The Human Centipede Review
By David Kempler
A Six-Legged Centipede
Are you looking to stay ahead of the curve on which film will be next to be a cult favorite at midnight showings? Have I got a sure thing for you. "The Human Centipede" has got "cult classic" written all over it. It's got the requisite weirdness, twenty times over. It is also at times scary, funny, gross, obscene, and so strange that you will have trouble believing that this idea emanated from a human brain. Best of all it features a lead performance that will stamp the career of actor Dieter Laser. His Dr. Heiter is best described as an even more out-there Christopher Walken-type playing a demented scientist.
Dutch filmmaker Tom Six's twisted biological horror film opens with a truck driver on the side of a road in Germany, relieving his body of toxins. A mysterious man stalks him and shoots him. Then we switch to two young American beauties who are touring through Europe. On a rainy night, their car breaks down in a desolate wooded area. Obviously, something bad is about to happen to them. In this way, "The Human Centipede" is like every other teen slasher film. But, wait a couple of minutes. What follows is unlike anything you have ever seen. I guarantee that.
After wandering through the woods, seeking help, they happen upon a house. When the door opens, Dr. Heiter appears. He is exceedingly happy to have these two victims drop into his lap, drugs them, and takes them hostage. They wake up in a lab, buckled onto hospital beds. Next to them, is the previously abducted truck driver. I won't go into the details of what follows, other than to tell you that Dr. Heiter is hell-bent on trying to create a new form of life.
Aside from the understandably weak acting of the two young ladies, almost everything works, especially the Dr. Heiter character. Laser is one of my favorite evil guys of all time. His look is beyond description. It's about the way he talks, moves and looks at his victims. I can't see this ever being remade by an American outfit, but Christopher Walken is the only one I'd even consider for the role.
"The Human Centipede" is chilling, but it's also funny at times, making it even stranger. It's also beautifully shot by Tom Six. If you're a mainstream type, stay away because, no doubt, you will walk out of the theater in disgust. If your taste runs toward the out-there, don't miss this, because your friends will be talking about it all of the time. You don't want to feel left out, do you?
