The Human Centipede 2, WTF?
Writing a review about The Human Centipede 2 (2011) feels a little ridiculous. The film has gained so much infamy in the film realm as being absolutely gory and revolting. By now people most likely already made up their minds on whether or not they want to see a “body horror” film involving a 12-person centipede. But for all those people interested in the bloody violence that is gore, I can relay how ridiculously sinister this film really is.
1. It’s in black and white... This is the most apparent stylistic decision made, and the colorlessness really has an interesting effect on the viewer. Such extreme violence, without the overstimulation of the usual color of blood and flesh, feels raw and extremely present. There is little distraction from the graphic carnage as you’re caught off-guard by the lack of color. The visual style is successful in creating a disquieting atmosphere and leaves you rather unsettled.
2. Really easy, but really gritty... Now I’m sure you’re wondering - how difficult would it be to make a 12-person centipede? Our psychotic wanna-be surgeon is a 40-year-old obese, asthmatic man, Martin Lomax (Laurence R. Harvey), pulls off the feat with extremely limited resources and I mean LI-MI-TED. He uses things like duct tape, a staple gun, a crowbar, and a hammer. You’ll find yourself missing the clean and meticulous German surgeon from the first film, as this sad loner messily begins his obsessive project by just walking around knocking out people with a damned crowbar. At least he comes across some obstacles, which are absolutely ridiculous and almost out of nowhere, but there should be *some* consequences for doing surgery with a razor blade or staples. By the end, shit is just a mess and you’ll be exhausted by the amount of grittiness this main character hurriedly induces all around.
3. “one audience member became so physically ill”... Now I haven’t really mentioned any characters or story for that matter, but that’s because of how much the gore overshadows the overall story of Martin Lomax. As a 40-year-old man, who suffered physical abuse in his childhood, he becomes oddly obsessed with The Human Centipede film, and just loses his shit and decided to go on an insane rampage. He even manages to trick Ashlynn Yennie (star of the The Human Centipede) into his clutches and integrates her into the grotesque makings of his imagination. Although the not-so-interesting story is a welcomed break from the unrelenting havoc of Martin, I’m pretty sure you’ll be more affected by the gore itself. As a veteran of horror and gore I didn’t turn away or close my eyes much, but I definitely screamed at the television a bunch - something like “that ain’t right - you can’t just do that!!” But maybe other viewers will be needing a barf bag.
Basically this movie is one huge bloody mess and disturbing to sensitive sensibilities. During its US premiere in Texas, IFC Films even gave out barf bags and had an on-site ambulance as a gimmick. Ironically enough, “one audience member became so physically ill … that real paramedics had to assist her.” LOL, but also WTF. It’s hard for me to even suggest this movie to other people without a huge warning. All I know is that I’m a huge gore and horror fan, and this went beyond my standards for an outrageous gory mess.
