When the first descriptions of Tom Six’s The Human Centipede: First Sequence started making their way through the ether, there was a lot of nervous giggling: a horror movie where the bad guy stitches a trio of unwitting hostages together, ass-to-mouth? And it’s supposedly “100% Medically Accurate”? This sounded like exploitative garbage at best, a complete waste of time (and a borderline Troma film) at worst. But then a funny thing happened: Human Centipede turned out to be pretty damn good. Great, even. Could The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence possibly be as good? Turns out, it’s an irrelevant question, as Centipede 2 is absolutely nothing like Six’s original film…and has a completely different agenda. Read on for my full review, after the jump…
Some of you will undoubtedly take issue with the statement in the above intro, the one where I call The Human Centipede a “great film”. That’s more than fair: I’ll happily admit that Tom Six’s ass-to-mouth masterpiece isn’t for all tastes (no pun intended)(that I know of—hey-OH), and I’ll even allow that most reasonable people would run screaming from the flick. The premise itself was disturbing, the acting was spotty, the claims of “100% medical accuracy” were absurd—really, I get it if you didn’t go for it.
That said, I wouldn’t agree. I’m on the other side of the fence, the side that consider Six’s original Human Centipede to be a great body-horror film. While The Human Centipede does feature an exploitative premise, and while the acting was a little weak in spots, and even though the film is completely ridiculous from time to time…I quite enjoyed it. I thought it was darkly comic, beautifully shot, and—when you get right down to it—the best possible film that could have been made from that ludicrous premise. Read that sentence very carefully before you fire off an ill-advised counter-argument.
But while I suspect that roughly half of the first Human Centipede’s audience would tell you that Six made a “great film”, I’m absolutely certain that the vast majority of film geeks, horror fans, and Human Centipede enthusiasts will reject The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence wholeheartedly: if you’re looking for more of the same, you will be greatly disappointed.
Here, finally, is the film that so many people thought they wanted the first Human Centipede to be (more on that in a moment). Here, finally, is Six’s response to all the people who thought the first Human Centipede “wasn’t horrific enough”…and his response to those that thought it was “too funny”. Here, finally, is a film that you can start plugging into conversations about the “most morally reprehensible movie ever made” besides, say, Irreversible or Martyrs.
Awhile back, details of the Centipede 2 plot leaked online, and there was some talk as to whether or not the description (which came from the UK Film Board, which reportedly—and now, surely– banned the film in England) we were provided with was the real deal. That description indicated that the new “bad guy” introduced in Centipede 2 would “masturbate with a portion of sandpaper” and “rape the tail-end of the twelve-person Centipede with a length of barbed wire wrapped around his penis”. Perhaps surprisingly, some thought that these descriptions might not be for real. Some thought that this was just a clever bit of viral marketing for Six’s latest opus. These people are going to be surprised.
The Human Centipede 2’s villain—Martin—does, in fact, masturbate with a portion of sandpaper (which we see graphically, no detail spared). He does, in fact, rape the “tail-end” of the Centipede with a length of barbed wire wrapped around his junk (quite enthusiastically, for the record). This, my friends, is just the tip of the iceberg. I’m sure that some of you are here for the online equivalent of rubber-necking an accident (you just wanna know how ugly it gets), and for those people, I’ll offer a list of horrible sights that you might see in The Human Centipede 2. But before we get to that, let’s talk a little bit about the film’s plot (as it were).
Some people are going to tell you that The Human Centipede 2 “has no plot”. This is the laziest, stupidest, and cheapest bit of criticism one can level at a film besides “you gotta turn your brain off at the door”: every film has a plot, some are just more complicated (or simplistic) than others. It’s true that Centipede 2’s plot is a bit on the thin side, but don’t be fooled: just because there’s not a lot of “story” unfolding here doesn’t mean that a lot isn’t being said.
On a surface level, the film’s about Martin, a mentally-handicapped (handicapable?) man living with his mother, who hates him unreservedly. Martin’s a security guard, owns a pet centipede, sees a psychiatrist for the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of his father, and is a raging fan of Tom Six’s The Human Centipede.
That’s right: Six went meta for Centipede 2 (in case you hadn’t heard). See, the film begins with Martin watching the last scene of the first Centipede (Six would later say in the post-screening Q&A that all three Centipede films—yes, there’ll be another one—would follow one another, end-to-end, much like a Human Centipede). He’s huddled into his little security guard cubicle inside a parking garage, staring longingly at his laptop as the film wraps onscreen. Soon enough, he spots a couple inside the garage…and he kills them. Then he kills a few more people. And a few more. He’s working up to twelve.
Dr. Heiter? Total underachiever.
Martin’s rampage inside the parking garage is broken up by scenes at his home, where Martin’s mother is actively praying for both his and her death. She’s hired a doctor that comes and visits her son, and the doctor makes his first appearance sitting on the couch, staring salaciously at Martin’s posterior (yeah, you read that right). We are made to understand that Martin has been abused for some time—by his mother, by his deceased father, by his neighbors, by his doctor. Martin never speaks during the movie (though he does make a few interesting noises), but actor Laurence Harvey conveys an enormous amount with his Buscemi-by-way-of-ping-pong-ball eyes.
For whatever reason, Martin’s sought solace in Tom Six’s Human Centipede. He watches the film constantly, he keeps an enormous scrapbook stocked with photos of the actors who appeared in the first film (not to mention diagrams on how to create his own Centipede), he masturbates at work while fantasizing about making Tom Six’s film a reality. The majority of the film’s first half revolves around Martin being abused, killing a dozen people, and luring actress Ashlynne Yennie (playing herself) to England to become part of Martin’s all-new, all-singing, all-dancing, twelve-person Centipede (In a hilarious bit of monkey business, Six has Martin luring Yennie to the UK by promising her a role in Tarantino’s next film).
The second half of the film deals with Martin actually building his Centipede: he’s got a warehouse all to himself, twelve people, a suitcase full of rusty tools, and what seems like a whole bunch of privacy (no one ever “drops by” to see what all that screaming’s about). It’s here that Six unleashes Centipede 2’s most horrific sequences, and—throughout it all—you can almost hear him cackling behind the camera, “They thought the first one was funny? Let’s see them laugh at this!”
Believe it or not, some people complained that the first Human Centipede wasn’t “dark” enough, that it didn’t see its premise through to its most graphic conclusion. For anyone who made that argument, there is The Human Centipede 2, which features—among other things—a baby being born inside a car and immediately crushed against a gas pedal by its mother’s foot, the aforementioned graphic rape sequence, the most brutal tooth-destruction scene ever caught on camera (OldBoy who?), knee-tendons being slashed willy-nilly, and the creative application of a staplegun. The first Centipede didn’t show us how the Centipede was created (not onscreen, not during the “surgery”), but Centipede 2 will give you all of that and more.
And that, my friends, is the reason that The Human Centipede 2 exists. It’s not that it “doesn’t have a plot” or that it “has no point”: it’s that the point of the whole thing is to rub your face in the graphic violence that some people claimed they wanted in the first Centipede. It challenges the fans of the first film to stick up for it while giving the people who complained about the first film’s lack of gore precisely what they thought they wanted (and gives them so much of it, they couldn’t possibly walk away pleased).
Now, I don’t know if Tom Six is clever enough to have responded to critics of the first film by giving them exactly what they claimed they wanted (it’s entirely possible that he simply tried to outdo himself here), but—judging by the quality of the first film—I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Tom Six has delivered something truly disturbing here, something completely amoral, something that people are going to talk about for a long time. I can’t tell you that The Human Centipede 2 is a “good” movie, but I will begrudgingly admit that it does pull a fast one on its established fanbase…and its detractors.
A few other notes: Laurence Harvey is absolutely terrifying as Martin, and I fully expect to see him making the horror convention rounds for a very long time after the release of this film; I can’t imagine that the MPAA will allow this film to hit theaters in its current state—if ever there was a film that demanded the NC-17 rating, it’s The Human Centipede 2; the film is, in fact, shot entirely in black-and-white, though it does feature some small amount of color (What appears in color? Here’s a hint: it’s brown); the early portions of the film set inside Martin’s home have a heavy Lynchian vibe to them, right down to the drone on the soundtrack. Also: though I saw no walkouts during this world premiere, I did see a woman being led from the theater by some helpful person, and heard later that she’d needed “medical attention”.
I’d slap a letter grade on this thing if I thought it’d make a difference, but really…it defies simple grading. Could be an F, could be a D, could be an A: it all depends on what you’re looking for in The Human Centipede 2 (that said, if you’re eager to see a barbed-wire-wrapped schwantz raping a bleeding, twelve-person rimjob-train, you’ll probably be thrilled).
Fantastic Fest 2011 is off to a sickening start, folks. Stay tuned for more somewhat-exclusive interview with Tom Six (and Laurence Harvey, who I’m not looking forward to being in the same room with) early next month—October 2nd, to be precise. In the meantime, sound off with your thoughts on The Human Centipede 2 below if you were at the premiere tonight: happy? Freaked out? Disgusted? Aroused? Let us know, folks!
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HOLY SHIT! I can’t wait to see it!!!
Nicely writeen, but you do spend a lot of time justifying your review in the review itself. I understand that people are going to have their knives out for a positive review of this movie, but you do come off overly self-defensive at times. That said, thanks for the intelligent write-up. There is no way in hell I am ever seeing this flick, but I appreciate that you wrote thoughtfully about it.
Glad you enjoyed it, sir. If it reads defensively, it shouldn’t: I can’t imagine that anyone would defend “Centipede 2″ as a “good” film, but if they do, that’s totally their call. These’re just my thoughts, and I’m happy that everyone’s responded well (thus far).
Stay tuned for much, much more, guys. My Day-Two writeup (with video of Tim League and Elijah Wood’s intro at the “Centipede 2″ premiere) should be live shortly.
Cheers,
SW
Scott, I give you credit for actually watching the thing. I refuse to let any more garbage like this into my being, it’s not good for the soul. Interesting review though, thanks!
*written
You couldn’t pay me to see this movie
About 8 months ago, I got around to watching the first Centipede. I wasn’t really surprised, compared to the hype that surrounded it, as it was a little “tame”. Around that same time, I watched A Serbian Film, a movie that seems like it has disappeared. That one got to me. I really only watched it just to say I watched it. I would be tempted to catch the second Centipede if it was in my hands ready to watch. I don’t know if I will necessarily go looking for it and buy it whenever. The whole black and white thing is interesting. I really like the comments you had for it. It seems like a hell of an experience.
Two of shit, is SHIT!
Not that barbed wire penis rape doesn’t have it’s place in cinema, but I think I’ll pass.
It bears repeating – if you are honestly, genuinely interested in watching this dreck, you are either 14, or seriously disturbed. The former, I can understand. We were all 14 at some point. The latter – go get some help and grow the fuck up.
I bet you’re a real hit at parties.
You’re an idiot. No really, you are.
Expressed like a true moron, but the sentiment is right. I, unfortunately, have seen this, and wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Whether or not he is trying to outdo himself, stick it to the fans, stick it to the haters or simply make what he considers a good film – Six has just made something awful. I’m not joking – don’t watch this.
Ironic that your name is Billy as no adult with normal IQ is called ‘Billy’.
I must admit I thought the first film was an enjoyable black comedy, and I didn’t find it scary in the least. So when I first heard about the sudden shift the sequel has taken – to make the film people thought the original was going to be, as you put it – I was kind of disappointed. Just reading descriptions of it made me gag, so I’ll give it a miss. Seems like a grandiose in-joke designed solely to offend, and I can’t really see the point in that.
Has it gone that far? It caught my eye. Hope this one does not disappoint.
I didn’t really think the 1st one was “all that”. Now I read this and it definitely doesn’t seem boring but I feel like I’ll go to hell if I watch it LOL. On the other hand…curiousity often gets the best of me.
Somewhere out there a good screenplay sits in the garbage because someone decided to fund the barbed wire rape movie instead…
No colors? LAME!
the poster is… awesome
Scott, thanks for including hints about what kinds of scenes we can expect from HC2. I saw the first one and barely got through some parts, but when it was over I thought that it was a good movie. This sounds like the worst kind of torture porn. So glad I read your review and know to avoid this movie.
Thanks for that it’s a great review! However Im confused are the people in the human centipede all dead? As you said in your review he kills 12 people and starts to put his sick plan into action.
Am I the only person who cannot watch a movie knowing a woman is going to get raped with barbed wire? This is not entertainment to me and quite frankly, I find using rape as shock entertainment socially and morally irresponsible.
No, I’m not calling for censorship or banning. People can make their own decision. But I do find our culture’s obsession with violence, objectification, and torture to be unhealthy and scary.
Woman? It says nowhere in there that the raped individual is a woman…
Actually your wrong he did rape a woman, and she was at the back so your wrong. Kat probably knows because she watched the film.
People can and will do what they want nowadays, because the world is large enough, that there will always be an audience for every kind of film imaginable. (Unfortunately, in some cases.)
But that said – I do agree with you, Kat. I find it extremely disturbing and disgusting that our culture has such a casual and relaxed understanding or acceptance, of concepts such as this.
We would never, ever want something like this to happen to us personally, or to anyone we know, but we would watch it on a screen being “re-created”. Sure, I get the entertainment value.
But whatever. It all boils down to one thing.
Sick.
Intriguing review, though there’s nothing “morally reprehensible” about either Martyrs or Irreversible – both quite the opposite, I’d say.
Just this week, IFC says they talked to Tom and cut the Barbed Wire rape out of the film. It may make an unrated cut on Blu Ray, but otherwise Fantastic Fest folks were the only ones who got to see that, THANK GOD!!! Martyrs and Irreversible and Inside were all very real dark and DISTURBING as hell, not necesssarily Morally reprehensible, but had moments of disgust, shock, awe, and horrific violence and the LONG rape scene in Irreversible is one of the most shocking things I have ever seen in film, i can only imagine how the barb wire would work out, thank heavens they cut that out…. I will def check this out as it seems this film is going to deliver what we gorehounds wanted, BLOOD!!!!!
I just saw this movie in CO tonight. First, I think that this review flops between both sides and is nothing more than trying to appeal to both sides of the argument at hand. HC2 had quite the disturbing sequence of graphically visual torment, but that is what drove this movie in the first place. If you made it through this movie you deserve to watch it. Secondly, the protagonist delivered on his role strongly, and should be awarded for such an act. The concept at hand is something that is in everyone, from the degree portrayed, to even the most innocent fantasy. People like to think about things forbidden by the realm of decency, and this movie plays that to its full extent. To disregard this movie for its depraved acts is to say that disney is to family oriented for its own good. Third, this was a well played out structure for a character driven piece of cinema. A build of sexual stimulation until it erupts in its own pleasure. A ride worth taking if you enjoy or can withstand such extremes.
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It seems that dark humour isn’t everybody’s cup of liquidised dead baby.
A dude who masturbates with sandpaper around his dick and he fucks the 12 person centipede from the back with barbed wire around his dick? Sounds like a fucked up movie. ……I like it.
I for one loved it. Filming in black and white was a master stroke,it looks fantastic and leaves room for the third film to go one better.If only they could cast some good actors,but then again i don’t think Helen Mirren would be too keen spending several weeks on her hands and knee’s with her face strapped to someone’s butt. If nothing else this is interesting cinema and for that it should be applauded.
I watched the first one and I was WTF! So don’t ask me why I felt I had to watch the 2nd but I did, number 1 was pretty sick but just boring too Fake, Number 2 definatley not boring I genuinley found myself drawn into the film but just ridiculously SICK! Definatley more realism gave it a better kick, No need on the Pregnant lady bit, Definatley not for the faint hearted and even still if you have a strong stomach parts of this have got to make you think WTF Have I just watched!!
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what!? have i watched this same movie as everyone else i saw the first one it was great this 2nd one is pap absolute shite i mean black and white cuts out the best part of a horror. gore, blood the red stuff this film was tame a complete let down and so not worth cringing at its just a film idiots it aint real how can it affect you TAME TAME TAME.
You people truly think that this even deserves to be in the horror movie genre?
I think everyone has forgotten what makes a TRUE horror movie. This is just sick. A waste of money.
Anyone who actually thinks this movie is fun to watch is certainly mentally ill.
I watched the first one and was fairly entertained. I want to watch this one, only I’m terrified to do so.
Just seen the pede 2 , and yes ,, it is a love or hate . I prefer the first because it was INTENSELY PSYCHOLOGICALLY TERRIFYING . im not exactally understanding reviews of some saying the first was not gross ( or whatever ) enough . O.k , so the actual surgury was not shown in the first , um , but was it not gross (or whatever ) enough , when the “centepede ” was reveiled ?.. And , certain other scenes . So , yes , i was terrified to see the second . But just had to .The “seeing a trainwreck” effect , i suppose . After getting a ways into the movie , yes , it was VERY gross , but , to me , just not SCARY , if you will, like the first . It was just , well ,,, gross , and just goofy ! Obviously , these ARE NOT the movies for the casual movie goer . And obviously geared toward the horror fans . I suppose , i am now sucked in though having seen the first , curious to see what the second could be about , and with the curiousity killed the cat / train wreck effect , ya , ill have to see the third . But , again , first I found a decent psychological thrill ,, the second , i thought was ,,, well , poop !
I think the more crucial difference between First and Full Sequence was not the extent of graphical detail, but the fact that the victims are the protagonists in the first one, but the monster is the protag in 2.
In First Sequence, Dieter Laser was this sort of distant alien presence. You know and understand far more intimately the experience the victims go through. Actually the moment he quotes from 1 at the beginning of 2 is the perfect example of what I’m talking about. Also there’s stuff like the centipede lead’s speech about how he is no longer a human being. It was emotionally resonant material.
Full Sequence is all about Martin and worshipping his amazing screen presence, and his victims are all either objects of ridicule or total non-entities. The entire human element, to which the audience could relate, is completely absent in this film.
So while I did enjoy the first half of the film and the development of Martin’s character/mythos, I really couldn’t get behind the ultra-didactic gore fest that ensued. I mean that’s about 40 minutes of screen time devoted to activities you have known about since you HEARD THE CONCEPT OF THE FIRST FILM. Once you realize that’s all the movie has left to offer you, what’s the point?
By the way I want to point out that IRREVERSIBLE, with its portrayal of the homosexual community as a wildly dark, disturbing, immoral cesspool, definitely treads some shaky moral ground. Unrelatedly it does make a heartfelt attempt to portray the horror of being raped, and certainly that is not itself an immoral goal.
I actually enjoyed the first one because it was on the funny sick side of horror, second one was uninteresting and stupidly sick .. seems like someone just tried to cram as much sick stuff into the movie as possible with no real point lol … stupid…. and the movie being in black and white takes away most of the horror concept not being able to see blood etc which also made it boring for me but each to their own.
The fact that I live in a world where this movie even exists kind of makes me sad.
I couldn’t agree more. It’s just truly sad.
If you think this movie is bad have a read up on 3 guys 1 hammer. That shit is real life
Everyone is in titled to their own opinions. I watch these types of movies for their plots to be honest and the only reason number 2 was made was because critics argued that there was not enough gore in the first, so six gives us gore and all the critics do is moan about it.
I knew nothing about either film, hadn’t even heard of them. Ended up watching the 2nd ‘film’ on TBox at home. Thought it would be something like Elephant Man…boy was I in for a terrible shock! This piece of extreme sickness has left me somewhat disturbed…and I’m disturbed at myself for sitting through it, hoping for some kind of happy ending. If this film is just an example of a genre, then society is in deep, sick trouble. I very strongly urge anyone who is even slightly curious to watch this to STOP themselves – don’t put yourself in harm’s way – seriously! – DO NOT do this to yourself. I am posting this to help myself as well as anyone who reads this.
I saw this movie pop up on netflix, which surprised the he’ll out of me….I can’t believe the people that sat through this whole movie, I’m as curious as anyone and had to see just howsick this was out of shock value…but to do that I skipped ahead to all the brutality watched it for a split second then fast forward more, from the brief bit of scenes I’ve seen I knew I couldn’t sit threw the whole thing…oh and I definitely am ashamed of the human race once more for this sick disturbed psychotic mess….
I have to say thank you for this review. I watched the first one and found it a little twisted and dark but HC2 takes it WAY too far in my opinion. As soon as I read that there was a rape scene in the movie I turned it off, there is nothing exciting about rape (especially with barbed wire).
I personally see a great deal of things wrong and right with this film. Yes, it was extremely sadistic, and very unsettling. However, being as big of a fan of horror movies as I am, I have to give this film some credit.
First of all, in the past 7-9 years of my life, I have seen countless movies in the “horror” genre. However, I can genuinely say that this is the very first movie to send me off the edge of being scared. Also, yes, I have seen Martyrs, Audition, Irreversible, Salo….you name it.
This movie actually SCARED me. I was in more shock that I was actually afraid of a movie than I was afraid of what was happening IN the movie.
I also would like to say I have an appreciation for this film because of how well it was done graphically. I have never seen a movie this life-like. It was almost crossing that line to make you wonder “Heh…this isn’t a snuff film, right?”
To be able to pull that off, I think was brilliant.
So no, I do not like the movie in itself. It made me sick and disturbed. But, I cannot say I do not have an appreciation for the film. Make sense?
You do make sense. Could launch a long debate about horror movies as an artform. But I’ll chose to skip it and say “hell yeah, they’re art”. And amongst the many purposes of art, provoking thought, provoking at all, transgressing, and “going too far” are key.
I’m old enough to remember the censorship Texas Chainsaw Massacre received (at least out here in Europe.) And the reactions, similar as what fills the comments here, from people who had and hadn’t seen it back then, or just couldn’t understand (vaguely justified, since the movie suggested much more than it showed.) there’s movies like Salo, yeah, that went down in history.
I haven’t seen this “second sequence” yet, but I plan on it. And to respond to that person wondering what world they’re living in, I’d just say that I’ll start to worry when films such as these are entirely banished.
And to think that barbed-wire rape can’t match up to total mutilation of the vagina by way of a large, spiked ball (Cannibal Holocaust)……….
I’m not sure I want to live on this planet anymore…
Martin’s father wasn’t deceased, he was in jail.
I think my eyes were closed for most of the gore..and plugged my ears as well..I am kicking myself for even thinking I could watch this. I dont even like horror films! duhh. well if anything ,,I know I will never ever even consider watching one again!! ever!!
I think you people are missing the point. ITS A MOVIE! What you are seeing is fake! You guys think it is actually real and its not. I saw the whole movie and it was just a regular movie just on the gory side with cutting and blood. Nothing to get crazy about. There is a story but it isnt well detailed. There isn’t much talking in the movie either. The movie was ok and it isn’t scary