The Human Centipede (First Sequence)
Year: 2009
Director: Tom Six
Starring: Akihiro Kitamura, Dieter Laser, Ashley C. Williams & Ashlynn Yennie
Runtime: 92 mins
BBFC: 18
Published: 12/08/21
Director: Tom Six
Starring: Akihiro Kitamura, Dieter Laser, Ashley C. Williams & Ashlynn Yennie
Runtime: 92 mins
BBFC: 18
Published: 12/08/21
I remember the hype, or should I say exclamations of disgust at The Human Centipede around the time of its release in 2009. At the time I was a teenager just starting to get into horror films thanks to the Saw franchise and was quite happily exploring the ‘torture porn’ genre, as well as beginning to dip my toes into the European ‘Extreme Cinema’ market. So, the concept of The Human Centipede, and how disgusting it supposedly was, certainly interested me. So, I sought out a bootleg copy online (because how else was I going to get my hands on it at thirteen) and prepared myself for what I was sure was going to be the most horrifying experience of my life. I regret to say I was a tad disappointed.
Lindsay (Ashley C. Williams) and Jenny (Ashlynn Yennie) get stuck in the woods one night after their car breaks down. After deciding to venture out to find help they come across the home of Dr. Josef Heiter (Dieter Laser), who promptly drugs them and ties them to hospital beds in his basement. With a Japanese man (Akihiro Kitamura) to complete the set, Heiter plans to perform surgery on his three victims, joining one person’s mouth to another’s anus, to create the first human centipede.
Lindsay (Ashley C. Williams) and Jenny (Ashlynn Yennie) get stuck in the woods one night after their car breaks down. After deciding to venture out to find help they come across the home of Dr. Josef Heiter (Dieter Laser), who promptly drugs them and ties them to hospital beds in his basement. With a Japanese man (Akihiro Kitamura) to complete the set, Heiter plans to perform surgery on his three victims, joining one person’s mouth to another’s anus, to create the first human centipede.
The Human Centipede (First Sequence) has nothing of substance to offer, not that you would go in looking for any. Much like the freakshows of yesteryear, the entire appeal of The Human Centipede is the macabre and seeing just how much director Tom Six could actually show on screen.
Six is a master of subterfuge. In the lead up to the film’s release he made the film out to be the most horrific thing anyone had ever seen, only for the film to be released almost universally without any alterations. Whilst what is shown is definitely not family friendly, you’ve likely seen considerably more graphic content on hospital dramas, and definitely in horror films.
This acts massively to the films detriment as if you’re not getting the vilest thing that you’ve ever seen, then what else is there? The story is threadbare and acts only as set dressing, the acting is laughably bad, and it’s not even particularly well shot and edited. It’s got all the finesse of a low budget porn film with no money shot, a total waste of time with no redeemable merits.
There’s no question that The Human Centipede (First Sequence) is a bad film, but the hype the film is given is blown massively out of proportion. I’d go so far as saying I could comfortably watch it whilst I eat my dinner. I’m sure that it’ll push some people too far out of their comfort zone, particularly those who just aren’t good with horror films in general. But if you’ve got a desperate need to watch The Human Centipede then the best analogy I can give is if someone told you that you were going to see the world’s largest spider, but it was actually just a big dog with some hairy legs attached to it. I wouldn’t bother wasting your time with it, but it can provide you with a pathetic laugh every now and again.
Six is a master of subterfuge. In the lead up to the film’s release he made the film out to be the most horrific thing anyone had ever seen, only for the film to be released almost universally without any alterations. Whilst what is shown is definitely not family friendly, you’ve likely seen considerably more graphic content on hospital dramas, and definitely in horror films.
This acts massively to the films detriment as if you’re not getting the vilest thing that you’ve ever seen, then what else is there? The story is threadbare and acts only as set dressing, the acting is laughably bad, and it’s not even particularly well shot and edited. It’s got all the finesse of a low budget porn film with no money shot, a total waste of time with no redeemable merits.
There’s no question that The Human Centipede (First Sequence) is a bad film, but the hype the film is given is blown massively out of proportion. I’d go so far as saying I could comfortably watch it whilst I eat my dinner. I’m sure that it’ll push some people too far out of their comfort zone, particularly those who just aren’t good with horror films in general. But if you’ve got a desperate need to watch The Human Centipede then the best analogy I can give is if someone told you that you were going to see the world’s largest spider, but it was actually just a big dog with some hairy legs attached to it. I wouldn’t bother wasting your time with it, but it can provide you with a pathetic laugh every now and again.