THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE
For some unknown reason I wanted to be disgusted this week so I chose to watch The Human Centipede (2009). This movie was written, directed, and produced by Tom Six.
The movie begins with two female American tourists becoming stranded in a wooded area in Germany. After being unable to call a car service due to lack of cell phone signal, they begin walking. They finally find a home and the owner invites them inside to call for help. Unfortunately for them, this man is a deranged doctor who has no intention of letting them go.
Dr. Heiter (played very convincingly by Dieter Laser) is a monster. I hated him. I wanted him to die. Formerly a surgeon who separated conjoined twins, he is now interested in joining people not separating them. I was disgusted but not for the reasons I thought I would be. I had avoided this movie because I hate poop! However, there is no poop in this movie. Only the idea of it which was still disturbing. All I could think of throughout the film was of Dr. Josef Mengele, the Nazi doctor who performed hideous experiments on concentration camp victims.
I imagine this was the intention of Tom Six since this doctor’s first name was Josef. The negative reviews on Amazon label this movie as torture porn. I do not agree. There really isn’t much torture leading up to the final product of Dr. Heiter’s experiment. It’s all about the end result for him. There is, however, plenty of gore and very disturbing imagery. Someone suggested to me this is a comedy. I found nothing humorous. I was simply grossed out and freaked out. I was rooting for his victims to escape but unlike a slasher movie there is no “it girl”. There is no hero. It’s just all darkness and despair.
If you are like me you put yourself in the place of the victims in horror films you spend the film wondering what you’d do. How would you survive? How would you escape? And if you did who would you be after that experience? Would you be able to keep your sanity after being dehumanized?
In a film like this or Hostel or even I Spit On Your Grave those thoughts are especially prevalent. I’m not sure if the Human Centipede is possible but I bet there is some madman somewhere who has attempted it or something equally horrific. How low can the human race go? It is my opinion that there are no boundaries.
If you want something a little different but still terrifying check out The Human Centipede.
