The Human Centipede First Sequence - A Horrifying Review

That’s it! I have to say something, or I’m going to explode! It may sound like I’m a little furious, or overexcited to speak out. Maybe I am. Last week, I was browsing Netflix, (like I always do), looking for a good movie to watch. Still searching, I finally noticed The Human Centipede (First Sequence), originally released in 2009, written and directed by Tom Six.  My friends said this title was utterly disturbing as well as disgusting, so being the movie lover that I am, I decided to check it out, see what the hype was all about.

They were right, it’s totally vile! Over an hour and half of footage, I was deeply disturbed with what I saw. Everyone who knows me, knows I am a fan of the horror genre. Bearing that in mind, I thought I wouldn’t mind the gory details that made up each scene. Thinking about it now, it’s not so much the blood, guts and gore. I’m used to seeing that on the big screen.  It’s the concept / theme of the movie that disturbs me the most. Sure, it has the traditional connotations and iconography of the horror genre. There were blood guts and gore, as you’d expect. Director Tom Six decides to take the concept of gore to another level.

24 hours later, I find out that the idea behind this production actually came from a conversation between the director and his friend sitting in a pub. According to them, this was the best way to punish a pedophile. Anyway, The Human Centipede: First Sequence is the story of a mad scientist, Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser), with an obsession for  centipedes. Then, three people are captured and taken to an operating room.

The victims are wide awake, screaming till their heart’s content, while the mad doc explains the procedure of the surgery, which he proudly calls siamese triplets. (Three people on all fours attached together by mouth to anus). At least he had the courtesy to apply anaesthetic before proceeding with his mad antics!

During this process, I seriously didn’t know what to think anymore. Knives and other surgical equipment were being impaled into innocent people’s body.

All you see is a sick doc getting enjoyment from inflicting pain. This movie just turned into a cult film.

The victims are Lindsay (Ashley C. Williams) and Jenny (Ashlynn Yennie), two Americans visiting Germany for the first time, as part of their European trip. Their rental car has a punctured tyre, and with nowhere else to go, walking through the woods, they find this beautiful house in the distance. Looking at the house, you wouldn’t assume the home owner is responsible for disgusting and disturbing acts.

And the lead, as it is identified by the mad doc himself, is Katsuro (Akihiro Kitamura) an Asian male. As an observer, I don’t know where he came from. Knocked out and clamped into the hospital bed with no mercy shown from the doc.I don’t want to sit here and provide spoilers; in case you awesome people want to see this production. If freaking the hell out of his audience was the director’s intention, then Six succeeded.

I hate the concept and hate is a strong word! I noticed missing pieces of the storyline. For example, how come no one was searching for the two girls? They were on the phone to a friend in the hotel. bearing that in mind, wasn’t anyone worried when these girls vanished into thin air? How come the rental car company didn’t demand their car back? I know it sounds stupid. You may think it’s funny, that I’m sitting here picking at the plot;  but it really frustrated me. Didn’t your Mum ever tell you not to take a drink from strangers? There’s your first mistake!

If you’re a movie fanatic, you’d know movies always follow a particular pattern, especially when it comes to the horror genre. (Read ‘Five Factors Of Horror’ written by yours truly). A brunette always defeats the villain. This is a predominant element of the genre. Well, The Human Centipede; First Sequence seems to have broken the pattern. “Bye Bye pretty brunette!” So, if that’s the case, is it fair to call this movie a horror? Shouldn’t it be considered as a cult film? So, there it is. A rant that became a horrifying review!