The Human Centipede: First Sequence (VOD Review)

On Demand Now!

Dr.Heiter is a man overcome with the guilt of a successful career separating conjoined twins, so much so that he becomes obsessed with “joining.” After the loss of his precious “3 Dog,” Heiter’s mental state begins to deteriorate further and he decides to begin work on his greatest creation, a twisted creation that transforms separate individuals into one cohesive unit, one writhing mass sharing both form and function, The Human Centipede.

Last year when I came across news of Tom Six’s The Human Centipede: First Sequence I must admit that I was incredibly excited. The concept was wildly original, the visuals were deeply disturbing and, let’s be honest, the genre tends to be more miss than hit when it comes to quality productions. I certainly didn’t think it would be a perfect film but it is nice to see something different come our way every so often and nobody can deny that this isn’t different.

Six’s First Sequence lives up to its buzz as a creative and visually disturbing film but I did feel a bit underwhelmed while watching. Was it worth the $6.99 On Demand fee? I’d have to say yes but be sure not to hype this up in your own mind too much because it’s just not the kind of shockfest I was expecting. It’s a good flick, with some awesome cinematography but not the “next big thing” I thought it was going to be. Ultimately this film really depended heavily on two things, the acting and the human centipede itself.

I certainly can’t complain about the acting, it was all well above average, especially from the insanely talented actor Dieter Laser (Mantrid from Lexx) as Dr. Heiter; his character was flat out scary. The human centipede actors, made up of newcomers Akihiro Kitamura, Ashlynn Yennie and Ashley C. Williams, should also be congratulated on their brave performances as well. I mean it’s one thing to act under pressure, it’s another entirely to act while semi-nude, on your knees and attached to a co-star’s posterior! The very thought would make most people cringe but to do it for hours on end for a horror film, well that’s just plain ballsy. Tom Six is a mad sadist.

I think, for me, the film really went wrong with the character of Heiter and the human centipede’s screen time. Laser was great and the visuals and FX were top-notch, I suppose I just feel that Heiter was underdeveloped and the centipede was overexposed. I know, crazy right? Most people would demand MORE of the disturbing stuff but I wanted things to be kept a little more in the dark than they were. Six did a great job of keeping things from spiraling into nothing more than gratuitousness nudity and gore but I was hoping for a more Cronenbergian approach, with more insight into Heiter and perhaps a touch more noir to keep the true horrors of his work in the shadows. The build up and mind-blowing reveal weren’t there for me but the action toward the thrilling final quarter ended up hooking me anyhow.

The Human Centipede was a thrilling ride and despite the above whining, I’ll more than likely be purchasing this film to add to my personal collection because I just love the kind of horror that challenges our perception of what truly terrifies us. “Body horror” is something that never gets old for me. I would definitely recommend this film to people searching for a new flavor in what has increasingly become a bland, homogenized genre. Tom Six is undoubtedly a filmmaker with vision, I can’t wait to where he goes with the next installment “Full Sequence.”