror movies. ScreenRant. Retrieved December 14, 2022, from https://screenrant.com/giallo-explained-italian-horror-movie-history/
Wilhelmi, J. (2020, April 2). Giallo explained: A history of the Italian horror movies. ScreenRant. Retrieved December 14, 2022, from https://screenrant.com/giallo-explained-italian-horror-movie-history/