Why The Human Centipede DOESN’T Deserve Its Bad Reputation
The Human Centipede doesn’t deserve its bad reputation. The black comedy that took “body horror” to another level was surprisingly smart and scary.
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The Human Centipede, the notorious Tom Six film from 2009, doesn’t deserve its bad reputation. The pitch black comedy that took “body horror” to another level was a surprisingly smart and scary experience that proved highly entertaining to those who actually saw the film.
Inspired by an off-color joke filmmaker Six made regarding the ideal punishment for a pedophile, The Human Centipede gained notoriety for its shocking premise, but became a cult hit because of its memorable execution. The simple plot revolves around psychotic German surgeon Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser) who has become obsessed with creating a “human centipede”; three people surgically joined together mouth to anus. He kidnaps three unfortunate young adults, who are shown in detail how the procedure will be performed. The horrific nature of the surgery – and the glee in which the Heiter explains the transformation creates an unbearable suspense for the viewer.
The victims, played by Ashley C. Williams, Ashlyn Yennie and Akihiro Kitamura, are not given especially deep or sympathetic characterizations. Once the three have been secured to the hospital beds, a genuine sense of fear is generated. Given the focus of the film, one would expect a graphic depiction of the inevitable surgery. However, Six is more interested in the idea of the horrific premise and repulsive results – letting the audience fill in the pieces. Though he and cinematographer Goof de Koning don’t shy away from the violence, they play against expectation and show very little of the horrifying surgical procedure. Close-ups of the terrified victims as they are being sewn together are expertly edited to harrowing effect.
Why The Human Centipede Deserves A Wider Audience
The three are joined together with the ligaments of their knees severed to prevent them from attempting to stand. The extreme condition placed upon the hapless trio goes far beyond the bleak scenario of any Saw trap. Heiter is not merely a surgeon who has lost his mind – he is also a sadist who sees his “creation” as a pet. This complete disconnect from the victims as human is the most terrifying component in the film. Kitamura, playing a Japanese tourist who can’t speak either German or English, is given the front position. As punishment for a failed escape attempt, Wiliams is declared “the middle piece.” A training in session in the yard of Heiter’s secluded home, featuring the centipede victims crawling together in locked formation, is one of the most bizarre and unforgettable cinematic images from that decade.
Aside from the incredible suspense created from the desperate situation of the victims, the game performance of Laser takes the film to another level. Conjuring the manic histrionics of Udo Kier in Andy Warhol’s Flesh for Frankenstein and the tongue-in-cheek sadomasochism of Dyanne Thorne in the Ilsa series, Laser created an unforgettable horror villain. At once genuinely scary and over-the-top ridiculous, his assured performance carries the film to its bleak and darkly comic ending. Due to the controversial nature of the plot, the theatrical release was limited to art houses and midnight screenings. While it performed well, it was never able to reach a wide audience – with many people dismissing it based on the premise alone.
2009 was not a banner year for horror films, with poor remakes, such as Friday the 13th, and sequels to poor remakes, such as Halloween II, taking up the most space on theater screens. The Human Centipede was one of the few original offerings that felt dangerous and subversive. It was a true roller coaster ride compared to the safe, audience-tested schlock given wide releases at the time. It’s a shame that Six took two very different approaches to the inevitable follow-ups. The first sequel was a depressing black and white fever dream that was exactly the film everyone feared the original would be; mean-spirited, violent, and without a hint of irony. The third follow-up was a shrill comic book that wasted a returning Laser in a different, ill-fitting role. The latest film from Six, The Onania Club, has been waiting for a release date for over a year.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/human-centipede-movies-bad-reputation-undeserved/