The Human Centipede 2 [Full Sequence] Review

Not Rated

Running Time: 1 Hour & 28 Minutes

Cast:

Laurence R. Harvey-Martin Lomax

Ashlynn Yennie-Miss Yennie

Vivien Bridson-Mrs. Lomax/Martin’s Mother

Bill Hutchens-Dr. Sebring

Maddi Black-Candy

Peter Blankenstein-Alan

Dominic Borrelli-Paul

Dan Burman-Greg

Kandace Caine-Karrie

Peter Charlton-Jake

Daniel Jude Gennis-Tim

Georgia Goodrick-Valerie

Lucas Hansen-Ian

Lee Nicholas Harris-Dick

Emma Lock-Kim

Katherine Templar-Rachel

Directed by Tom Six

What a way to end 2011 by watching "The Human Centipede 2 [Full Sequence]"!

As a film critic (professional or otherwise), I do not have the luxury of being picky with the types of films that I watch as it is my obligation to present my honest opinion to my readers. The best I can hope for is that my criticism of a particular film inspires mature discussion; whether the reader agrees with me or not is irrelevant as it is, after all, just an opinion. Now, I am not a squeamish person as I’ve seen my fair share of films with…questionable content but director Tom Six’s “The Human Centipede II [Full Sequence]” is such an unrelenting endurance test into the depths of human depravity that it will turn off even the most stoic of viewers. Two years ago in 2009, “The Human Centipede [First Sequence]” became infamous for its unusual premise when it made the rounds at various film festivals. Six’s film gave new meaning to ‘ass to mouth’ as it told the story of a mad doctor kidnapping three victims so he can realize his vision of a Siamese triplet…by surgically connecting their mouths and anuses together! His inspiration for the film came from seeing a child molester on the news, prompting him to joke, ‘they should stitch this guy with his mouth to the ass of a very fat truck driver. It would be a really good punishment for him.’ Reactions to the film ranged from glowing praise to outright revulsion, with Michael Ordoña of the Los Angeles Times declaring in his review as a ‘crime against cinema.’ Whatever Six set out to accomplish, it worked and now we have the equally-controversial sequel that serves as the answer to all those naysayers who complained about the original’s relative lack of blood and gore. “The Human Centipede II [Full Sequence]” feels like a totally different film and while it may be hard to believe, the sadistic violence does serve a purpose but in his attempt to outdo himself, Six has created something that feels little more than a gimmick. Yet it has a certain unexplainable hypnotic quality to its bleak black-and-white imagery and even when the most horrible acts are being committed, you find yourself unable to look away from the screen thanks to the excellent dialogue-less performance of Laurence R. Harvey. 

Asthmatic and overly obese Martin Lomax (Laurence R. Harvey) is a short middle-aged man who works nights as a toll booth collector at an underground parking garage somewhere in the UK. He lives in a small flat with his elderly mother (Vivien Bridson) who hates Martin’s very existence and frequently voices her desire to kill him and herself. It is heavily implied that his father (who is currently in prison) sexually abused him when he was a child. Martin’s only source of happiness (and pleasure) comes from watching Tom Six’s “The Human Centipede [First Sequence]” on an endless loop while he works at his toll booth. He keeps a centipede as a pet and a scrapbook on the film under his bed. His only visitor is the lecherous Dr. Sebring (Bill Hutchens), who reassures Martin’s mother that he is going through ‘a phase’ and that it will pass. The lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur for Martin as he takes his obsession with Six’s film to new extremes by brutally kidnapping twelve people and creating his own ‘human centipede’ at a dingy warehouse. 

“The Human Centipede II [Full Sequence]” is billed as ‘100% Medically Inaccurate’ and the amount of blood and fecal matter on display makes the original film look relatively tame as it serves as a response to all those viewers who were expecting an all-out gore fest but came away disappointed. As I was watching the film, it almost feels like Tom Six is gleefully daring audiences to see if they can make it through to the end credits. I must confess that the version I saw was edited with approximately 2 minutes and 37 seconds of scenes excised in order for it to be released into theaters. The full uncensored version that premiered at Fantastic Fest 2011 back in mid-September at Austin, Texas is currently available on Bounty Films’ website for rent or download but unfortunately, it is restricted to UK and Australian citizens only, which is ironic considering the fact that both countries initially banned the film from being shown in cinemas. I do not approve of any form of censorship against films (or media in general) as people should have the right to choose what they want to watch but regulatory organizations such as the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) feel it is their ‘responsibility’ to protect the public from material that would be considered ‘obscene.’ Violent or objectionable content in media often spurs complaints from watchdog groups that it will inspire copycats and the sequel uses that as its inspiration with Martin attempting to make his own human centipede. I find it admirable that Six wanted to challenge his critics by utilizing a meta-narrative device but in his attempt to outdo himself and give the audience what they clamored for, all the commentary and subtext ultimately gets lost in a sea of dehumanizing, sadistic violence and that’s the reason why this sequel is inferior. Looking at the film at a more technical level, the editing this time feels haphazard and amateurish compared to the original but I believe it is Six’s attempt to give it more of an ‘underground’ vibe. The black-and-white style does seem at odds with the sequel’s intentions but I admit it exudes a bleak, oppressive atmosphere that wouldn’t be possible in color. There’s a sense of hopelessness to what is happening and has a gripping, hypnotic effect that it’s impossible to turn away. Say what you will about Tom Six but he certainly has a way of drawing the viewer in and keeping them immersed in this depraved world he’s created. 

As for the violence, I just know you’re curious so I’ll give a brief rundown of the highlights. A woman gets repeatedly hit with a crowbar in the head and we see the gory aftermath with her skull smashed to bits. Martin uses a hammer to knock everyone’s teeth out and uses a rusty pair of scissors to cut off their tendons to keep them from escaping. To connect all his victims, he bloodily slices open their buttocks and staples their faces to the next person’s anus. He injects laxatives into everyone and the fecal matter expelled splashes onto the screen in the film’s single use of color. Last but not least, a woman’s tongue is forcibly removed with a pair of pliers and the tail-end of the centipede is brutally sodomized by Martin with a piece of barbed wire wrapped around his penis (implied in the edited version). This is only the edited version as the uncensored one includes a newborn infant having its skull graphically crushed against a gas pedal by its own mother who is desperately trying to escape. Knowing all this, would you still watch the film? This I leave up to you, the reader, to decide. 

Dialogue is kept to a minimum in the film and the acting is on the amateurish side as everyone exaggerates with all the expletives. I must say, I am impressed by Six being able to gather such a cast willing to strip down naked and then crawl on all fours while having their heads taped to another person’s rear end. The one performance that really stands out is Laurence R. Harvey, who inspires pity and disgust at the same time. I have no idea where Six found him but he apparently worked in children’s television and theater so there’s a bit of irony seeing him in a film like this given his previous roles. During his audition, he admitted that he flipped a chair upside down to mimic raping someone as Six wanted to challenge him. From interviews, he comes off as a friendly chap but on film, his mere blank stare inspires chills. This is the birth of a horror icon. None of the original cast returns with the exception of Ashlynn Yennie, who is playing an exaggerated version of herself. 

“The Human Centipede II [Full Sequence]” had a limited theatrical release on October 7, 2011 and will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray on February 14, 2012, which is ironically Valentine’s Day. For those living in New York City, the only theater that showed the film was the IFC Center and they were only doing midnight screenings. I have no information on its production budget but it was reportedly similar to the first film. Either way, its low box office earnings ($123,043 domestic) shouldn’t be a problem as it’ll break even as a home and video-on-demand release. Reception has been negative with 31% on Rotten Tomatoes as critics concluded the sequel ‘attempts to weave in social commentary but as the movie wears on, it loses its ability to repulse and shock and ends up obnoxious and annoying.’ Roger Ebert wrote in his own review that it was ‘reprehensible, dismaying, ugly, artless and an affront to any notion, however remote, of human decency’ and awarded the film zero stars compared to the non-rating of the original. I will not be surprised if most people have this type of reaction and there’s nothing wrong with that but for me, it’s impossible to quantify my feelings with an arbitrary score. I appreciate Tom Six’s talent in making the film but whatever he wanted to say was lost in the sea of relentless violence so the only comment I can make without hesitation is that this sequel is inferior to the original. Whether you hate it or love it though, “The Human Centipede II [Full Sequence]” will be talked about for a long time to come.

Final Rating: N/A (Does not mean 0 out of 5)

*No line here since much of the film is dialogue-less.*