Autopsy (1975) User Reviews

A Truly Quirky Giallo

[Maciste_Brother · 7/10 · 28 October 2003]

Aside from Dario Argento gialli, Autopsy (or Macchie solari, which translates as Sun Spots) is my favorite giallo. It's truly weird, quirky, trashy and unlike anything I've ever seen. Some might be disappointed by the fact that it doesn't have a gloved killer or the murders aren't as spectacular as those in Argento's movies but I personally liked the fact that everything in this giallo was so uncommon. For once, the typically convoluted giallo story-line wasn't on cruise control.

What also stands out in this film is the sleaze factor and its almost machine gun delivery, which made me wonder what drug the director was on. The list of sleazy stuff is endless. There's nudity and several sex scenes. I've lost count on the number of up-skirt shots on Mimsy Farmer's dress. How many times Farmer's clothes were riped off. Farmer's boyfriend (handsome Ray Lovelock) trying to force himself on her. Her coworker trying to rape her, whom she ferociously attacks back at. Gratuitous shots of the young woman's beautiful naked body in the morgue. The hallucination in the morgue at the beginning (great!). The photos of real dead people in the museum. The slide show, which includes dubious erections. The tempestuous race-driver turned priest (the not so handsome Barry Primus) whom Mimsy falls in love with (blasphemy!). Everyone in the movie is sorta crazed and on edge. The suicides during the opening are startling in it's rapid-fire delivery. In fact, the whole film's direction teeters on delerium. It feels like the sun had affecting everyone, including the director, the screenwriter and the editor.

I love the fact that the director deliberately leaves out bits of information and as we watch the movie, we quickly assume this and that, and then the director sneaks-in the missing info, we suddenly feel a bit silly or ashame over what we thought at first. For example, when we see the man swimming in the pool. We don't know who he is. As he swims to the edge, the camera pans up on Mimsy (and that quasi up-skirt shot) which makes us think that the man was trying to take a peek or is attracted to her in a sexual way. The next scene, the man is shown to be Mimsy's father. Okay! The director continuously pulls the rug from under us, throws-off our expectations throughout the movie with EVERY little detail imaginable, which makes for a trippy experience. We're never sure who's who or what's what. The really funny part about all of this is the director deliberately mixes and remixes everything as to create confusion but when the killer's identity is revealed, it's done in the most calm, concise and matter-of-fact way. The killer is the sanest person amongst the sun-stroked bunch.

Does this quirky direction automatically make AUTOPSY a great movie? Not really but it IS unique. I've never seen a deliberatly chaotic direction like this. There were so many dull giallos made in the 1970s, all of which look too glossy and artificial, like the dreadfully kitschy CASE OF THE BLOODY IRIS or boring TORSO, that AUTOPSY stands out because of its sleazy and gritty direction. It's not your typical giallo. If Joel Schumacher is to CASE OF THE BLOODY IRIS, then Martin Scorcesse (of the 1970s) is to AUTOPSY: Brash, over-the-top, lurid and with a chip on its shoulder. There are several stand-out scenes in AUTOPSY, including the suicides, the hallucination scene at the morgue, and the whole moment at the museum, where there's a booby trap rigged to kill Mimsy. The dialogue is at times uproariously bad. And when you think you lost track of the story, everything eventually falls together. AUTOPSY is a whirlwind of images, sounds (great Ennio Morricone soundtrack!) and questionable stuff that makes for a memorable viewing experience. In the end, it's not really great but its unique direction sure makes up for its obvious shortcomings. If you're game, you'll enjoy it. If you're not game, well, you'll be annoyed or turned-off by it.

Very convoluted, worth a look for the brave viewer and giallo fans

[hippiedj · 7/10 · 28 February 2001]

I must admit, the cover, the stars, and the gruesome story description will grab you. But that's just one more wrench thrown into the confusion of the film known in English as Autopsy. For me, three things convinced me to get the DVD: Ray Lovelock, who starred later in the zombie classic Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (Non si deve profanare il sonno dei morti), the score is by Ennio Morricone, and the fact that 15 minutes was restored and the film is presented uncut for the first time here in the United States. I'm also a fan of the Italian giallos, which is what Autopsy really is, but I didn't know that because the cover makes it appear as a possible zombie-oriented horror film, and the first ten minutes alone will have you believing that.

We're given the idea that something like sunspots and flares are the force behind a sudden wave of suicides and that, along with exhaustion, are why medical examiner Mimsy Farmer is having hallucinations of corpses in the hospital coming to life and taunting her. Apparently this same sun problem is what sets off a killer to start killing people (that Mimsy happens to know) and making it look as if these killings were actually just another suicide. As it turns out he does have a motive, but this sun/suicide bit cand throw you. Like many giallos, there is an obligatory explanation at the climax that flashes back to a traumatic experience the killer had as a child (this kind of thing also happened in Don't Torture A Duckling, aka "Non si sevizia un paperino" and Torso, aka "I Corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale").

It actually took a second viewing for me to understand the sun thing, the suicides, and the killings and put it all together--this film has so much going on that there are many distractions particularly of a sexual nature, you are drawn this way and that which is why connecting the plot points gets difficult at times. Is that a good thing? Well, this film doesn't hold back and has a generous amount nudity, even full frontal. There is a scene where Ray Lovelock shows Mimsy a slide show of "vintage" erotic photographs that, in two of the quickly passing close-up photos you'll find yourself saying "oh man, was that actually what I THOUGHT I saw?" and while not really pornographic will nonetheless surprise you since this film was made in 1973. Two sexual interludes (interrupted as they are) also add to the "this is getting gratuitous" element and an art gallery featuring photos of human torture are also present (I found these particular photos shocking and I thought I was jaded to these kinds of things). It wasn't difficult for me to see what was cut for domestic release in the states--this film packs a visual punch and just keeps going.

All in all, I am glad I have this film as part of my collection because it is a curiosity that really can't be ignored. Call it a guilty pleasure if you will. After understanding it from the second viewing, I started looking deeper into Autopsy and realizing it has its own personality and more of a story to offer than, say, the basic "let's get women naked then kill them" mood of Torso. While Mimsy Farmer is a little difficult to warm up to with her once nice then cold moods, her part is played competent enough we still hope she gets through the ordeal. Barry Primus behaves like one of those people you hope doesn't sit next to you on the bus--a bit on edge and prone to bursts of anger. Ray Lovelock is always interesting to see, particularly because of the choice of dubbing for his part--I'm wondering if some day I'll get to hear his actual voice in a film! He also conveys an early 1970's example of the masculine and sexual leading guy: bearded and real, instead of the cookie cutter cutie boys put in lead roles in films these days.

Anchor Bay gets points for taking these Italian gems and getting them restored so well that the picture looks better than most Hollywood film transfers. Some audio portions of Autopsy were not recorded in English, so a couple brief scenes are in Italian with English subtitles. An unusual move, but I appreciate the fact that at least the film is intact. One scene involving a newspaper headline and discussion of the sun is a key scene for the plot, and was one that was cut in American distribution because it wasn't recorded in English. Now that it's back in, it really makes a difference.

Autopsy is not a perfect film, not a bad film, basically one of those films that manage to grab your attention at any cost. For collectors of 1970s Italian giallos it has merit, for other folk, well, be prepared--you'll be raising your eyebrows so much your face will hurt by the ending!!

A satisfying Giallo.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 1 August 2012]

"Autopsy", as it's known here in North America, is pretty good of its type, with a solid, intriguing story, one that doesn't get bogged down with twists. It's got some gore going for it, but in truth is never as violent as that American title would indicate. The story is of course fairly sordid, but the level of sleaze is never too high, with doses of female flesh here and there.

Lovely Mimsy Farmer is a pathology student in Rome puzzling over a succession of suicides, partly because she's doing a thesis on natural vs. faked suicides. Could these people really be killing themselves, or is a murderer at work? Simona (Farmer) works with a young race car driver turned priest, Paul Lenox (the under-rated veteran character actor Barry Primus) to determine the truth. One of these deaths was that of Lenox's sister, and he's convinced she had to have been killed by someone else.

This is never too hard to follow, and it's got at least one appreciably unique gimmick going for it: sunspots, it's theorized, could be inducing some sort of mass psychosis in the minds of the victims. The story is populated with entertaining characters, including Simona's father (Carlo Cattaneo), his romantic partner (Angela Goodwin), and Simona's friend Edgar, played by the handsome Ray Lovelock whom fans of foreign horror will recognize from "Let Sleeping Corpses Lie" and "Last House on the Beach".

Enriched by an Ennio Morricone music score that's equal parts beautiful and spooky, "Autopsy" is more straightforward than some Giallo fans may expect, although it still finds the time to feature some truly hideous, hallucinatory imagery. Use of locations is a plus, as are the performances. Mimsy is appealing and believably vulnerable, Primus is appropriately intense, and Lovelock is amusing to watch every time he's on screen. Credit is due to co-writer and director Armando Crispino, who reels us in immediately with a grabber of an opening.

All in all, this is good stuff; it might not be trashy enough for some lovers of the Giallo genre, but it entertains solidly and stays on track up to its grim finish.

Seven out of 10.

Possibly the most confusing and strangest giallo ever made!

[Infofreak · 24 September 2002]

'Autopsy' is a very strange and confusing giallo that has to be seen to be believed! Newcomers to the genre best steer clear, but buffs will find this one totally fascinating. Mimsy Farmer (Fulci's 'The Black Cat') stars as an uptight doctor who between wrestling with freaky hallucinations of horny corpses(!) investigates a series of suicides supposedly caused by sunspots(!). A mysterious car racer turned priest (!) (Barry Primus of Scorsese's 'Boxcar Bertha') gets involved in the mystery, though she is unsure whether he is an ally or a suspect. Also in the cast is Ray Lovelock ('The Living Dead In Manchester Morgue') as Farmer's moody and cynical boyfriend. The brief plot synopsis doesn't give you any idea of just how convoluted and nutty this one is. Many will probably find it too flamboyant to stick with until the end, but personally I found it impossible to resist. Easily the most bizarre giallo I've ever seen!

Bizarre, unusual Giallo. A real treat for the developed Italian horror admirers

[Coventry · 7/10 · 2 August 2004]

Armando Crispino's `Autopsy' is an authentic Giallo…but slightly more complex and diverse than your ordinary experiences in this field of horror. The constant mix of mystery, suicides and twisted characters makes this film one of the most ambitious Italian flicks of the early 70's. Closely living up to Dario Argento's films when it comes to originality and suspense, but a lot more modest when it comes to violent images. Autopsy contains a downright brilliant opening and the first 5 minutes (showing a series of repulsive suicides in the city of Rome) already were enough for me to consider this film a success. The story loses much of its initial grip, of course, but there still is a lot of imaginativeness to discover throughout the whole film. Compared to many other Gialli, Autopsy features a believable, solid plot and it sticks to it without the overuse of unnecessary plot-twists. The score (by Ennio Morricone) gives you cold shivers and the main characters are creatively presented. How about a depressed pathologist who has visions about the living dead copulating? Or a racecar-driver turned priest and out for vengeance? Autopsy is a lot more suspenseful than it is gory, even though the DVD-cover leads you to believe otherwise. Tension-highlights include a compelling sequence inside the `Death Museum' and an atmospheric experiment upon an entirely paralyzed victim. Add a bit of stylish nudity to all this and you've got yourself an undiscovered and ignored cult-gem. It may not satisfy horror-rookies on a quest to see tons of blood, but it'll sure please the more experienced horror fans. If you're searching for a top-macabre and unsettling horror film, this is the one.

Waking the dead

[Chase_Witherspoon · 7/10 · 1 May 2016]

Better than I expected and not as gruesome as the rather ungainly title might suggest, "Autopsy" is a rugged Giallo showcasing lots and lots of Mimsy Farmer sans wardrobe, plus some typical genre plot twists and red herrings.

Whilst the initial scenes imply something almost supernatural (corpse copulation?), this well paced little shocker quickly finds its familiar Giallo groove as morgue physician Farmer begins to emotionally unravel under the pressures of documenting a burgeoning spate of apparent suicides. Anglo-Italian Lovelock is Farmer's care-free (and somewhat perverted) BF, whilst fellow Americano Barry Primus plays a priest with a tumultuous past. Special mention too for Ernesto Colli as a creepy morgue attendant and Angela Goodwin and her wicked sense of dark humour.

Like most of its ilk, the real story doesn't emerge for some time and the characters flirt with danger as they get closer to the culprit; there's also enough nudity to make a peeping Tom blush, and some occasional gore (which you'd expect in a movie entitled "Autopsy" though as aforesaid, it's not a butcher's shop nor meat market for gore).

The title is likely to offend most punters, which is a shame because it's not a bad movie, probably attracting an unwarranted notoriety it doesn't deserve. But that's their loss - if you enjoy Giallo, you should be quite satisfied with this offering (which despite various published release dates, appears to have been made in 1973 according to the opening titles).

Not very good giallo

[mwold · 3/10 · 14 April 2007]

Though there are some sporadically nicely shot scenes and of course an interesting score by Ennio Morricone, this movie doesn't offer anything new or interesting to the genre. The story is all over the map, too much so. You also get the impression it was written while the film was rolling; it's too fragmented and there isn't any character to identify with. There is also a blatant lack of suspense and there's nothing really thrilling or frightening occurring on screen. Essentially though watchable, there's nothing really compelling to follow. The "explanation" thrown in at the 11th hour is slightly ridiculous and too complicated and nonsensical for it's own good. I guess the best that I can say is that it's certainly an interesting mess but by no means compulsory viewing.

for all the confusion this is a very varied and very different giallo

[christopher-underwood · 7/10 · 16 March 2007]

A rather confusing giallo and I think in part this is because of rather lazy direction and a poor performance from Mimsy Farmer who seems to get the wrong look most times and leave us in doubt as to what she is thinking or feeling. One essential in giallo is some sort of empathy for the lead, even if that eventually turns out to be misplaced! Here I don't feel many are very concerned for what happens to Mimsy. And plenty does, that's for certain. Is there another movie where the lead actress gets so much abuse and groping, not to mention attempted rape and up skirt shots!? Of course the Morricone score is first rate and for all the confusion this is a very varied and very different giallo that maintains the interest throughout.

Prepare to be scratching your head.

[gridoon · 4/10 · 30 June 2002]

Either I wasn't paying enough attention or the plot was too smart for me, but I just couldn't understand what was going on in this movie most of the time. Problem is, it's not good enough in other aspects to warrant a second viewing by someone just to get everything straight. Long, muddled and unengaging. (*1/2)

muscular and compsct: like corned beef

[Bezenby · 7/10 · 3 February 2018]

It gets really, really warm in Rome during the month of August, and a lot of Romans head for the hillside towns like Tivoli to cool down a bit, so it's no surprise that those who elect to stay suffer the consequences. A spate of suicides is plaguing the city, as we see a few Romans graphically taking themselves out at the start of the film, including one old guy who puts a plastic bag over his head and jumps in the Tiber. That's no cry for help!

All this business is taking its toll on coroner Mimsy Farmer, who, while doing an autopsy on the old fella, has to also put up with the advances of a weirdo assistant: "Brains leave me cold, but I've got something warm for ya!" To make matters worse Mimsy starts hallucinating that the corpses around her are getting up and bumping uglies with each other. Mimsy needs a break, but of course Ray Lovelock comes along, does an impression of a corpse, and scares the crap out of her. This leads to a romance for some reason.

The plot for this one is rather tangled, but let's try and simplify it. Mimsy lives below an apartment owned by her good-looking, rich father and meets his new fiancé, a nice red-headed girl who is found dead on Ostia beach the next day of a gunshot wound. It's apparently suicide, but then Mimsy is doing a research paper on staged suicide and thinks foul play was involved. So does the dead girl's brother, a race car driver who has since become a priest (yep), so if the girl didn't kill herself, who did, and why?

There are many suspects to choose from, including the dog-owning landlord who is always looking up Mimsy's skirt, the weirdo assistant who, in one of those bad-taste moments of Italian cinema is also a necrophile, Ray Lovelock and his bizarre porn-slideshow seduction techniques (that work!) and Mimsy's father, who is up to something or other. It all comes together in the end but like Armando Crispino's earlier giallo The Etruscan Kills Again your head will be buzzing trying to keep up with all that's going on.

Although the Roman locations, Morricone soundtrack and cinematography lend this one a lot of style, there's still plenty of sleaze to bring the tone down a bit. Both Mimsy and Ray get nude at various stages, as do many other actors (in corpse form, mainly), and one character seems to be holding some sort of art exhibition about dead bodies. It's also a very strange film as well, with a sub plot about the suicides being blamed on sun spots and a bizarrely detailed scene involving one of the characters being horribly crippled after falling off a roof.

So-so

[haildevilman · 5/10 · 3 January 2006]

The first half of this film is incredibly creepy. The suicides in the beginning separates by shots of solar flares and Ennio Morricone's suitably atmospheric music set the stage perfectly.

The scene in the autopsy room when the first corpse (the black man) suddenly smiles also send chills. As does the sudden close-up of the dead woman on the beach. The (real) photos of accident and murder victims in the 'death' museum was also a bit frightening.

After that...it all went downhill. The characters were hardly original. And they seemed to just add more of them for no reason. Add a new face, act like we've known him or her all along, then kill him off without warning.

I got the impression the director was told he had 48 hours to finish it or he loses his fee. So he packs the conclusion in a day. As a result, mass confusion. It should have been better.

Unusual But Great Giallo

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 8/10 · 20 February 2008]

Armando Crispino's "Macchie Solari" aka. "Autopsy" of 1975 is an underrated and quite unusual Giallo that lovers of Italian horror can not afford to miss. Great suspense, bizarre elements and very interesting, often troubled characters come along with a menacing atmosphere and a great, very eerie score by none other than Ennio Morricone. The film already starts out excellently, with several nasty suicides. Rome has been struck by a heat wave, which leads to increased suicidal tendencies among the population. Being constantly surrounded by disfigured corpses is becoming too much for young pathologist Simona (Mimsy Farmer), who is writing a thesis about suicide and murder. Simona, whose job is giving her nightmares and terrible visions, doesn't believe that all of these violent deaths were suicides...

"Autopsy" features many frightening and often bizarre sequences, a quite complex plot and elaborate characters. The storyline is sometimes quite complex to follow, especially since the scene changes often seem quite abrupt, but this only makes the film less predictable, and everything makes perfect sense as a whole. The performances are entirely very good. Mimsy Farmer is excellent in the lead, and portrays her character's fears and nightmares in a very believable manner. Another great performance is delivered by Barry Primus, who plays a quite unusual catholic priest. The cast furthermore includes Ray Lovelock, a regular to Italian genre cinema, and Ernesto Colli, who should be known to Italian Horror buffs for his role in Sergio Martino's 1973 giallo masterpiece "Torso" (aka. "I Corpi presentano tracce di violenzia carnale"). It should be said that "Autopsy" is not the gore-fest the DVD cover might make you think. Even though there are some very violent sequences and many repulsive images, the violence is quite tame compared to many other Gialli of the mid 70s. The movie's main intention is suspense and it definitely succeeds in being suspenseful. "Autopsy" is a stylish, atmospheric and very suspenseful Giallo, that no lover of Italian Horror should allow himself to miss. Highly Recommended!

Very fascinating and puzzling giallo.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 7/10 · 5 October 2003]

Armando Crispino's "Autopsy" is a very fascinating and puzzling film,which both amuses,grosses out and confuses.This is surely one of the most complicated giallos ever made.After watching it,I'm still very confused about how everything fits together in the plot."Autopsy" is not a horror film-I'd rather call it a giallo with some horror elements.There is plenty of sleaze and nudity,so fans of Italian exploitation should be pleased.The score by always reliable Ennio Morricone is excellent.The acting is very good with Mimsy Farmer("Camping del Terrore","The Black Cat","The Perfume of the Lady in Black")giving an outstanding performance as a forensic pathologist Simona.A must-see for fans of Italian giallos.

A dead weird giallo.

[BA_Harrison · 4/10 · 13 October 2021]

A series of apparent suicides occur during a period of solar flares. Pathologist Simona Sanna (Mimsy Farmer) believes that the latest victim, a woman with a gunshot to the face, didn't kill herself, and with the help of a priest, Father Paul Lenox (Barry Primus), investigates the deaths.

This weird giallo starts off with several shocking suicides: a topless woman slashes her wrist; a man puts a carrier bag on his head and throws himself into a river; a bloke sets fire to the car he is sitting in, the vehicle exploding; and a father shoots his kids and then turns the (machine) gun on himself. It's a grim, attention-grabbing way to open a film, but director Armando Crispino doesn't stop there. He introduces lead character Simona while she is at work, surrounded by naked corpses, other pathologists busy at work cutting up the bodies. It's grisly stuff, and gets seriously creepy when Simona hallucinates, imagining the corpses rising from their slabs to fornicate.

Sadly, the rest of the film is nowhere near as powerful or as memorable: it's a typically convoluted, frequently baffling murder mystery revolving around a missing will, and is only enlivened by frequent nudity from Farmer. There's no explanation for Simona's funny spells, no reason is given for the frequent shots of solar flares, I have no idea what SIMONASEI means (as spelt out by Simona's paralysed father), and I'm still unsure as to why Simona is sexually repressed (although this does lead to a strange scene where her lover Edgar, played by Ray Lovelock, shows her vintage porn to get her in the mood). The only gore comes in the form of the real 'death' photos on display at a criminal museum.

The ending of the film is particularly dumb: having survived an arranged suicide by the killer, the protagonists don't go to the police, like most people would, instead opting to confront the maniac themselves. This allows for a perilous fight scene on some high scaffolding, the villain ultimately falling to their death, but next time, call the cops!

One of the nastiest giallos I've seen.

[coldwaterpdh · 7/10 · 24 December 2007]

I heard that "Autopsy" was pretty much a giallo, so I avoided buying it for full price for some time. When it went on sale at my local shoppe, though, I thought, what the hell? I'll give it a gander.

When the film started I immediately got the feeling that it was going to be pretty gross. It's got some decent gore for a giallo. In fact, I'd be hard pressed to think of another to beat it in that regard.

The music and sound is also spectacular. Ennio doesn't disappoint here. It's chilling actually.

For all the good stuff, though, there is one big drawback: the editing is terrible. It is noticeably bad in some parts. When the camera cuts to a different view of the same scene, there are noticeable differences in the scenery. For example: a scene where a janitor is whipping a yelping dog that is lying on the ground with a belt, it cuts away, and in a split second the dog is standing up panting, looking perfectly happy. Normally, I am completely fine with subtle imperfections. But in this case, they are out of place. It seems the director and editors spent more time trying to shock the viewer than they spent on consistency.

Also, the film is a little difficult to follow. If you get up for a beer, you will have to pause it so you don't get lost.

Overall, this is one of the nastiest giallos I have seen, totally original and graphic, and nicely done. Not quite an Argento...but close.

7 out of 10, kids.

Begins real promising but gets weird and takes a turn for the worst pretty early on already.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 6/10 · 5 February 2012]

What a shame. It truly seemed like this was going to be a real great and a true original Giallo movie but after a promising start, the movie starts to go downhill.

Normally I say that weird is good, especially for a movie in this genre. However in this case it did not work out too well. It instead made the movie unnecessary hard to follow and besides, the movie itself wasn't done all that well, which made it a bit of a clumsy and awkward one to watch at times.

The editing for instance was totally off at times. It was amazing how incredibly bad and totally amateur like it was at times. Characters change positions, scenes don't flow naturally, it truly was all very distracting at times and totally can take you out of the movie.

But obviously the story itself is also quite lacking. I wouldn't necessarily say this is even a classic Giallo that follows all of the rules by the book, which is of course not a bad thing but it is when it's not really offering you enough else for it instead. Despite of having a fine concept, it isn't really using it well enough to its own advantage. Sometimes it really takes a long while for a murder to finally occur again, which also makes this movie feel a bit overlong, even though it's a quite short movie actually.

Also the mystery of the movie itself was really lacking because you simply don't ever really care about anything about it. It's all brought in a quite messy way and not as something interesting or nail biting. Besides, it was pretty much clear to me who the killer was supposed to be, pretty early on in the movie already. Normally Giallo's can really fool me but just not this one. It all was a bit too clear and obvious.

The movie uses some great camera tricks at times, which can be something real awesome and impressive at times. And I also do still believe that the lovers of the genre will still get plenty out of this movie. It's being a pretty good one with its gore and it also still has a typical and very distinctive genre style and atmosphere over it.

You could praise the movie for trying to be original at times but unfortunately as a whole the movie is still a real lacking one.

6/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Not very interesting

[adriangr · 5/10 · 17 August 2009]

Autopsy is an ugly and unpleasant giallo from 1975 that I really didn't enjoy. Starring Mimsy Farmer, it tells the story of a spate of deaths that appear to be suicides but may actually be murders. Farmer plays Simona, a pathologist who has a very troubled personal life, as well as suffering from hallucinations at work, where she occasionally has visions of the corpses waking up! And that's just one confusing strand of a plot which is really hard to follow and much of it is unclear. Endless shots of sun flares keep flashing on the screen in an attempt to add style and intrigue, but this doesn't really work. You'll be hard pushed to make it to the end of the film having understood much of it... well I certainly didn't.

But the film certainly delivers in the gore department, with lots of bloody corpses on display, plus several scenes that give you long glances at (what seem to be) actual medical photographs of dissections and murder victims, some of which are extremely disturbing. There's also a fair bit of nudity. What's missing, though, is any sense of joy or tenderness. Main character Simona is in a constant state of paranoia, and none of the other characters seem very happy either. Mimsy Farmer can act reasonably well (although we never get to see her look anything but miserable), but she looks decidedly uncomfortable with being naked, and her lovemaking scenes are unconvincing and poorly done. True, her character does have some intimacy issues, but no tolerance to this is ever seen on screen, in fact every male character in the film pushes Simona around like a sack of potatoes, even her so-called boyfriend. This failing is down to the screenplay which makes no attempts to flesh out the characters beyond simple speaking and doing. They just don't have personalities. Simona even gets sexually assaulted at one point by an ultra-sleazy colleague, but this is played out purely for screen thrills (Simona retaliates by stabbing him wildly with a fork), and no mention of the incident is ever made again, or how it actually affects Simona. By the end if the story, I had lost interest in everybody.

To conclude, this is a gory thriller which has trouble engaging on any level other than looking at the screen to see gruesome stuff happening or people getting naked (whether alive or as corpses!). There's just not enough attention payed to character or story development. It's not even particularly nicely filmed. There are plenty of far more effective giallos than this out there, so I would'nt bother spending an hour and a half watching this Autopsy.

"Brains Leave Me Cold!"...

[azathothpwiggins · 17 October 2019]

AUTOPSY begins with several gruesome suicides. The scene switches to Dr. Simone Sana (Mimsy Farmer), who has been performing autopsies all day. She hallucinates that the corpses are moving about in... suggestive ways. Simone has been having difficulties lately. When women who are around her start dropping dead, Simone wonders if she's losing her mind. Or, is someone trying to drive her crazy?

Going out of its way to be disturbing, this movie juxtaposes sex and grisly death. The story is mostly nonsensical and disjointed. Try counting all of the non sequitur moments! Pay special attention to the use of wigs in this movie, and watch for the solar flares. Of course, as pure exploitation it's sublime! Just switch your brain into hibernation mode and enjoy.

Co-stars Ray Lovelock...

strange mix of giallo with hints of supernatural

[dopefishie · 7/10 · 15 January 2021]

Hints of the supernatural turn out to be a tease which was disappointing. there was no explanation for the recurring sunspot theme. Maybe there is no point. It reminded me of Camus' "The Stranger" with the sun affecting his characters. The idea of free will is absurd.

I liked the juxtaposition between sex and death. There were some genuinely suspenseful moments. Soundtrack was appropriately tense. Worth a watch.

That 70's mindset

[JoeyBro · 1/10 · 22 April 2000]

Armando Crispino's "Autopsy" begins deliciously enough with a two minute montage of solar flares and grisly suicides over the orgasmic moaning of a woman. We then find ourselves in the city morgue where we're introduced to the protagonist - a young, beautiful (is there any other kind?), and bra-less forensic pathologist (Mimsy Farmer) - who begins hallucinating that the mutilated bodies of the suicides are rising from their slabs. Regrettably, the remaining eighty-eight minutes illustrate that Crispino didn't have a clue what to do next. The stylish and intriguing opening is a bait-and-switch to lure us into a substandard drama about family blackmail, treachery, murder, and the 70's mindset that all a troubled woman really needs to feel better is to be roughed up and screwed. Farmer, who spends most of the film in shirts opened to her naval , is a sexually repressed woman who teams up with a priest with a past (again, is there any other kind?), to investigate the apparent suicide of his sister, and together they uncover a scheme about... well, I'm not really sure. There is lots of gratuitous nudity, bad dubbing, and lousy foley. Don't bother.

strange with a capital S

[movieman_kev · 7/10 · 30 October 2005]

Starting with multiple suicides, this weird ass little giallo film then introduces us to Simona, a young med student who suffers from grisly hallucinations of the dead walking around and screwing each other. She reluctantly teams up with a priest who is also the brother of one of the girls who died to figure out who killed the people that were first thought to be suicides brought on by sunspots of all things. That brief synopsis doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of how out there and a tad confusing this film is. And while not a particularly good film, it is a whole lot of fun.

My Grade: B-

DVD Extras: Theatrical & the spoiler laden International trailers

The Suicide

[Insane_Man · 1/10 · 12 August 2021]

One by one suicide turns into murders. But the question is, who is the murderer?

Typical slasher movie, nothing new. The story has no relation with the name, Autopsy.

Waste of time.

Beautiful city indeed.

A thoroughly unique movie

[rundbauchdodo · 8/10 · 20 March 2000]

Finally this rare giallo hit the stores on DVD in March 2000 thanks to Anchor Bay - it was about time that this almost forgotten giallo masterpiece was released in its uncut version (the former US-version on tape was trimmed for almost 15 minutes of story!). I searched for it unsuccessfully for about five years; I had great expectations, and - oh, boy! - they were NOT disappointed at all! Already the first twenty minutes deliver more than many other thrillers during their entire running time. The plot is very twisted, and there are so many red herrings that literally every character becomes a suspect during this film. There are fine performances of Mimsy Farmer, Barry Primus and especially Ray Lovelock of 'The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue'-fame. This really is a brilliant movie and a real MUST SEE for the fan of stylish European cinema. Not to be missed!

For fans of Mimsy Farmer's tits and Ray Lovelock's naked ass..

[Aylmer · 7/10 · 10 May 2000]

...and few others

Very little happens in this rather dull 100 minute long horror piece from director Armando Crispino, who also directed COMMANDOS with Lee Van Cleef and THE DEAD ARE ALIVE with Samantha Eggar. After a cool beginning montage of people killing themselves in various entertaining ways, Crispino then treats us to the usual pointless plot of some psychopath killing people off one-by-one. None of this is overly stylish or gory perchance, and the plot never really tries to make much sense either. Several nude scenes though, and some grotesque imagery of birth defects help it out.

Well edited by Daniele Alabiso, the film was at least a little influential on latter Italian shock cinema. Umberto Lenzi's NIGHTMARE CITY (also edited by Alabiso) had a very similar "dummy tumbling down building" finale, and the smiling walking corpses later became an institution in Cinecitta.

Ennio Morricone's score though, is not notable at all. Joseph Brenner's 1980 release of the film actually contained a lot more Morricone musical cues which help the film flow a lot better. Not that I prefer how Brenner meddled with his films, but this film is sooo ruthlessly boring that I can see why he would want to cut it up a little.

Incidentally, Anchor Bay's restored footage is little more than useless dialog about solar flares and such, hardly worth buying a special DVD for.

I don't recommend this movie to anyone unless they are REALLY into slow-paced late 60's/early 70's Euro-horror in much the same style of Mario Bava's BARON BLOOD and LISA AND THE DEVIL (of which I am not really the biggest fan). Just a long 100 minute space of dead air.

What the **ll was that?!

[dracforever · 3/10 · 13 December 2022]

I have no idea what this movie is about other than every man the pathologist meets goes into sexual overdrive, while while she hallucinates and suffers from paranoia. Nothing is provided any sort of basis or explanation until the end but made little sense given the rest of the movie... was everyone in the 1970s that high all the time ... ? This has been one of the weirdest movies I've ever seen. I've seen many giallos before but this was by far the worst. Viewing this cemented the opinion in my mind that I just don't care for a giallo no matter who is responsible for it's creation. If you're not a giallo fan I say don't bother with this one it's nowhere near enjoyable.