Film Review: The Human Centipede
Fantastic Fest ’09 Review: The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009)
Directed By: Tom Six
Cast: Dieter Laser, Akihiro Kitamura, Andreas Leupold, Ashley C. Williams
Review By: Kayley Viteo
The Human Centipede is a sick, twisted piece of cinema. When I first heard about it, I was so excited because it sounded so disturbingly unique and refreshing in a way that could, possibly, even push me to my limit. I can stand pretty much anything, but the plot of this one is pretty damn disgusting.
Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser) is a world-famous surgeon who has begun to use his skill of splitting up conjoined twins in reverse to create pets. After the death of his first creation, 3-Dog, he decides to further his skills in a new way by testing it on humans, which involves sewing them together ass to mouth. You can use your imagination a little here and imagine what that looks like as me explaining it certainly does it no justice. Suffice to say, it’s utterly gross. Lindsay (Ashley C. Williams) and Jenny (Ashlynn Yennie), as well as a third Japanese man (Akihiro Kitamura) become his victims. I recommend not looking at any stills from the film beforehand, just so you can experience this one for real and without preparation. It is certainly a shock.
Many will dismiss The Human Centipede because it sounds almost comical in how far it pushes boundaries, which is a shame. I have to admit, one of my knee-jerk reactions to the plot was that it was going to be comically bad – if not comedic on purpose – because the idea of it is just so out there. Yet, there is no comedy in this script – everything is dealt with so seriously and, dare I say it, so realistically, that you find yourself sucked into this film. The script is surprisingly strong, even with a long sequence where the actual surgery is explained in full. In fact, I would argue that this scene is one of the best of the film, particularly because of the acting by Dieter Laser as the insane Dr. Heiter. It is so cold and clinical, delivered in such a way that you find yourself captivated by his creepy charisma, but also sickened by the actions he is so willing to take. On that note, one of the reasons the film works as well as it does is the strength of the acting – the entire core cast is superb.
My only fault with the film is that when police enter the equation, the pace is disrupted and some of the believability – the driving force of the film – is lost. There were just too many actions that I inevitably questioned. It certainly doesn’t finish as strong as it started, although I do love the final frames of the film, but I’m so affectionate in an odd way for the beginning and middle that the end hardly matters. It’s bleak to a whole new level and I love that.
The Human Centipede is lovingly crafted in a sort of demented fashion. Tom Six, the director, consulted with a surgeon to ensure that the idea of the human centipede is even possible – and apparently the results you see on-screen are 100% accurate and real. I still have some issues with that, because as I think about it I can’t just imagine how it is – but that’s also what’s so great about this film. It gets in your head and festers, making you ask yourself ridiculous questions. It is every inch a true genre film and even within the genre, it will be highly controversial and polarize opinions.
I hope this one finds larger distribution, although I would be shocked if it ever saw any kind of theatrical release. I imagine The Human Centipede will be one of those you have to hunt for, but it is certainly one that’s worth it.
