JohnDoe
Bryn
Brenton
The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009) – Trailer Included
Journey Beneath Good Taste and Crawl Towards Appreciation.
The Human Centipede - Poster
Writer/Director: Tom Six
Starring: Dieter Laser, Ashley C Williams, Ashlynn Yennie, Akihiro Kitamura, Peter Blankenstein, Andreas Leupold
The Human Centipede - Poster
The Human Centipede is a strange animal. It’s an unusual beast that challenges the very notions of creation both cinematic and anatomical. John Doe is talking as much about the film The Human Centipede here and the centerpiece that it’s built around. Revolting, repulsive and repugnant on the surface, but there may also be more to it than just mere shock tactics.
Director Tom Six actually came up with his premise at a dinner party where he joked that a great punishment for pedophiles would be to attach their mouths to the assholes of fat, smelly truck drivers. Aware that he was dealing with a tough sell he actually withheld information about the bigger picture when seeking funding for his ridiculous and disturbing future project.
Shot for 1.5 million dollars and guaranteed to make its money back with an impossible to ignore marketing campaign. The concept triggers a twisted curiosity that not everyone will follow through on watching, but certainly will talk about.
The Doctor takes a rest from slow death.
Inept, unable to change a flat tyre they begin walking in search of help on a dark and stormy night. Ignoring or incapable of common sense the girls wander into the nearby woods instead of following the road and there they stumble upon a luxurious house with a Mercedes parked in the driveway.
Knocking on the door in desperation, they are greeted by the maniacal looking mad scientist Dr Heiter (Dieter Laser) who has made his fortune separating Siamese twins. Before long the good Doctor drugs the little missy’s and moves them onto the operating table of his basement laboratory.
After failing to escape his clutches the twisted physician shares his evil purpose with them that transcends rape or physical torture. They are to become a part of a trio of components that will make up his latest devilish experiment known as The Human Centipede.
“God. Are you God? I'm just a puny insect. I cast out my parents, left my child, dismissed their love and led a selfish life. Just like an insect. No, my existence is even lower than insects, but... but dear God... that's how I've lived, and this is my punishment. I want to believe that I'm still a human being... Hey girls! Hey mister! What an insane world we live in.” - Katsuro
Dr Deiter uses illustrations to explain the horrors
“Oh No. I’m going to shit. Please forgive me.” - Katsuro
the shattered nightmare of the centipede
John Doe Says:
In Dr Heiter's eyes this is the profile of a magnificent creature.
Though this Dutch Horror filmed in the Netherlands can be seen from this perspective and certainly has flaws the Director Tom Six refuses to let the viewer off the hook with simple exploitation of an idea. Instead he opts for psychological terror that erodes the viewers defenses to the point they have to enter the mind set of those caught in its torturous circumstances. The low budget, minimalist techniques used defy feeding the easy to ignore gore hound style that a lesser filmmaker would employ.
Citing David Cronenberg and Japanese Horror as inspiration, there is a shackled tone of restraint and fleshy black fecal comedy that oozes a euro morality, taking a sensationalized idea and whittling it down to a level of human frailty. This makes for genuinely suspenseful moments though the film could not be described as scary in the traditional sense. The humour comes from an uncomfortable place but is genuine and Six’s restraint when it comes to blood and guts makes the imagination create far more explicit detail than could ever have been realized onscreen. This is the intelligence of his approach and it forces you to sympathize with the victims while placing images in your subconscious that are never going to leave once visualized in the mind’s eye.
Dr Heister sports the euro mad scientist look.
In the spotlight part of Dr Heiter, Dieter Laser relishes the always-going-to-be-memorable role and plays over the top evil with gleeful abandon. His eerie cosmetic appearance is definitely an asset to the production and he offers some relief by letting you know that it’s okay to laugh at the outlandishness of proceedings.
Ashley C Williams puts her mouth and body into the work
As the one who draws the longest straw in the pack Akihiro Kitamura’s Katsuro represents the traditional Japanese personality of an honorable warrior mentality melded with self damnation. He succeeds in drawing our respect and his subtitled feisty outbursts speak of our own inner rage that cannot be vocalized by the other less able members of the dozen legged sufferers of atrocity.
Playing an inept pair of cops who offer a glimmer of hope for those in heinous servitude Peter Blankenstein and Andreas Leupold arrive to fill the exaggerated tension that their parts were designed for.
Guaranteed to be one of the few foreign horror hits that will never be remade by Hollywood, again JD has to confess his own emotional deficiencies as he began relishing the idea of Will Smith, Sandra Bullock and Julia Roberts placed in these horrible circumstances
Personal maladies aside Johnny would never claim to enjoy this grueling film, but it did challenge which was the reason for pressing play in the first place. The Human Centipede may not be a good movie but it is better than it should be despite a viable argument that it tempts an unfulfilled socio political commentary and could have been better delivered as a short instead of feature due to repetition. Squirming giggles came steadily for Mr Doe and the implied gruesomeness stimulated respect for the artistic choices and for the sheer audacious originality on display. It seems redundant to say this is not for everyone, maybe it really should be for no one, but there is no need to feel shame if you are one of those that rise to face its gauntlet dare.
Gluttons for punishment will be interested to know that as Tom Six strove for “100% medical accuracy” with this “first sequence”, going as far to recruit a legitimate Dutch surgeon as adviser. The sequel labeled “full sequence” will aim for “100% medical inaccuracy” allowing for the possibly more exploitative approach that many expected.
Play the Human Centipede game by clicking the link below
Can’t resist, click here to play the bizarre Human Centipede game online
The trailer for The Human Centipede
Q&A with the cast and writer/Director of The Human Centipede
A red carpet interview with Tom Six, Writer/Director of The Human Centipede
Abstract Magick
Cinema Herald
I tuned out right up until the point where these two girls decided to search for help in the woods! And after that I just jumped forward a few times. It seems the operation happened too early in the film and left the rest of the movie hanging with no where to go until the final showdown. It also seems as if the film didn't really have much to say.
Oh well.
Cheers,
Deni
Screen Adventure
your funny
Abstract Magick
Cinema Herald
I was going to comment on that bit myself, Shaun. Will Smith and Julia Roberts definitely.
Screen Fanatic
Horrorphile
I find it curious that David finds this movie "irredeemable garbage", yet will "defend" The Expendables. I haven't seen that, but I can't see how that movie is superior to what The Human Centipede sets out to achieve. To me Stallone's movie is irredeemable garbage. But each to their own. Sounds like The Human Centipede might be to David what The Fifth Element is to me: pure cinematic torture.
Screen Adventure
I find it curious that David finds this movie "irredeemable garbage", yet will "defend" The Expendables. I haven't seen that, but I can't see how that movie is superior to what The Human Centipede sets out to achieve. To me Stallone's movie is irredeemable garbage. But each to their own. Sounds like The Human Centipede might be to David what The Fifth Element is to me: pure cinematic torture.
CAAAAN YOUUUU DIIG IT!!!!!!
I knew thatcha could
Abstract Magick
Cinema Herald
I'm actually curious about this comment:
[QUOTE]I find it curious that David finds this movie "irredeemable garbage", yet will "defend" The Expendables. I haven't seen that, but I can't see how that movie is superior to what The Human Centipede sets out to achieve.[/QUOTE
What does The Human Centipede set out to achieve? Since I'm not really a horrophile, I have no idea. I saw the bits I skipped through the other night and my reaction was "so what?" For me, it did absolutely nothing, except make me run for a stick of chewing gum.
Horrorphile
Deni, exactly what does any horror movie set out to achieve? To horrify and/or terrify, of course. On a primal level, that is exactly what horror movies are designed to do, to enable an audience/viewer to purge their fears and/or repulsions within the safety of cinematic illusion.
The Human Centipede is designed to shock/repulse; to treat an audience to something nightmarish they've never seen before, to push boundaries. Not until recently (with the Euro new wave) have horror movies been as transgressive or exciting as they were in the 70s and 80s, and the director of The Human Centipede was interested in creating a fantastical nightmare scenario, but presenting it as realistically as possible. It's also infused with a very very black sense of humour; a sick joke, if you will.
The movie's viral campaign and hype have meant that people are immediately expecting more from the movie than perhaps it delivers. And this is where it gets interesting, as the movie doesn't deliver the graphic visceral shocks you're expecting, playing more on the psychological trauma involved. Perhaps that's why, Deni, you found yourself saying "So what?" ... Just as audiences who came to Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity in the wake of all the hype came away going, "So what?" ... For me both those movies achieve brilliantly what they were designed to do (providing you watch them knowing very little), which is to frighten, to create a palpable atmosphere of dread.
The Human Centipede creates a palpable atmosphere of dread as well, especially since part of the horror has already been established in the movie's title. Elements of David Cronenberg, David Lynch and Takashi Miike are all present. Not as high brow or experimental as some of those filmmakers' works, but nevertheless, The Human Centipede is a welcome entry in the current climate of modern horror. It's not excellent, but compared to the absolute drivel and dross that gets pumped out onto the DVD shelves (and to a lesser extent the cinema), it's well worth watching.
I retract my statement referring to David's review of The Expendables. I haven't seen the movie, only the trailer, but it looks like derivative, gratuitous and dumb ... in my mind that's pointless trash, but I didn't intend to criticize David's opinion, only to question it as a point of comparison. Probably more so because our tastes are usually very similar.
Screen Fanatic
I don't think I actually defended The Expendables. My review was just taking the piss out of it whilst admitting that beyond its ludicrousness there's a certain level of enjoyment to be had in its mindless violence and nostalgic associations with many of the actors and their past deeds.
Horrorphile
Abstract Magick
Cinema Herald
I understand what horror movies in general set out to achieve. My question was specific to your POV with the The Human Centipede so thanks for your answer there. I didn't realize that you reviewed it already - your link doesn't work BTW.
I have never heard of this movie until I saw the trailer on Jason's blog and even after seeing the trailer, I didn't even bother to research it so I went in to viewing without any expectations, other than JD's review, which is the only reason I watched it.
I think everything about this movie was deliberately done for the sake of shock and disgust and not for the art of creating a good horror flick and that's where something like the Blair Witch Project succeeds and this one fails miserably. Big deal! After the operation it was just stupid mindless "filler" until the third act and after that my eyes glazed over with boredom and stupidity for going through with watching the entire thing in the first place.
The only thing redeeming about the film was the performance by Dieter Laser.
But then TETO (to each their own) and you say potahto and I say potato.
Perhaps Tom Six will do better with the sequel.
Cheers,
Horrorphile
I had forgotten to add the (first sequence) ... My review is here
I disagree with you about everything about the movie was for shock and disgust. On the contrary, if the director had really wanted to shock he'd have shown the operation, and to disgust he wouldn't have had the bandages in place and probably would've lingered more so on the whole defecation process.
Sure the central premise is based around a concept that is repulsive and extreme, but I wasn't bored at all. I found the movie intriguing, wondering where it was going, how on earth it was going to end. I agree the role of the mad doctor is the movie's pillar of strength, but I also liked the visual direction, the mise-en-scene; it was distinctly European, and I'm a huge fan of Euro cinema, both the high art and the deep trash. I genuinely feel this movie married both stylistics well.
Who knows what the sequel (full sequence) will be like. Apparently it's "100% inaccurate" and will deal with a twelve person centipede. But who will the doctor be?
I really like The Blair Witch Project, and was lucky to see it months before the hype swamped everything. But there's a large audience who feel that movie failed miserably, that being in the company of the three leads was interminable, and that the whole movie was boring. So, as you said, it's each to their own.
I didn't mean to patronise you with my comment about what horror sets out to achieve, but I'm the first to champion that horror - or nightmare movies, as my criteria encompasses - can achieve a myriad of reactions and emotions in a viewer, more so than most other genres; from melancholy to revulsion. The Human Centipede achieved a sense of abject horror by depicting the psychological trauma of the victims post-operation.
Film & TV on DVD
The film was always going to polarize audiences.
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Hi Deni,
For me the lack of plotting in the middle of the film is what forced me to have to truly put myself in the shoes of the victims. Unlike other torture porn that is paced for reaction but no interaction this one gave plenty of time to explore the psychology of the situation thoroughly as it unfolded.
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Hi Bryn,
I have seen worse acting naturally, but in this instance it really detracted from the suspense as opposed to say "The Cube" where i was so immersed that it wasn't until repeat screenings that I saw the thespian deficiencies.
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Hi David,
I can totally appreciate your lack of enthusiasm for this, it is a very unique animal
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Hi Shaun,'
Was there ever any doubt about my mental illness