The Human Centipede II

Human Centipede II (Full Sequence), The (2011)

*** (out of 4)

Martin (Laurence R. Harvey), a deranged man who was sexually abused by his father, lives his life with his abusive mother who blames him for the father being in prison. Martin, a fan of the film THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE, finally reaches his breaking point and begins to pick victims so that he can create his own 12-person centipede. When THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE was released in 2009 it hit with a storm of controversy and it appeared that the film gained a cult following even before it was released. I found the movie to be well-made but found most of the so-called "shock value" to just be hype. I thought the film wasn't nearly as graphic as the filmmakers would like you to believe and the word around the campfire started to build early for this sequel. All sorts of rumors were leaked onto the net about how shocking this film was going to be so does it succeed or was it just more hype? I'd have to say a little bit of both but there's no question that this here is a much better movie than the first. With that said, if you're offended by the subject matter or graphic violence then there's no purpose to see this thing as no matter how well-made it is you're not going to make it through. The first portion of the film is going to remind people of ERASERHEAD as we spend most of the time getting to know this Martin character. On one hand you can't help but feel sorry for the guy due to him being raped by his father and abused by everyone in his life but then again you really can't forgive anything he's going to do on his quest. I really thought the first hour of the movie did a great job at building a sick atmosphere and a very surreal one without having to use any gore or violence. I think the sickening atmosphere created was exceptionally strong and it's do to the visual style and the performance by Harvey. Harvey doesn't get any dialogue so he's just acting his gestures, his eyes and his body movement but he certainly reminded me of Peter Lorre and delivered that same type of creepy performance that you'd expect to see from Lorre. I'm not sure if Fritz Lang's M had any impact on the performance or if the director had it in mind but they are quite similar. The supporting players are fit their parts nicely and that includes Ashlynn Yennie, the actress from the first film who plays herself here. Those wanting the gore and violence won't be disappointed but this here is pretty much saved for the final half hour of the picture. We get some pretty graphic stuff that I won't spoil here but if you're familiar with the original film then it's pretty much the same stuff only much more brutal. I think the smart thing director Tom Six did with this sequel is that he filmed it in B&W. This is the perfect example of why B&W is such a beautiful format and it shows what you can do with it. The shadows, the perfect lighting and just what it adds to the atmosphere. This film would never have worked in color and I'd even say the mostly silent nature of the picture was another very big benefit. THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE II (FULL SEQUENCE) is bound to have many curious viewers checking it out and if your stomach can handle the content then you shouldn't be disappointed.

An inferior sequel compared to the original, this film is an obvious attempt by director Tom Six to further shock his audience. Even though it is filmed entirely in Black and White and the main Villain has not one actual word of dialog, the film does succeed to shock. It's villain Martin's shocking and grotesque appearance alone is enough to make anyone want to vomit. Throw in the fact that he randomly likes to soil himself and is sexually obsessed with the original "Human Centipede" film and you have an original concept for a sequel that I do not believe has ever been done before. Martin's obsession leads him to create his own 'Human Centipede' this time with not just 3 but 12 segments! The plot takes some absurd twists and turns ignoring the fact that, as a security guard, Martin should be a little more conscientious of all of the security cameras filming his every move and abductions! Logic is thrown completely out of the window in exchange for pure shock value in this one. Consider the fact that, as a security guard who is mentally challenged, it is impossible for Martin to have the medical knowledge required to undergo such a surgical endeavor. Nearly all of the characters in this film are deplorable human beings from the insensitive mother who taunts Martin incessantly throughout the film to their belligerent neighbor who goes on a rampage simply because someone complains about his loud music. Martin even tricks one of the film's original stars, Ashlynn Yennie, into believing that she is auditioning for a Quinten Tarentino film and makes her the head piece of his centipede. Very little is left to the imagination in this one...things that were merely inferred in the original film are shown in graphic detail here and expounded upon grotesquely! DO NOT VIEW THIS FILM WHILE EATING!

Actually I should be grateful to Tom Six… Thanks to him and his demented movie, I finally know where to draw my own personal line when it comes to tolerating cinematic smut! The ideal way to describe this movie is to simply write down as many synonyms for the word "repulsive" you can think of! So here goes: "The Human Centipede II: Full sequence" is revolting, sickening, disgusting, loathsome, degrading, nauseating, appalling, despicable, vile, heinous, nefarious and absolutely positively depraved! The first film already caused quite a bit of commotion and controversy because of its plot and a handful of shocking sequences, but I swear the original looks like a politically correct Disney family flick compared to the totally messed up sequel! Not only does the concept of creating a human centipede gets enlarged and illustrated a lot more graphically, also the characters and sub plots are much more perverted and insane than in "First Sequence". I realize this will sound as a recommendation to all the sick puppies amongst you, but this is truly one of the most repugnant movies ever made. In spite of the emphasis more than obviously lying on gore and shock-factor, I nevertheless have to admit that the film features a number of ingenious story lines and creative twists. The whole basic plot and set up, for example, is surprisingly inventive. The sequel considers the original film in fact as a purely fictional "film" and thus the events and unorthodox medical experiments of Dr. Heiter were never real. However, the protagonist of part two – the obese and mentally handicapped midget named Martin – is addicted to watching this crazy movie and becomes obsessed with the idea of creating his very own (and bigger) human centipede. I can't deny that I find this idea intriguing as a starting point for a sequel. Writer/director Tom Six also generates a suitably grim and disturbing surrounding around pivot character Martin. He lives with his mother but she hates Martin with a passion. Why? Because her husband is in prison as Martin couldn't keep his pedophilic nightly visits secret. Martin works as a concierge in an underground parking lot where he captures his victims, but also bashes people's heads in with a crowbar and masturbates using sandpaper! He brings his centipede victims - all 12 of them, including a very pregnant woman – to a raunchy hangar and accomplishes his dream, which leads to many gross tableaux, I assure you. Multiple images that I can't even begin to describe truly give a whole new meaning to the words tasteless and immoral. When approaching the grand finale, you may expect scenes featuring excrement, rape, miscarriage and gratuitous torture/mutilation. Don't even consider watching "The Human Centipede II" – not even out of curiosity – if you have a bit of virtue left inside yourself. Laurence R. Harvey gives away a peculiar and remarkable performance as Martin. He is so convincingly perverted and deviant that I sincerely doubt if he's even a normal person in real life... I don't want to know him at least, that's for sure. The film is entirely shot in black and white, which perhaps makes the gruesomeness and on screen filth slightly more digestible, but primarily it increases the sober and grim atmosphere of it all. Other elements that contribute to this are the minimal use of dialogs and/or soundtrack and the nihilistic narrative tone. It maybe feels weird to admit, but technically speaking "The Human Centipede II" is actually a competent effort. Apparently there's already a third installment in the making, but I might just spare myself the hideous aftertaste in my mouth and stomach.

I really liked the original The Human Centipede. I was surprised by how tame it was as well. It really didn't show anything, and it was very subdued in its execution. It was also very well-made, and not some crappy and weak thriller. I liked that about it, but at the same time it got a little dull at times. Which is why I was completely excited for the sequel. I wanted it to come in a different style and vain and for it to be so much more gross. Does that say something about my mental health? Anyways, it didn't disappoint.

Like the original, the sequel is well-made. The use of black and white gives it a tone of its own, and the cinematography is pretty damn excellent, making use of its textures very well. The script doesn't have much depth in it, but how can it? Many people as opposed to how well made a film is also ask what's the importance of it. What's the importance of this? I'm not sure Tom Six was trying to say anything here... not even sure he was trying to in the original. The thing is, he has complete control of this film and the type of film he wants to make. This is shock cinema at its finest. People go watch horror films, well how about a really horrifying film? It is a question to be asked about films like this. How far do people go to see films like this, and why do we? Michael Haneke pointed out this very question in his film Funny Games, and this film is exactly the type of film he would be pointing at and criticizing. But in fact, he would criticize us... and our reason for watching this. For me, I love me a really gross film.

A Serbian Film is still the nastiest film I have ever seen, but that film's second half while nasty left me sorta bored. To me this type of film doing this is the ultimate disgrace it can do- to get you bored. This didn't. It's riveting cinematography, along with the performances, kept me entertained. Kudos not only to Laurence R. Harvey (who manages to be even better than the infamous performance of Deiter Laser) but also to his lunatic mom played by Vivien Bridson. They both manage to give the film a very dark humor tone during many scenes. Then the last 30 minutes, which are definitely too damn disgusting. Many scenes in this film are still in my head, and not just the gross scenes, but also many of the moments of the lead character and his weird mannerisms.

I do want to note that I most likely saw the edited version. The unrated is nowhere to be found, so I do want to give the unrated a visit on DVD hopefully. The sequel is better than the original for these simple reasons- it is more disgusting while also being more entertaining and definitely more funny in a twisted way. Also, kudos to the eerie sound effects and lack of music.

Lead actor is honestly scarier than the movie itself