The Autopsy Of Jane Doeis a very different kind of horror film.

And the more layers they peel back, the more troublingJane Does story becomes.

Directed by Norways Andre vredal,The Autopsy Of Jane Doeis a lean, finely-honed exercise in suspense.

If one elements wrong, itll stand out a mile.

God, where was I going with this?

Things to distract the audience.

In this, every beat has to fall perfectly.

Every piece of acting has to be just right.

It becomes the action of the movie.

Its all so well done in the script, it was kind of easy for me to do it.

You shoot what you read, and it should work.

We had to shoot in chronological order to uphold the continuity.

If wed have gone back and forth on the continuity, it wouldve been an absolute nightmare.

One single degeneration of the major set piece in the middle of this film is being pulled apart.

Whereas if we were out of continuity, it wouldve been impossible.

We wouldve only shot half the movie.

What was the most difficult part to pull off, from a visual effects standpoint?

When youre shooting a fire scene, theres always a lot of safety.

So its very time consuming, and you get very few shots in a day.

Its tricky, just for logistical reasons.

But Olwen Kelly was amazing doing shallow breathing, and being still.

In 2017, the audience doesnt allow for many flaws in these kinds of films.

In a 1970s movie, they might have been okay if theyd noticed the body breathing.

But today, you cant do that you have to be perfect.

Just months and months.

Were you excited to move from the found-footage style of Trollhunter to a more formal approach?

Ive shot hundreds of short films and commercials, andTrollhunters the only film like that.

So its more in my wheelhouse to use the camera in a controlled way.

They rarely stop and just talk and when they do, its important.

Theyre always doing something.

It keeps moving and moving.

Theyre uncovering layers of the story.

Its a very intriguing, Sherlock Holmes,Da Vinci Codemystery.

And then to sustain that for a whole movie.

It also taps into an American tradition of gothic stories Edgar Allan Poe, HP Lovecraft.

Was that something that you saw in it?

But has that American gothic thing going on in the set design, doesnt it?

The house, where it takes place, yeah.

Bringing old myths and legends into the 21st century is that something that interests you?

Because there are so many fascinating mythological things that are no longer part of our everyday lives.

We dont really believe in much anymore, as modern people.

How do you react as a human being to something that is incomprehensible?

How do you deal with that as a rational human being?

Do you think that conspiracy theories have replaced myths, in a way?

What do you mean by conspiracy theories?

[Chuckles]

In a way!

Its interesting how you tie those things together conspiracy theories and old myths.

I hadnt really thought much in that direction, but it might be true.

Im not a big conspiracy theorist I just know theyre a good thing to play with in storytelling.

Its a good perspective to have on it.

I think youre struggling to get attention from anybody in the current media world.

This is a very macabre movie, obviously.

So what was the atmosphere like on set?

Oh yeah, we had a ball.

A lot of tension comes from the time crunch that youre always fighting on a low-budget movie.

Youre always fighting the time every hour, every minute counts.

So that creates some tension now and again.

Nobody gets squeamish when youre shooting, you know?

Youre kind of laughing, Oh, look at that.

Or, That looks awful oh God.

You have those conversations, but you dont really react to it.

I heard you had some real coroners on set.

And Emile went to a huge morgue where there were hundreds of bodies.

They were performing five autopsies next to each other on tables.

He said it was one of the most horrific moments of his life!

How they talk, how they behave.

Listening to the radio, chatting about personal stuff over a dead body thats just the way it works.

Its like theyre working on a car, you know?

Also, they have a very dark sense of humour it doesnt feed too much into the movie.

Its there a little bit, but we didnt play with it.

We had coroners on set, making sure everything was correct while we were shooting.

I met some undertakers once, and they had a very dark sense of humour.

I guess it comes from dealing with death.

It seems to be a trend!

The way the film builds up the suspense is great.

I wondered, as a filmmaker, what your philosophy is of suspense.

Whats the secret of suspense, do you think?

Hitchcock knows all about that.

Its the basics of, the audience needs information specific information that you control.

Then you let them wait.

Its that simple, and you could do it again and again.

I think people enjoy anticipation so much.

Anticipation is the great secret to a lot of things, especially in storytelling.

I think, to have to wait for something… it gives you so much energy.

Those are the basics of it, and I love playing with that.

Some of the best techniques for building up suspense are the ones you dont consciously notice.

Like you said, breaking the line slightly.

They know they have to look for stuff!

Its playing with the audiences imagination.

They want to experience things.

And Michael Myers mask… the light just gradually catches it.

I think you use a similar technique in this film.

Youre constantly creating and stretching.

I think the secret, too, to suspenseful build-ups is constantly change camera angles.

Dont go back to the same angle unless you absolutely have to.

Mortal, your next film, sounds really interesting.

Its another film that deals with Norwegian mythology, I understand.

Im shooting it in the summer.

Andre vredal, thank you very much.

The Autopsy Of Jane Doeis out in UK cinemas now.