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| This chilling poster for Tom Six's The Human Centipede (First Sequence) lets the viewer imagine for himself, what is actually behind the glass ... |
In Germany, two American and one Japanese tourists are kidnapped by a prominent, retired surgeon, who, in his own words, doesn't like humans. What he does like is a twisted plan for the three: To form a human centipede, mouth-to-anus.
The idea behind The Human Centipede (First Sequence) is deeply sick, but the Dutch writer-director Tom Six (I Love Dries (2008)) carries it out with an admirable determination and enthusiasm.
Dieter Laser (The Elixirs of the Devil/Die Elixiere des Teufels (1976)) makes an eminent villain out of the doctor and is the best part of the film. The acting of the American girls by Ashley C. Williams (Julia (2014)) and Ashlynn Yennie (L.A. Slasher (2015)) is just so-so.
Although the revolting details are almost entirely implicit in this the first film in Six's Human Centipede trilogy, the film is still extremely disgusting to watch (and listen to.)
Related post:
Tom Six: The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) (2011) - Six's rancid meta nightmare
Here is a very short video of Tom Six, posted in 2017
Cost: Estimated 1.5 mil. €, equaling approximately 1.7 mil. $
Box office: In excess of 325k $
= Mega-flop
[The Human Centipede (First Sequence) premiered 30 August (London FrightFest Film Festival) and runs 92 minutes. The idea came to Six when he talked with a friend about possible fair punishments for child molesters. Inspirations count Pier Paolo Pasolini's infamous Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom/Salò o le 120 Giornate di Sodoma (1975), films of Takashi Miike, David Lynch and David Cronenberg, the Dutch version of reality TV phenomenon Big Brother as well as historic facts of WWII, not least the medical experiments of Joseph Mengele at the Auschwitz concentration camp, which also informed Laser's performance. Another factor in that was the actor's knowledge of his own father's active service for Nazi Germany during the war. Six has alleged he did not disclose specifics about the plot's 'centipede' to the film's financiers, who remained in the dark until the film was finished at which point (he claims), they were happy with it. Shooting took place in Holland. Paintings of conjoined twins in the doctor's house were done by Six. Laser remained in character while filming, which led to him shouting, kicking a cast member followed by an on-set fight and him hurting one at another instance. The posters' claim that it is '100 % medically accurate' is a catchy tagline but at best a contested fact. The film was released unrated in North America: It opened #71 in 1 theater to a 12k $ first weekend, peaked at #44 and in 19 theaters (different weeks) and grossed 181k $ (55.7 % of the total gross) there. The gross listed above only accounts for 4 markets, of which the 2nd and 3rd biggest are Peru with 72k $ (22.2 %) and Taiwan with 61k $ (18.8 %). The film played almost exclusively at horror film festivals around the world. Roger Ebert refused to give the film a star rating, stating, "It is what it is and occupies a world where the stars don't shine." It netted in excess of 2.1 mil. $ on home video sales. It is impossible to know whether the film was profitable in the end (especially due to home video sales) with so little known of its theatrical run and expenses, but the figures known indicate it was a theatrical mega-flop. It has nevertheless gotten two sequels: The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) (2011) and The Human Centipede III (Final Sequence) (2015). The Human Centipede (First Sequence) is rotten at 49 % with a 5.1 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of The Human Centipede (First Sequence)?
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