Henrick Vartanian
The Human Centipede: First Sequence (film review) – By Jake Carr
If the Hostel films made you fear vacationing in foreign country, you may want to stop reading now as The Human Centipede: First Sequence* is yet another post 9/11 gross-out horror extravaganza that looks to keep you from ever using your passport again. Lindsay (Ashley C. Williams) and Jenny (Ashlynn Yennie) are our two American protagonists looking for a late night party in the back woods of Germany when—GASP!—their car gets a flat tire. Fearing that no one will find them, and of course without cell phone reception, they are forced to seek refuge in the secluded house of Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser), a skeletal-looking man that no sane person would ever think of spending more than 5 seconds in the same room with. Naturally it doesn’t take long before the girls are drugged and kidnapped into the clutches of the mad scientist. While the set-up is rather disposable and predicated by our heroines consistently making the most moronic decisions possible, it’s what happens from here that sets The Human Centipede apart. Whether or not you’ll want to go along for the ride is simply a matter of how iron-clad your stomach is. You see, Dr. Heiter isn’t interested in simply torturing his posse of kidnapped tourists. His plans are infinitely more monstrous. Without spoiling anything that isn’t in the trailer (and if you’re on the fence about this one, I strongly encourage watching the trailer as it perfectly sets you up for the derangement ahead) his goal is to make a Siamese triplet by linking the gastric systems of his victims. To accomplish this, they are surgically connected, for lack of a better phrase, “ass to mouth”. So when the person at the head of the line eats and needs to relieve themselves, the waste travels all the way through and….yeah, you get the point. That’s right folks—kinky, perverse roads are ahead. The rest of the movie centers on the “centipede” trying to escape while Heiter plays with his newly engineered human toy.
By now, it should be abundantly clear whether or not The Human Centipede is a film for you. Writer/director Tom Six has created a rather dastardly piece of exploitation cinema that resembles the early works of David Cronenberg, if not devoid of any sociopolitical commentary. While at times graphic, most of the medical nightmares that take place in the movie are suggested rather than shown which, depending on the viewer, will either weaken the horrific potential of the film (personally, I think such an already over-the-top set up deserves to be pushed further than where Six eventually takes us) or make it even more gruesome if one’s mind tends to run amok during horror movies. It is also important to note that there is a strong throughline of very dark, campy humor in this film, keeping things from ever being taken too seriously. The acting by our female Americans is more than serviceable considering that their characters are rather unlikable for the first half and then rendered speechless once the operation takes place, but it is Dieter Laser as Dr. Heiter who positively steals the movie. He creates a villain who is so matter of fact and devoid of humanity that I couldn’t help but remain consistently engage by his maniacal performance. His scenery-chewing reaction to the unveiling of the creature is worth the price of admission alone. And while the script definitely has its weak spots (the movie runs out of steam a bit once we see where it’s going), the sheer audacity of the concept is enough to pull it through. A brilliantly staged slow-speed chase scene during the climax and a pretty damn frightening final image don’t hurt either.
The Human Centipede: First Sequence was made for the hardcore horror set. If you’re a fan of bizarre and groteseque European horror flicks (this one is from the Netherlands) you will almost assuredly have a hay day laughing at and with the absurdities of this movie, especially if you can catch it at a midnight showing during its current theatrical run. If not, this may leave a bad taste in your mouth (pun definitely intended).
If you’re aware of what you’re getting yourself into and aren’t turned off yet: SEE IT!!
*This movie being called the “First Sequence” does indeed indicate that a sequel is in the works, this time with a 12 person centipede. Tom Six has gone on record saying that it will make this one look like My Little Pony. Bring it on.
more info: http://www.ifcfilms.com/films/human-centipede