There can't be many people left who've not heard about this film. The notorious trailer has been doing the viral route for ages and even those well outside the horror community are talking about a movie seen as so horrible they felt the need to hand out sick bags at the press screening, along with an instruction sheet on how to construct your own human centipede. And I can confirm - showing those instructions to your partner and saying "let's try this tonight" is not the best idea if you value your goolies.
If you've been living under a rock for the last year or so, all you need to know is The Human Centipede features one of the most revolting core ideas for a film in a long time. A mad doctor is kidnapping people and surgically joining them together, arse to mouth, so they essentially become one creature. The digestive system is passed from one to the next, so as one lets go with their plops, the next has a tasty lunch of strangely browns. Really, the only thing missing from this is the doctor feeding the first in line an ever hotter series of vindaloos. Sounds like a recipe for non-stop ick, grue and disgusting surgical footage.
Surprisingly, The Human Centipede is actually quite restrained in what it shows. Despite a few horrible moments under the surgeon's knife and some really disgusting looking puss infected wounds, the film is actually quite tame on the gore front. Another major surprise was how slow paced and deliberate the movie is. Very little actually happens; Two girls get lost in the woods and end up at the surgeon's house - with hilarious consequences. That's basically it. Much of the movie focuses on the preparation for the nasty operation and then the surgeon observing and training his new creation. This isn't to say the film is boring - in fact, it's constantly interesting in a morbid car-crash, can't take your eyes away, kind of way. It's just not the post-pub romp many will be expecting.
In fact, the film is far from the low-budget sleazeathon that the synopsis would have you believe. For a start, the cinematography is excellent. Take the opening sequence, for example, where what should have been a boring shot of a motorway lay-by focuses on the crisp details of the nature contrasting with the man-made monstrosity swathing through the countryside. The slow pacing allows director Tom Six to wallow in the sheer disgust and inescapable horror the protagonists are placed in. There's almost a fetishistic delight taken by the director as the semi-naked victims are paraded around the house, observed by the insane Dr. Heiter as he awaits the first bowel movement.
Despite a lack of detailed characterisation for the victims, it's not hard to feel sympathy for them. Sure, they made some absolutely idiotic choices, especially going into a secluded house whose door is opened by the world's most sinister man, but the situation they find themselves in is so relentlessly horrible you wouldn't wish it on anyone. Well... maybe just a couple of people.
Dieter Laser (what a fantastic name) turns in a very interesting performance as the warped Dr. Heiter. With a physical presence reminiscent of the great Angus Scrimm, he frequently exudes deranged menace, relishing tormenting his victims with lengthy descriptions of exactly what procedures he's going to subject them to. The truly scary thing about the character is the sheer insanity of what he's doing. It's not for the advancement of medical science, but purely for the sake of the achievement. Having spent so long separating co-joined twins, he's now decided to see if he can do the opposite. However, there is a problem. As effective as his performance often is there are moments, especially when he's required to deliver more than a few lines of dialogue at once, where he slips into an almost camp delivery that unfortunately brings to mind Tommy Wiseau's astonishing acting in The Room.
Shockingly, this is a much better film than it has any right to be. Although those expecting a beer and pizza gross out splatterfest will be sadly disappointed, those who can stomach a slow paced observational horror will find much to dine on here. I've seen some nasty stuff in my time - I worked for a medical company sending out endless footage of hardcore invasive spinal surgery to hospitals for a while - and this movie, with its lack of explicit gore, was far more nauseating. This is Centipede's strongest point - it's such a horrible core idea that you don't need to see close-ups of bums pooing into the mouths attached to them to turn stomachs. If fact, when gore is used it's much more effective due to the sheer protracted nature of what the characters are being subjected to. Seeing them painfully attempt to work their way free from the procedures performed on them is wincingly painful. Add to this an exceptionally cruel ending and potential fate for anyone who survived and you have a film that lingers unexpectedly in your mind.
Quite simply, as a horror fan, you have to see this film. After all the hype and all the word of mouth it'd be a must see even if it was pants. Luckily, it's not. It's far more interesting and intelligent than the core idea suggests, and how they'll produce a sequel after what happens at the end... well, I can't wait. Without a doubt, one of the most revolting films I've ever seen in a mainstream situation.
And for those of you who wish to display your sickness to all the world, the wonderful Lipstattoo Designs have released some awesome Human Centipede jewellery based on Dr. Heiter's designs.
Review by Paul Bird
| Directed by Tom Six |