Oh yes, I thought that it was about time that I made a review for the sequel to one of the most infamous horror films of recent times – The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence). It’s gritty, it’s intense, it’s downright nauseating really.
This film tried using the whole gimmick of being a sequel which is aware of the original film. I thought that this was a good idea that worked really well. For me, it made things seem slightly more real and therefore more disturbing because it could easily have been an authentic documentary, shot in black and white. However, where I think it fell down was that it managed to be a little (alright, a lot!) too extreme and this did end up losing any of the believability that it gained through the ‘self aware’ sequel. By this I mean, a twelve person human centipede? Performed by someone with no medical experience whatsoever? I’m sorry but there’s no way I’m buying that one.
I think that when talking about this film, one should not really take it too seriously. It’s too ridiculous to actually get offended by it, I feel. It has strayed so far from the realms of reality that it has become almost comical. Sick and twisted, no doubt, but with comical overtones as well. On the other hand, The Human Centipede (First Sequence) did manage to have an element of realism with the standard creepy doctor (German, of course!) and his cold, emotionless precision with the ‘experiment’. Plus, I think that the original film had that initial ‘shock’ value when the scientific concept is first revealed (the whole mouth-to-anus thing). It is this hideous concept alone which drew audiences in out of some morbidly curious desire. For this reason, I felt that the second film was nowhere near as effective as the first one, but to be fair, I really had no expectations of it being so. The whole experience was completely vile, and not in a good way. I know that it’s supposed to be vile, but perhaps if the story was embellished a bit more to allow the viewer some moments of normality, then they could take something out of it.
The Human Centipede II was actually refused to be given a certificate by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) because it was deemed that no amount of cuts would make the film allowable. The problem here came from the sexual arousal that the main character, Martin (played by Laurence R. Harvey), got over watching the ‘degradation of others’. Eventually, this decision was appealed though, and the film was granted an 18 certificate after a total of 32 cuts. I think the part that I personally found most repulsive was when he started masturbating with sandpaper whilst watching The Human Centipede (First Sequence). Don’t try this at home, kids.
Something that I’m sure some people will find slightly alarming is the fact that The Human Centipede III (Final Sequence) is due to be released in 2013, so we are not completely free of this ghastly concept just yet – which is especially nasty as Tom Six (director) tweeted that the new one will feature a 500+ human centipede. What a horrifying prospect! Although, there have been a few hiccups with this one as actor Dieter Laser (the doctor from the first movie), having first agreed to the proposed script has now kicked up a fuss, meaning that principal photography had to be delayed. Legal action was also considered being taken against him, but by the sounds of it, things are back on track again now. Gulp.
Anyway, I would definitely caution people who are interested in seeing The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) because it is definitely not one for the faint hearted (even if you managed to stomach the other one, you haven’t seen anything yet!). Think of the whole human centipede idea and then having laxatives thrown into the mix as well – a terrible, terrible combination. This is a film that you can never un-see, no matter how much you’d like to!
