'The Human Centipede (First Sequence)' (2009)
By Adam Beck • MovieMassacre.com
Directed by: Tom Six
Written by: Tom Six
Released by: IFC Films
‘The Human Centipede (First Sequence)’ is a title I’ve been hearing about quite a bit over the last several weeks. “Have you seen The Human Centipede yet?!” – No “AHHHHH MAN, YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!!!”. Honestly the title of the film isn’t particularly the best, as it leads you to believe it’s some crappy SyFy Channel original movie about a gigantic centipede. If it wasn’t for the internet buzz and certain friends of mine talking about how disturbing it is, I’m sure I would have skipped ‘Centipede’ all together. Luckily that didn’t happen and what I ended up seeing truly shocked the hell out of me.
Without giving too much away, the film is about two American girls vacationing in Germany, who become stranded in the middle of nowhere with a flat tire. They decide to venture off into the woods looking for help, where they eventually stumble upon a secluded house owned by a world renown surgeon, Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser), who specializes in the separation of Siamese twins…and let’s just say the guy isn’t exactly right in the head.
This is certainly one of those movies where the less you know about the film going into it, the better…so it kind of makes it difficult for me to discuss the plot without throwing out major spoilers that would ultimately lessen the experience when watching it. I guess the best way I could describe it is if David Cronenberg were hired to write and direct a movie with the Producers of ‘Saw’, it would end up like something you’d see here. The film is extremely mean spirited and the subject matter is downright repugnant, but at the same time the script is full of dark humor in which you can’t help but to laugh at the scenario in which these characters are put in. The film is also full of typical horror movie clichés that somehow feel completely original due to the predicament in which they’re faced within the story as well.
In a film like this, Dieter Laser’s performance as the crazy German doctor could easily make or break the movie. Fortunately the guy does an amazing job though and is truly terrifying to watch on screen. The German born actor has a face perfect for the horror genre and is capable of sending chills down your spine without uttering a single word, which is quite impressive. All of the other supporting cast members do a fantastic job as well, including the two female victims played by Ashley C. Williams and Ashlynn Yennie. There isn't a whole lot of character development or back story at all in the movie, but they do a good enough job through their acting to get you invested and caring about who they are.
In terms of gore, there really isn't a whole lot presented here. A couple of gun shot wounds, a throat slit and a some other gags here and there. Having an excessive amount of blood really isn't needed though as the film is more of a psychological mind-fuck than it is a brutal, in-your-face, slash-a-thon. They only show what is necessary and let the plot of the film do its magic in grossing you out.
‘The Human Centipede’ was written and directed by Tom Six of the Netherlands, a relatively unknown filmmaker here in the U.S. with only a handful of movies under his belt. From what I can tell the guy seems to gather a large amount of widespread hate across the internet as a controversial filmmaker who likes to push the boundaries of political correctness, public decency and overall moral values. In interviews he’s named films like ‘Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom’ as among his favorites, so that should tell you something right there. I’m not at all familiar with Tom Six or his other films, but after watching ‘The Human Centipede’ it’s not hard to see why a vast majority of people would be disgusted with him and this film...nonetheless, as a horror fan, he's definitely one up-and-coming filmmaker whom you'll want to keep an eye on in the future.
Overall this film is an absolute must see...Check it out, either with Video On Demand or when it hits DVD later this year.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Written by: Tom Six
Released by: IFC Films
‘The Human Centipede (First Sequence)’ is a title I’ve been hearing about quite a bit over the last several weeks. “Have you seen The Human Centipede yet?!” – No “AHHHHH MAN, YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!!!”. Honestly the title of the film isn’t particularly the best, as it leads you to believe it’s some crappy SyFy Channel original movie about a gigantic centipede. If it wasn’t for the internet buzz and certain friends of mine talking about how disturbing it is, I’m sure I would have skipped ‘Centipede’ all together. Luckily that didn’t happen and what I ended up seeing truly shocked the hell out of me.
Without giving too much away, the film is about two American girls vacationing in Germany, who become stranded in the middle of nowhere with a flat tire. They decide to venture off into the woods looking for help, where they eventually stumble upon a secluded house owned by a world renown surgeon, Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser), who specializes in the separation of Siamese twins…and let’s just say the guy isn’t exactly right in the head.
This is certainly one of those movies where the less you know about the film going into it, the better…so it kind of makes it difficult for me to discuss the plot without throwing out major spoilers that would ultimately lessen the experience when watching it. I guess the best way I could describe it is if David Cronenberg were hired to write and direct a movie with the Producers of ‘Saw’, it would end up like something you’d see here. The film is extremely mean spirited and the subject matter is downright repugnant, but at the same time the script is full of dark humor in which you can’t help but to laugh at the scenario in which these characters are put in. The film is also full of typical horror movie clichés that somehow feel completely original due to the predicament in which they’re faced within the story as well.
In a film like this, Dieter Laser’s performance as the crazy German doctor could easily make or break the movie. Fortunately the guy does an amazing job though and is truly terrifying to watch on screen. The German born actor has a face perfect for the horror genre and is capable of sending chills down your spine without uttering a single word, which is quite impressive. All of the other supporting cast members do a fantastic job as well, including the two female victims played by Ashley C. Williams and Ashlynn Yennie. There isn't a whole lot of character development or back story at all in the movie, but they do a good enough job through their acting to get you invested and caring about who they are.
In terms of gore, there really isn't a whole lot presented here. A couple of gun shot wounds, a throat slit and a some other gags here and there. Having an excessive amount of blood really isn't needed though as the film is more of a psychological mind-fuck than it is a brutal, in-your-face, slash-a-thon. They only show what is necessary and let the plot of the film do its magic in grossing you out.
‘The Human Centipede’ was written and directed by Tom Six of the Netherlands, a relatively unknown filmmaker here in the U.S. with only a handful of movies under his belt. From what I can tell the guy seems to gather a large amount of widespread hate across the internet as a controversial filmmaker who likes to push the boundaries of political correctness, public decency and overall moral values. In interviews he’s named films like ‘Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom’ as among his favorites, so that should tell you something right there. I’m not at all familiar with Tom Six or his other films, but after watching ‘The Human Centipede’ it’s not hard to see why a vast majority of people would be disgusted with him and this film...nonetheless, as a horror fan, he's definitely one up-and-coming filmmaker whom you'll want to keep an eye on in the future.
Overall this film is an absolute must see...Check it out, either with Video On Demand or when it hits DVD later this year.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Warning: The following trailer includes some pretty heavy spoilers in my opinion. Give it a watch if you're still unsure about the film. I highly recommend avoiding it though.
