With torture porn and splatter films having desensitised moviegoers in recent years, you could say that the days of being scared by your everyday knife-wielding maniac are pretty much long gone for the more hardcore horror aficionado. As a result, its no surprise that filmmakers are trying out new and inventive ways to leave us gibbering and gagging as we watch from between our fingers.
Taking depravity to new levels, The Human Centipede tells the story of a couple of American girls whose holiday to Germany takes a turn for the worse when their car breaks down and a passer-by scares them half to death. Seeking help from a nearby house, they soon find themselves in for a worse fate, as the surgeon who lives there prepares them for his latest experiment to create a human centipede by attaching three people by stitching them together from mouth to anus. Lovely.
Born from a joke where the director suggested that child abusers should have their mouths stitched to the arse of a fat truck driver, The Human Centipede is undoubtedly a twisted and grim movie. That said however, its delivery is a lot tamer than it could have been mainly thanks to the use of bandages to create the illusion of the experiment instead of applying some pretty gross special effects. As such, it may disappoint anyone thats looking for a film that can truly churn their stomach to new levels (its more the idea of whats going on that what you see thats gross here). The only other real problem is that the two girls are so bloody irritating that you could almost side with the deplorably nutty doctor and thats saying something.
Nevertheless, its an interesting attempt at plumbing new depths of body-shock horror. With an apparently more disturbing sequel currently in production, anyone who wasnt as grossed out as they would have liked should be able to satiate their thirst for something truly sick by this time next year. For everyone else though, this film alone should suitably challenge your horror endurance levels. Very grim indeed.
Overall Verdict: Lets be honest, when a film involves people being stitched ass-to-mouth, a review isnt going to sway you one way or the other is it? Still, it is what it is a violently disturbing but inventive way to breathe new life into the horror genre…either that or the most disgusting film you could imagine. You be the judge.
Reviewer: Jordan Brown