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, (as 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. Bearing that in mind, I thought I wouldn’t mind the gore. 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 pedophilia. 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 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 a hospital bed with no mercy shown from the doc.I don’t want to sit here and provide spoilers; just in case you awesome people haven’t seen this production yet. 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 room. With that in mind, wasn’t anyone worried about these girls when they 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 never 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!
Author: Busrah Osmanoglu
I'm the author of Bee's Buzzing Honeycomb, a website that covers a variety of topics from music, TV/Film. The site features reviews, latest news and has its very own Twitter and Facebook pages. Follow Bee's Buzzing Honeycomb on Twitter.
I am a 2009 graduate with a Media Studies degree and my ultimate goal is to become a magazine journalist. I recently completed a training course with Catch 22 Academy, who have helped me to take a step into the right direction. I have learnt a lot of what I consider to be essential skills to have in the world of journalism. For that I am grateful.
I recently worked as a freelance journalist for a UK website where the content is based around parenting and discussing how music/movies/social media influences the younger generation.
