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.

The movie was better than I thought it would be. It took me a a few days to get ready to view the movie. I usually watch a movie twice (on-demand), but I could only stomach HC1 once. I had to get into a frame of mind to view this movie and I was correct. HC2 is far more over the top. Lot's of gore and surprises.

I thought the villain in HC1 was a great choice, but the villain in HC2 is off the charts!! I felt pity towards this guy (however brief it was)until he started his re-creation. I hope this guy was acting and not just being himself. I mean I have never seen someone so jacked up. I thought he was going to pass out half the time or have a heart attack. I hope he has a life outside creepy movies.

I was shocked after reading about some of the parts that where cut out. I don't know how much more shock value I could have took, although some of the cut scenes seem to merit a viewing. Which begs the question of why IFC, the benchmark of indie films, would cut anything?

Overall, I liked the movie for what it was,although it must have been a bear to shoot. I have to give props to all the actors in this film. At some points I could see the physical difficulty some of the actors were having with some of the contortions.

Big props to Sixx for shocking me another time!!

Human Centipede 2 is like watching a crime scene. Besides our nasty, degenerate villain in Martin, there is no character development at all. What is on the screen is just violent act after violent act, culminating in a slightly open ending. I was expecting to see some really horrible acts of violence against bodies, and that's exactly what I got. I didn't enjoy it one bit. However, I cannot deny the effect it had upon me. I had to watch the Simpsons for an hour following this film so I could feel normal again. Physically, this is the most disturbing film I've seen. I have seen worse in extreme cinema when you are actually invested in the characters, but that is impossible here. This movie is not for the squeamish at all, in fact a scene or two forced me to turn away and gag slightly. It sucks to admit that as I consider myself a seasoned genre fan, but yeah, certain parts were really freaking gross. Was there any tension? Well the first one elicited a few genuine scares but here, the fear is for what your eyes are going to be subjected to next. Watch at your own risk.

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.

without a doubt the most tasteless and disgusting film I've ever seen. The first movie at least a semblance of a plot but this crude and nasty "movie" has no plot-it's nothing short of torture porn. The first 30 minutes or so passable but the last third was just revolting. There is no motive other than to show people suffering and being mutilated. I couldn't even watch most of it. Why are people so desperate to work in a movie that they would subject themselves to such degradation? As an actor, there i no amount of money or notoriety that would convince me to do something so horrendous. It's just sick for the sake of being sick. It doesn't even make sense. Martin works in a parking garage to find victims yet no one ever notices his actions or him coming to work covered in blood. Sick, vile and disgusting. The first movie is Citizen Kane compared to this garbage. Tom Six should NEVER be allowed near a computer, a camera or any amount of cash EVER. I would give this minus 10 if allowed.