"The Human Centipede" - A Movie Review by Scott Ruth
May 6, 2010
I can recall my first reaction after a friend mentioned that there was this new movie coming out in 2010 called "The Human Centipede". The first thing that came to mind was a bad SyFy Channel movie about a man sized centipede. So, I decided to do a search online to learn about the film. Boy was I wrong! This is no SyFy Channel special, that much is for sure. When I did my search, there was no full trailer, just stills and a teaser. I couldn't get these images out of my head. I also couldn't wait to see this spectacle!
"The Human Centipede (First Sequence)" starts with two American girls on a road trip across Europe. While in Germany, they end up with a flat tire will driving through a very desolate, heavily wooded area and set out on foot, albeit reluctantly, to seek assistance. They happen upon an isolated villa where they meet Dr. Heiter, who invites them in and agrees to call the car rental company. The next day they awake to find themselves trapped in his terrifying basement hospital along with a Japanese man. Dr. Heiter identifies himself as a retired surgeon specialized in separating Siamese twins. However his three "patients" are not about to be separated, but joined together in a horrific operation. He plans to be the first person to connect people via their gastric system, in doing so bringing to life his sick lifetime fantasy "the human centipede".
Watching this film was one of the most intense movie experiences I've ever had. Writer/Director Tom Six includes a fair amount of dark humor early on in the film, which only serves to trick the viewer into lowering his or her guard so that when the true nhorror strikes, it's more of a punch to the face. An example of this humor is a grave marker in Dr. Heiter's yard that says, in German, "Mein Lieber 3 Hund", or "My Sweet 3 Dog" in English. There is also a scene where the doctor struggles to remove the unconscious Japanese man from the back seat of his car, with slight difficulty.
Wisely, Six does not overly develop the characters of Dr. Heiter's victims. Had he done so, I believe this film would have been extremely difficult to watch, as the viewer would be able to better relate to the victims. It's hard enough to watch in certain scenes as it is.
The tagline to this movie, is "100% Medically Accurate". Now, I suppose that it could be done, but, I can't imagine that it's practical and the "centipede" wouldn't live too long, if you ask me.
German born actor Dieter Laser plays the maniacal Dr. Heiter to perfection. He is, without any doubt in my mind, the greatest mad scientist ever seen on film. Laser has a scary look to himself naturally, and when coupled with his brilliance in portraying the doctor, he becomes this terrifying monster of a man. The American tourists, Lindsay and Jenny, played by Ashley C. Williams and Ashlynn Yennie, and Japanese tourist Katsuro (played by Akihiro Kitamura), are incredibly believable especially once "connected". I found myself genuinely terrified for them, and as I mentioned earlier, I believe had we become any more familiar with them, it may have made this nearly unbearable to watch.
Tom Six is a name to keep your eye on, because if this is any indication of what his future endeavors will be like, he is going to be a huge name in the industry. This movie, although it is an independent movie, is not a cheesy, low budget looking movie. It is very well shot, on high-def video and the acting through out is wonderful. So good, as a matter of fact, that quite often, it does not feel like your watching a movie, but rather it's almost like watching the events actually taking place.
I've seen many places online where this movie has been referred to as torture-porn. Torture-porn is a new "sub genre" title given to films such as Wolf Creek and Hostel, that the detractors use to imply that the movie's sole purpose is to repulse the audience with graphic scenes of torture, and little more. Personally, I hate this term to begin with, but I will say that "The Human Centipede" does not come anywhere close to falling in to that category. It is NOT "torture-porn". It is a work of art. I mean that, and I will stand behind that statement. It's art, and as Rob Zombie once said to Bill Moseley will shooting a rather graphic scene in "The Devil's Rejects", art is not safe.
Would I recommend this movie? Well, I suppose that all depends. If you're not a horror fan, then absolutely not. If this is the case, stay far away from this movie, unless of course, you have an open mind and a strong stomach. If you ARE a fan of horror, and I don't mean just of this safe, "Hollywood" horror, but a true fan of the horror genre, then by all means, hell yes, I recommend it whole heartedly. It's instantly become one of my favorite horror movies, ever.
I don't like using a rating system, but with this film, I'm glad to say that I give "The Human Centipede (First Sequence)" 5 out of 5 stars for it's ingenuity, originality, effectiveness, creepiness and brilliance.
"The Human Centipede (First Sequence)" starts with two American girls on a road trip across Europe. While in Germany, they end up with a flat tire will driving through a very desolate, heavily wooded area and set out on foot, albeit reluctantly, to seek assistance. They happen upon an isolated villa where they meet Dr. Heiter, who invites them in and agrees to call the car rental company. The next day they awake to find themselves trapped in his terrifying basement hospital along with a Japanese man. Dr. Heiter identifies himself as a retired surgeon specialized in separating Siamese twins. However his three "patients" are not about to be separated, but joined together in a horrific operation. He plans to be the first person to connect people via their gastric system, in doing so bringing to life his sick lifetime fantasy "the human centipede".
Watching this film was one of the most intense movie experiences I've ever had. Writer/Director Tom Six includes a fair amount of dark humor early on in the film, which only serves to trick the viewer into lowering his or her guard so that when the true nhorror strikes, it's more of a punch to the face. An example of this humor is a grave marker in Dr. Heiter's yard that says, in German, "Mein Lieber 3 Hund", or "My Sweet 3 Dog" in English. There is also a scene where the doctor struggles to remove the unconscious Japanese man from the back seat of his car, with slight difficulty.
Wisely, Six does not overly develop the characters of Dr. Heiter's victims. Had he done so, I believe this film would have been extremely difficult to watch, as the viewer would be able to better relate to the victims. It's hard enough to watch in certain scenes as it is.
The tagline to this movie, is "100% Medically Accurate". Now, I suppose that it could be done, but, I can't imagine that it's practical and the "centipede" wouldn't live too long, if you ask me.
German born actor Dieter Laser plays the maniacal Dr. Heiter to perfection. He is, without any doubt in my mind, the greatest mad scientist ever seen on film. Laser has a scary look to himself naturally, and when coupled with his brilliance in portraying the doctor, he becomes this terrifying monster of a man. The American tourists, Lindsay and Jenny, played by Ashley C. Williams and Ashlynn Yennie, and Japanese tourist Katsuro (played by Akihiro Kitamura), are incredibly believable especially once "connected". I found myself genuinely terrified for them, and as I mentioned earlier, I believe had we become any more familiar with them, it may have made this nearly unbearable to watch.
Tom Six is a name to keep your eye on, because if this is any indication of what his future endeavors will be like, he is going to be a huge name in the industry. This movie, although it is an independent movie, is not a cheesy, low budget looking movie. It is very well shot, on high-def video and the acting through out is wonderful. So good, as a matter of fact, that quite often, it does not feel like your watching a movie, but rather it's almost like watching the events actually taking place.
I've seen many places online where this movie has been referred to as torture-porn. Torture-porn is a new "sub genre" title given to films such as Wolf Creek and Hostel, that the detractors use to imply that the movie's sole purpose is to repulse the audience with graphic scenes of torture, and little more. Personally, I hate this term to begin with, but I will say that "The Human Centipede" does not come anywhere close to falling in to that category. It is NOT "torture-porn". It is a work of art. I mean that, and I will stand behind that statement. It's art, and as Rob Zombie once said to Bill Moseley will shooting a rather graphic scene in "The Devil's Rejects", art is not safe.
Would I recommend this movie? Well, I suppose that all depends. If you're not a horror fan, then absolutely not. If this is the case, stay far away from this movie, unless of course, you have an open mind and a strong stomach. If you ARE a fan of horror, and I don't mean just of this safe, "Hollywood" horror, but a true fan of the horror genre, then by all means, hell yes, I recommend it whole heartedly. It's instantly become one of my favorite horror movies, ever.
I don't like using a rating system, but with this film, I'm glad to say that I give "The Human Centipede (First Sequence)" 5 out of 5 stars for it's ingenuity, originality, effectiveness, creepiness and brilliance.
Posted by The Film Addicts. Posted In : Horror Movie Review
Scott is 39 , from Pennsylvania and has been a movie fanatic since he was a toddler. Star Wars is pretty much the root of his love for the cinema. His passion is horror and he will gladly (well, maybe not SO gladly) admit that he sometimes tends to be more aggressively opinionated than perhaps he should. But this is, for the most part, due to the fact that he is so very passionate about what he loves, that being movies. Scott is engaged to Lisa Fritz and the pair are planning a Halloween costume wedding. He is working on a sci-fi movie script, as well as a multi-media horror event.
