[Autopsy]
Plot:A group of teens are enjoying a punk rock concert until one of them is assaulted. Before His girlfriend can call for medical help, an ambulance from the 1950s era arrives, the teen is taken away by two strange orderlies. Her and the other kids follow the ambulance to a spooky hospital.

Cast:Kelli Garner, Colton D. Cotton, Jessica Lowndes, Michael Bowen, Jenette Goldstein, Robert LaSardo, Robert Patrick.

My Thoughts:Good "simple" slasher.

Review:There are some slasher films that try to be complicated, and some that don't try to be. Some that try to do more than they can, ignoring the lack of tools in their arsenal. And then there are others that do just enough to be a good time, and make you not regret spending 82 minutes on them. While at the same time, their stories may be a jumbled mess, and a plot might be MIA...but again, they're still a good time. "Autopsy"...is one of those movies.

The film follows a group of teens who attend a concert. After the concert, they get into a car accident, apparently nearly killing a guy, and pinning him under their car. An ambulance soon arrives, and takes the severely-injured man, and the slightly-injured teens to a local nearby hospital. Once there, the man is taken away, and the teens are examined by doctors. But the hospital is a very strange-looking place, with doctors, orderlies, and nurses who seem very strange themselves.

As the kids remain at the eerie locale, they soon come to find out that this hospital hides a terrible secret. One that will spell their demise. "Autopsy" doesn't do much to flesh out a plot really, and it gets to the good stuff rather quickly. It's more of a "waiting in the wings" slasher movie. A group of people are placed in a certain situation, at a certain place. And the villains are waiting in the wings, waiting for the right time to pounce on one of the teens and start the systematic killings which we all know will come sooner or later.

But does this film have a who, what, when, where, and why? Not really. There are shades of a motive offered up by the films main villain, a psychotic doc played by Robert Patrick. But you get the feeling that while his motives for killing patients are deeper than how they sem on the surface, the other villains who assist him just love sadistic, murderous behavior. And love partaking in it. So this offsets the balance of the movie, and really muddies the waters which could've been made alot clearer by just spending more time on fleshing out Patrick's character and hiw reasons for what he does.

Instead, they make him come off as a mad scientist type who has a secret hidden in one of the hospitals rooms. A secret which is connected to his killings and reasons for commiting them. The unsuspecting teens/young adults are a pretty diverse-looking bunch. Basically meaning there's no suburban-looking blondes, or annoying jock types here. They're a more down-to-earth group. Although not very bright, no surprise there..it's a slasher movie after all.

And if you're guessing that about 6 of them get wacked before the lead female catches on to the doc and his hench-murderers evil plans, then you guessed correct. But in between that, we are treated to some great kills. Again, no surprise considering this film is set in s hospital where there are all sorts of sharp objects which can be used to do damage. But one thing this film does not do which most slashers do, is have a stupid lead girl running around, screaming, begging for someone to save her at the end.

The movie really takes it's lead female and makes her a strong heroine down the final few minutes of the movie. As she vengefully applies the same sharp weaponry used against her and her friends, to going through whoever she has to go through to escape the evil hospital alive. And this makes for a very graphic, bloody, and pretty exciting ending. Which plays out really wonderfully within the halls of the darkened, and twisted-looking hospital.

The ending however, the very end I mean...is a question mark in many regards. It suggests perhaps a change of heart, or maybe a loss of mind? Or maybe just a person absolving themselves in some much deserved payback? Either way, the ending is confusing on some levels, but it should start up a debate which is always good.

"Autopsy" doesn't have the most story clarity that it should, but it's a good "simple" slasher. Chase scenes, blood, gore, loss of limbs, graphic violence, nefarious villains, they're all in this movie. It's strong element of "the basics" are what make it worth seeing atleast once.

Positives:Decent acting, lots of blood, gore, and slasher-styled violence. An exciting finale, and some disturbing villains.

Negatives:Not much clarity on the evil doctors motives, and the ending leaves some unresolved issues.

Overall:Three out of four stars.





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