"The Human Centipede" Trilogy

[StevePulaski]

The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009)
Directed by: Tom Six

Dieter Laser with his creation.

Rating: ★

Once you get past the idea of the centipede, and the fact this crazed, demented doctor is laughing at these people's torture, the film becomes a one-note joke. This reminds me of Rubber, a film to this day I am still mixed on. I love the fact that that film chose to pursue its own direction, but once again, it was ruined by having a love affair with itself. For some reason, I'm a fan of a film with a killer tire over a film with an inane creation. It's like if someone asked you "would you rather drink CLR or Mr. Clean?"

I must applaud The Human Centipede for the same reason as Rubber. Tom Six could've done another formulaic slasher, or worse, a remake. But he pursued his own idea. A creative one, but a disturbing one. I give him credit. He was probably drinking with buddies around a bon-fire when he said "some idiot should make a film about three people bound together to make something like a centipede." The next day, he got to work.

The idea behind "the human centipede" is that you take a minimum of three people, give them anesthesia, make an incision in their kneecaps that prevents them from standing up, cut off their lips, and a small hole around their anus and stitch both together.

The only person who will be able to obtain food is the first person. When he has to go number two, he will go and it will go thru each of the other (in this case two) human's mouths before coming out for good. It's sick, twisted, and disgusting. But original, yes.

The story is two women (Williams and Yennie) are on their way to a nightclub when they get a flat tire. They exchange in some nonsense dialog taken straight from other horror films until they stumble upon a house in the middle of the woods. The house is owned by an unsettling man named Dr. Heiter (Laser). They are drugged after he calls a rent-a-car company, are tied up on a hospital bed with an Asian man as the final piece of the puzzle, and are taught the science behind this creature. Heiter gives them anesthesia, and he creates his beast. It works, but now the three are left to cope with the unfair advantage of being treated like a pet dog.

Personally, none of The Human Centipede was very hard to watch. I've read cult films with sicker plots than this one. The idea of the centipede is disgusting, but not seriously disgusting. Still, it's not like it isn't creative. It for damn sure is. But watch August Underground, and tell me which one is sicker.

The Human Centipede can't get over the fact it came up with this beast. It's not a horror movie. It's a boastful torture film. It's grotesque, and inhumane. Making a shock film is easy if you have a disgusting idea, it's hard to make one that has a good storyline and a premise to keep you interested. The Human Centipede lacks in both fields, and just relies on the invention to carry the film.

Tom Six's directing is fine, but Dieter Laser's acting shines through everything. Everyone else is dull. I do applaud the three victims of the centipede for agreeing to this. They really had no dialog since most of the script is made up of screams and shrieks. Just the fact they wanted to participate in this makes me want to shake each one of them by the hand.

But the constant screams and shrieks get annoying. I realize that if I was part of this creation I would scream, cry, and shriek and horror, but literally, 60% of the film is made up of screams, and the remaining forty is made up of clunky dialog and the German language.

As a horror film, The Human Centipede fails. As a shock film, The Human Centipede rockets thru the roof. As a film in general, it simply isn't strong in any other fields except for creativity. The idea of humans bound together against their will is an interesting topic, so consider this a more-than-cheerful one star review. But, just an idea can't carry a film. Execution is what it's all about, and The Human Centipede doesn't have anything else to boast except its idea.

Aparently, this is just the "first sequence." We are also in for a "full sequence" and a "final sequence." If you could stomach the first, you will most likely watch the full one after much contemplating. To hold out for the final would take patience and a sadistic craving.

Starring: Dieter Laser, Ashley C. Williamsm, Ashlynn Yennie, and Akihiro Kitamura. Directed by: Tom Six.

[StevePulaski]

The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) (2011)
Directed by: Tom Six

Newcomer Laurence R. Harvey in The Human Centipede II.

Rating: ★

I think what really killed the original Human Centipede film was publicity. Normally, publicity for a film is good because if it's causing controversy or causing a debacle, chances are, its box office revenue will be larger. The Human Centipede (First Sequence) would've been a lot better if it was a little cult thing, rather than a big mainstream film. If it had been more subtly introduced to the public rather than boasting its twisted set up maybe I would've felt more excited to see it.

Now I'm faced with the sequel. A sequel that we all know would happen. The Human Centipede II comes branded with another gimmicky "Sequence" title, this time referring to it as "Full Sequence." It definitely is full of itself, and it definitely is a full dose of shock value and gore. This sequel is so depraved, grotesque, and ugly that any horror fan should feel obligated to watch it.

But is it good? That is the question. It truly isn't, but it definitely keeps one thing the same; the elegant way of filming. With a camera in hand, Tom Six can do wonders. He can make the most disgusting concept appealing just by the way he puts it on film. One person I feel for is David Meadows, the cinematographer on the film. If this film wasn't so deranged and twisted, he probably would've been handed some sort of award. The cinematography in this film was truly a great aspect to such an already atrocious concept.

The story follows Martin (Harvey), an overweight, asthmatic, clammy-skinned, mentally ill parking garage attendant who becomes obsessed with the original Human Centipede film. Yes, the original film exists in the film as a regular movie. A true paradox. Martin begins to brutally beat people with a crowbar, and soon gets the idea to create a human centipede of twelve people.

He lives with his mother, has had one checkered childhood, and suffers verbal abuse from everyone he encounters. Martin believes that since he has garnered so much material from the film and compiled it in a scrapbook, he can make an effective centipede. The result is explicit, and since Martin isn't the sharpest tool in the box, a staple gun, duck tape, and a hammer work more in his favor than a heavy sleeping drug and some stitches.

Martin is played Laurence R. Harvey, who does a decent job of putting himself in the role a crazed, mentally unstable human being. Martin doesn't have any lines of dialog in the entire film except for excessive wheezing, coughing, and sobbing. That's an interesting element, but it makes the film easy to drift away from.

This also serves as one of the most beautifully done black and white films I've ever seen. The color is greatly saturated, and the tonality of the contrast is exquisite. But, after all, I did rate this film low so instead of praising the minor qualities that made some of the film watchable I should be discussing what made the film bad.

Here we go. To begin with, the concept is never going to catch on. It's a sick, idiotic concept that may be medically accurate, but sure isn't sufficient enough for film. Just like my prime complaint with the first film, once you get past the fact that this depraved human being is sewing people from mouth to anus the film becomes incredibly old and uninspired. It's sleepily, if at all, written and combines artless shock in hopes of making a good film.

What kind of shock do we get? Lovely injections of centipedes where the sun don't shine, extremely bloody torture scenes that could put Saw to shame, a very ghastly scene involving the emptying of bodily waste, and a sick masturbation scene. We also see some more things of great shock, but I dare not spoil them. After all, isn't the gag reflex one gets from seeing these films the only reason why people keep coming back?

I have no problem with horror films, but The Human Centipede II is solely created from the ground up on shocking elements. This is more a competition for the most grotesque scenes rather than a feature length film. Yes, Harvey, the cinematography, and the black and white tonality complement the film in a very minor way, but still, it's hard to appreciate a film that is mean-spirited for the point of being mean-spirited.

Tom Six says that his next installment will be the final entry in the saga of The Human Centipede. Hopefully after this we'll get to see some more of Six's true talent behind the camera when he is not busy directing one of the world's most sickest creations. He does have talent with a camera, why would he want to waste it on such effortless, artless, and joyless content?

Starring: Laurence R. Harvey, Ashley Yennie, and Vivien Bridson. Directed by: Tom Six.

[StevePulaski]

The Human Centipede III (Final Sequence) (2015)
Directed by: Tom Six

Prison gets a whole lot worse in The Human Centipede III (Final Sequence).

Rating: ★★★

How many franchises can you say managed to realize their potential and hit the nail on the head with their third and, in this case, final film? The Human Centipede III (Final Sequence) is the only example I can think of, as it works off of two contemptible predecessors that did nothing but squander such a grotesque but devilishly intriguing premise. While the first film ran out of gas after about thirty minutes, and the second, despite attractive, saturated black and white cinematography, found itself nothing more than a tired array of vignettes bearing shock value, the third film takes a more slowburn, structured approach to the concept of a human centipede. It relies on character development, commentary, and a cross between the disgusting and the humorous to make a film that exploits its concept for just about the last ounce of energy its able to muster before we conclude one of film's most perplexing trilogies.

Opening by showing the end credits to The Human Centipede II, in a manner to how that film opened, we find ourselves inside a prison complex run by Bill Boss (Dieter Laser). Boss is a loud, domineering, and unbelievably miserable guard, demanding respect from his inmates who, in turn, return nothing but the same hatred he shows to them. Alongside Boss is Dwight Butler (Laurence R. Harvey), his chubby and more level-headed accountant, who usually supplies him with the brains he's lacking, and Daisy (Bree Olson), his secretary who also serves as his sex slave.

Boss spends most of his days making life a living hell for the inmates who disrespect him at every turn, and it isn't until Governor Hughes (Eric Roberts) visits the prison and orders a cleaner, more humane atmosphere does Boss realize he may need to straighten himself and the prison up. With that, Dwight, in the mix of his fascination with the first two Human Centipede films, suggests to Boss that, in order to create a less violent atmosphere and discourage crime all together, the two of them could hire surgeons to create one long, five-hundred person human centipede out of the inmates at the prison. Boss loves the idea and immediately gets to work, even going as far as hiring Tom Six, the real-life director of The Human Centipede films, to offer his own personal input.

Laser gives his most intense and hilarious performance to date, going absolutely over-the-top with his role, making his "mad doctor" performance in the first film seem minimalistic in comparison. Laser is a force of nature in this film, constantly yelling or looking as if the veins in his skull are about to rupture, making for a performance of true power and conviction throughout the entire film. Harvey, in addition, creates another character that is interesting by his very nature, only this time, he's given more of a developed role than what was seen in the second film. Together, the two form a sick, twisted, but often very amusing, duo that impress in nearly every scene.

What The Human Centipede III achieves that the previous two installments couldn't bother to muster is some resemblance of narrative order rather than capping out on senseless shock value or running their own premises dry. Six takes more of a slowburn approach to the story here, allowing us, the audience, to explore the prison environment with Boss and Dwight, and find ourselves inside an environment rather than being onlookers or observers into it. Despite numerous situations being disgusting, the film, like its predecessors, is remarkable in how grounded and professional it remains in look and feel. These films do not feel like low-budget, low-grade cheapies, but bear a distinctly clean, accomplished look that some medium/high-budget horror films can't normally achieve.

But most importantly, the fact that The Human Centipede III takes story, character, and even societal commentary about the prison system and institutional punishment all into consideration makes it a more enjoyable film rather than a sick exercise in depravity. This is a film one can actually enjoy as a film rather than being mystified at the shock value behind the idea. There's more to appreciate about Six's craft and the talent of Laser and Harvey that surfaces because of the care and attention brought to the forefront here.

I'm sure many who will read this review will roll their eyes in confusion and disbelief. In my opinion, that's one of the milder reactions one could have to this film and a positive review of it. But it's important to recognize the series's original roots and how it has evolved with its final installment. I've long held the belief that a good film can be made from just about any, if not all, premises under the sun and Human Centipede III only makes me affirm that belief. It came from being shock that couldn't sustain an entire film and shock value that only grew more and more tiresome when built upon continuously to something truly worth remembering and praising. The Human Centipede, with its third and final film, surpasses the stigma of its gut-turning idea and becomes a realized and convincing story; it's the definition of a series that ended just as it was getting going.

Starring: Dieter Laser, Laurence R. Harvey, Bree Olson, and Eric Roberts. Directed by: Tom Six.