I never planned on watching the sequel to “The Human Centipede”. Considering how much I loathed and was disgusted by it, a sequel seemed out of the question for me. When news came out that twelve people were involved and that the film was even more drastically disgusting, I swore to never see it. Through the power of friends and many insistent fans, I broke this promise.
There’s not much to be said about “The Human Centipede 2” that I didn’t cover in the first’s review. The main selling point is still the same; humans surgically attached to one another anus-to-mouth. Being a sequel, this one ups the ante, going from three victims to twelve. For those like me who hated the first, this will be torture. For those who enjoyed it (mainly the ones who will be seeking this out), this will be a bonus.
I’ll give credit where credit is due. The approach for this one is at least intriguing and a tad bit inventive. Instead of having Dr. Heiter coming back and capturing new victims, we’re introduced to Martin (Laurence R. Harvey). He’s a portly fellow with an apparent mental disability who suffers from childhood rape. He’s having issues with his mother, who hires Dr. Sebring (Bill Hutchins) to analyze him.
After hearing of his human centipede fantasies (as well as his own pet centipede, which I dubbed Charlie), Dr. Sebring concludes that he’s simply going through a phase due to his sexual inadequacies. His obsession with “The Human Centipede”, the film this is a sequel to, falls in line, as well. His mother shouldn’t be worried.
Only she should be. Martin is deeply disturbed and finds escape from reality by watching “The Human Centipede”. He fantasizes about the film, even masturbating to it (with sandpaper, of all things). He does this on the clock at work, where he acts as a security guard. This bodes well for him, not just in the film watching department.
Wanting to create his own human centipede, he scans the surveillance cameras and chooses victims. He scouts out an abusive boyfriend and his defenseless girlfriend, a hooker and even a pregnant woman. He also uses bullies from his own life, such as a loud and muscular neighbor who’s always giving him trouble.
The build up to the actual monstrosity plays out like a slasher film. We’re introduced to expendable characters, knowing their presence is only necessary for the main predator’s twisted pleasure. Unlike in a “Friday the 13th” film, we’re not treated to inventive deaths and good effects. Instead, we get face smashing via crowbars and gun shots, all building up to the eventual centipede moment.
As disgusting as the first film was, this sequel goes over the top and then some. It’s shown in black and white (filmed in color, but director Tom Six thought it was scarier in black and white), which at least acts as a sedative and lessens the impact. That doesn’t make the film any less disturbing and vile, especially in the final act. Let’s just say the excrement is in color and goes flying everywhere.
There’s not much to be said about this film. You’re either going to love it or hate it. I personally hate the film. I can see where others would find the sick perversions to be frightening. I myself find them disgusting and quite boring, at times. The latter part has terrible pacing to thank, as the film goes painfully slow in spots.
I began to appreciate that Tom Six added mother-son issues to the film, as well as the direction of using an obsessed fan acting out his wildest fantasies. This doesn’t make the film any better, though. If anything, it drags it down. Not because it distracts from the selling point, but for the fact that it feels like teasing. It’s as if Six is taunting us with a good film, only to shove excrement and bodily fluids down our throats (figuratively, thankfully).
Tom Six is currently working on the script for a third “Human Centipede”, dubbed “The Final Sequence”. Not only do I doubt this will be the last one, I also dread seeing it. I know I don’t have to, but feel my friends and fans will convince me to review it. Considering I’ve made it through two, what’s one more going to do to me?
Final Rating: F