Screenplay Structure Analysis

The Autopsy of Jane Doe

Written by Ian Goldberg & Richard Naing · Supernatural Horror/Thriller · 98 pages · 58 scenes · 3-act natural structure · linear organization · Analysis confidence: Low

A father-son coroner team performs an overnight autopsy on an unidentified woman found buried in a basement, only to discover increasingly inexplicable and terrifying evidence that suggests she may not be entirely dead.

Tone
Claustrophobic, methodical, escalating dread with procedural precision giving way to visceral terror

Tension curve

Dramatic intensity across The Autopsy of Jane Doe from first page to last, sampled at 40 points on a 0–10 scale. Values: 4.4, 3.9, 3.4, 2.9, 3.1, 3.5, 4.5, 5.5, 5.9, 5.7, 5.4, 5.6, 5.9, 5.9, 6, 6.3, 6.5, 6.7, 6.5, 7.1, 7.7, 8.6, 8.8, 8.5, 8.3, 8.6, 9.3, 8.9, 7.8, 6.3, 6.6, 7.5, 8.7, 8, 7.3, 6.5, 6.6, 6, 5.8, 5.5.

Structure at a glance

Inciting incident
Page 18, 18% of the script: Austin and Emma head toward the elevator when Sheriff Burke bursts out pushing a gurney with a body bag, urgently asking for Tommy and requesting the autopsy be done tonight.
Act 1 break
Page 21, 21% of the script: Jane Doe's body arrives at the morgue and the autopsy officially begins, locking Tommy and Austin into the night that will trap them.
Midpoint
Page 41, 42% of the script: Austin enters the empty autopsy room where a fly lands on Jane Doe's eye, a morgue drawer slowly opens on its own, and when Austin approaches it Tommy enters asking what he's doing, then they discover all of Jane Doe's removed tissue samples are rapidly decaying while her body remains pristine, and Tommy finds a jimsonweed flower inside her stomach along with the cloth.
Act 2 break
Page 80, 82% of the script: All morgue drawers open simultaneously and the power fails completely, forcing Tommy and Austin to abandon the autopsy and attempt escape.
Climax
Page 91, 93% of the script: Austin climbs the stairs toward Sheriff Burke's voice as Burke explains a fallen tree is being removed from the storm doors, but when Austin reaches the top and pushes against the doors they won't fully open despite Burke saying they should.
Peak tension
9.3 out of 10, reached about 67% of the way through; the script averages 6.4.
Average scene length
2.0 pages

Structural personality

This script operates as a pressure-cooker descent, structured around the methodical stages of an autopsy that doubles as a supernatural investigation. Act One establishes the mundane world of the Tilden morgue and introduces the father-son dynamic before Jane Doe arrives at scene 21, transforming the story into a locked-room nightmare. The script's brilliance lies in its use of forensic procedure as both narrative engine and escalation device—each discovery (cloth in stomach, blackened organs, Biblical verse) peels back another layer of impossibility. Act Two (scenes 21-51) is the longest stretch, sustaining tension through incremental revelations and environmental disturbances (the bell, the radio, the cat) before the catastrophic midpoint around scene 35 when internal injuries are discovered on an externally pristine body. The power failure at scene 51 marks the collapse of rational space and the shift from investigation to survival. Act Three is a compressed, violent sprint as Austin pieces together the witch's curse logic while Tommy sacrifices himself, culminating in the devastating irony that Jane Doe simply transfers to her next victims.

Pacing

The script's pacing is deceptively patient in Act One (scenes 1-21), using the routine autopsy of a burned body to establish procedural credibility before Jane Doe's arrival. Act Two accelerates through discovery beats, each autopsy finding triggering a supernatural response—the pacing tightens like a noose. Scene 35's revelation of internal trauma despite external perfection serves as the true point of no return. The elevator scenes (43-49) create a false respite that makes the final assault (scenes 51-56) feel even more relentless. The script's boldest pacing choice is the extended father-son dialogue in scene 44 and the elevator conversation in scenes 44 and 47, which slow down to deepen emotional stakes just as supernatural logic is being assembled. The final act (scenes 51-58) is breathless, with scene 56's autopsy room siege and Tommy's sacrifice providing the emotional climax before the chilling denouement reveals the curse's perpetual nature.

Themes

Similar shapes

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Scene summaries and structural markers are generated by AI analysis of the screenplay text and may contain minor inaccuracies. ScriptGraph analyzes structure and does not reproduce screenplay text.

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