The Doctor will see you now…
Scientist Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser aka Mantrid from Lexx) has a dream of creating a human centipede. Why would anyone want to do such a thing you might ask? Well, people have different interests and some are more eccentric than others. You could of course just label him a madman. It will make everything go down easier.
The movie opens with Heiter finding a suitable victim for his experiments at a rest stop. The hunter is patiently waiting for a prey. He’s a creepy looking man, much thanks to a strong face and truly villainous, borderline non-human eyes. A long coat, a dart gun and a car with a decent seized trunk can get you a long way when you’re a mad scientist, at least in terms of acquiring victims. The good doctor has plenty of luck on his side. One strange evening a couple of ladies lost in their search for a party show up at his front door. If there ever was an incentive to learn how to change tires this is the movie. It’s welcome that one of the ladies comments the lack of cell phone reception. “There is always reception!” Cell phones have become an element that always plays into consideration when psycho’s or the threat of psychopaths is imminent in horror films set after the 90s. The two girls, Lindsay and Jenny soon realize that their host isn’t quite right and unsuccessfully tries to escape. One of them gives it another go later on in a painfully slow cat and mouse game. It plays out remarkably well and has a tone and look similar to the scene following the dog chase in Tenebre.
A part of what builds up around the whole atmosphere of unease is the look of the movie. It’s given a cold and sterile, bluish look. Everything feels very clinical. Heiter’s house is like a small fortress sparse on everything. Dieter Laser impresses as the doctor. You can see Heiter’s detached attitude to humans in his eyes. It’s really quite terrifying. He feels like a poster boy for Nazi scientists. The doctor would probably be more at home during WWII when medical ethics was a non-issue. It would have been perfect for his experiment.
One of the more terrifying scenes in The Human Centipede.
Then there is the actual human centipede of the movie. As it progressed it started dawning on me just how twisted this idea is merely in theory. But this isn’t about theories and director Tom Six in content to show you more than you’ll need to see. The most affectionate gore hounds might be disappointed, but what restraint is shown only works to The Human Centipede’s advantage. The simple drawings Heiter shows when explaining the procedure to his victims works remarkably well. Initially I thought the movie would end with the completion of the human centipede, but this only marks around the 50 minute mark. For the last 40 minutes we follow the doctor, his human centipede and its/their effort to escape. The small cage designed for the human centipede made me squirm. If it isn’t bad enough that you have been surgically sown together with two other people you are confined to a small space at night as well. Add to that the humiliation of being in this state and you’ve got yourself an incredibly unpleasant and highly distressing situation. The thought of it really does make me uncomfortable, which is a good thing.
Twisted as The Human Centipede is there is actually a very dark sense of humor in it. Yes, it’s gross and filled with what-the-fuck moments, but I also found myself laughing quietly at how absurd it is. It wouldn’t surprise me if Six’s sense of humor stems from Jörg Buttgereit’s Nekromantik. At least here the center of affection is alive though.
The Human Centipede is a challenging horror flick. It’s unpleasant to watch and is able to do that without going overboard graphically. I was always curious what would happen around the next corner. Could there possibly be anything near a happy ending? It is a horror that will benefit from multiple viewings. Tom Six has created a perverse little picture well worth seeing.
The sequel The Human Centipede (Full Sequence) has recently been banned in its entirety in the UK. I’m quite anxious to see how Six is going to top the first one, but since Buttgereit managed it with Nekromantik 2, anything’s possible. A third film has been confirmed so it looks like this is a concept that will be explored in more graphic detail in the future. The Human Centipede (First Sequence) is worth checking out for fans of alternate cinema.
8.5/10
That's som fucked up! Can't wait til you see the next one...so I don't have to!:P
SvarSlettThis movie was not even half as gory as the second. Like you said this movie is more clinical in look, the second lacks any of it. Dieter Laser was perfect for the mad scientist, like you said he is the perfect poster child for a Nazi scientist. I thought there was a lack of blood and gore through most of the movie, not what I would picture as a horror movie. I also found myself laughing at a lot of parts of the movie, the biggest laugh coming from Dieter screaming FEED HER! Like he had just accomplished his goals. the second one outdid that as well. I was working at DISH a couple weeks ago when a friend told me about this movie thinking it would gross me out and he would get a good laugh. I watched the first one on Dish online, apparently it is playing or has played on the IFC channel recently. The second one was a little harder to find, but I found it. Told him he should watch it, i figure what comes around goes around. He won't talk to me anymore and glares at me as he walks by, so I win.
SvarSlett