The Story:
Two equally stupid and attractive young women run into some cliche car troubles on their tour through Germany. With cell phones out of range, they run a random direction through the woods to a property owned by what could be the creepiest doctor/scientist who has ever combined multiple living things in hopes of making one slightly larger still living thing.
The title probably sounds familiar to you since the movie has sparked attention around the world since it was first conceived with thoughts beginning at “What is a human centipede? and ending at “How can it be medically accurate?” This has become a worldwide phenomenon that achieved cult status before it was even seen. The screening in my city took place the weekend after my 26th birthday, so while sipping on a two-six of white whiskey I gathered my friends for the vile thing that has been invading pop culture for the lesser half of a year. We were greeted at the theatre by a lineup of drunk, high and excited movie-goers shouting “ATM”and destroying street signs, but mostly discussing the movie and having harmless fun with their groups. This is the only time I have seen a crowd that large for a midnight movie in this city. Everyone filed into the sickeningly hot theatre like flies to shit hoping for the sickest thing they had ever seen, so did it live up to the hype?
The Characters:
Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser) is possibly the most genuinely scary mad scientist that has ever graced the silver screen. Not much is explained about him other than the fact that he really, really likes things that come in threes. I have to give huge props to Ashley C. Williams, Ashlynn Yennie, and Akihiro Kitamura for their roles in the movie. Imagine filming an entire movie nearly-naked, on hands and knees while your face is fixated on your co-stars ass. I can imagine some of the painful looks are genuine more often than not as that has to be an extremely uncomfortable position to be locked into. Across the board the acting is great, they know when to be serious and when to be cheesy and it all works seamlessly. The girls are portrayed a little brainless at times (one girl, while trying to escape, passes an all-too-visible phone multiple times) but it adds B-movie charm rather than hurting the overall enjoyment of the movie. Akihiro Kitamura plays the head of the centipede with a selfish demeanor as he has more control than the girls bringing up the rear.
Effects/Gore:
Director Tom Six’s genius creation, the human centipede, is the obvious effect in itself. It is disgusting and realistic thanks to a few strategically placed bandages. Apart from the surgical ass to mouth infection beading up with infectious goo that visually scores about a 13 out of 10 on the yuck scale, the film is drier than I expected.
Lasting Appeal:
I’m both hoping for (and fearing) a more explicit uncut version to grace the Blu Ray. This one is just too bizarre to pass up.
Final Headcount:
Hype aside, nothing stuck out as being wrong with the movie as a whole. In my opinion as well as many others walking out into the empty streets that night, the movie is absolutely disgusting. But not enough so as to be unwatchable (sorry folks, ’tis no “Header”). In fact, brewing deep in the filth somewhere this beast had a heart. Maybe it was the overwhelming amount of dedication to and love of the project showing through on the screen, but in the end it just felt like a whole lotta fun in the dark surrounded by some of my favourite freaks and the little-centipede-that-could.
Mortician: I finally got around to checking this flick out after hearing about it a lot from Godzmassacre, and surprisingly, my non horror loving boss! The first thing that impressed me about the film was it’s budget. The film immediately looks like it’s been made with money. No cheap “shot on digital Shock-O-Rama Cinema” look to this film at all.
As Godz said the lead heroines are typically beautiful and dumb teenage girls that find themselves stranded and seeking help. The scene of the old man pulling up beside the girls and telling them all the nasty sexual things he wanted to do to them in his thick German accent was particularly disgusting. Upon ringing the doorbell at The Doctor’s house and asking if they can use the phone, he replies “Are you alone?”. Yep, that’s the cue to get the fuck out of there girls! Stupidly they go into his house and the rest is scientific/medical history!
The movie clips along from beginning to end, and really is entertaining throughout. I was riveted and glued to my seat. It’s not overly gory and doesn’t need to be because the subject matter is about as shocking and disgusting as one could possibly hope for. It’s a film that I find impossible to give an accurate rating to because of how it will split it’s audience. One type of viewer will love the film for it’s unique depravity while the other will be disgusted by the subject matter and would vilify the film based on content alone. Godz and I both thought it was great, but hey we are slightly depraved fucks and cannot speak for the general population!
