Review of The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009) by Will H — 19 Jan 2012

Eventually, despite the rather disgusting (yet admittedly intriguing) premise, I felt compelled to view The Human Centipede (First Sequence), simply because it has become something of a recent cultural touchstone.

Tom Six's supposedly brutal torture porn opus about a maniacal doctor who performs the sadistic experiment of surgically attaching people mouth-to-anus has become ingrained in recent popular culture, from the mass media attention it received to being satirized in the South Park episode "HUMANCENTiPAD".

A sequel has even been released, with another and supposedly even more vile third installment on the way. And what is underneath all this hype. A conventional, boring, non-frightening, tedious, and only occasionally disgusting horror film.

So much was made of this film's gore, and how it supposedly "pushed the envelope", but at the end of the day, The Human Centipede isn't really more violent than other torture porn fare like Saw or Hostel.

Yes, its main premise is completely vile and well-executed (it's everything else in the film that sucks), but ultimately, it lacks the supposed oomph that the hype surrounding it promises. It's actually really, really, really boring at times, and it doesn't help that it's also completely terrible, despicable, and lacking any remote shred of class or decency.

Six's direction is probably the best thing in the movie, but it still feels like a direct-to-video horror schlock-fest, or even some kind of really sadistic porno. There is violence, yes, but it lacks any meaning or reason, and much like Hostel, is simply deplorable in every way.

The cast is also dismal, with only Dieter Laser as the mad Dr. Heiter getting any moments of anything beyond Razzie-level work. Ashley C. Williams and Ashlynn Yennie are both flat and overly hysterical, though Yennie fares better due to far less screentime, and Akihiro Kitamura just comes off as a overzealous and horribly racist stereotype.

Overall, avoid this one unless you have a strong stomach and are intensely curious. Ebert put it best: "It is what it is and occupies a world where the stars don't shine." Except he missed one thing: in general, with a few noted exceptions, The Human Centipede (First Sequence) really sucked (although it may work on some level as a kind of perverse comedy).