Being a Canadian, sometimes it takes a while before some movies reach us. And with new formats for watching films popping up in increasing numbers across the United States, sometimes it takes even longer to see some films. But when the Toronto After Dark Film Festival announced that The Human Centipede (First Sequence) would be their Closing Night Gala film, I knew this was an opportunity I could not miss. And even after seeing the film almost two months ago, I cannot help but shake the feeling that I saw something truly special.

If you read anything online about movies, or you follow movie news in any capacity, chances are you have heard about The Human Centipede. The film developed a certain notoriety for the very idea the film is based around. For those few who have not heard, the film concerns a mad scientist and former surgeon named Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser) who kidnaps three victims (two of them being female American travelers looking for fun across Europe) and stitches them together through their mouths and rears into one organism as an experiment.

Now I am not one to judge another’s twisted imagination, but obviously the idea the film centers around is inherently disgusting and repulsive. Add to that the tagline of being “100% Medically Accurate” and you have a film that will divide audiences right down the middle between people who have the morbid curiosity to see Tom Six’s heinous and wildly original vision, or those who find the idea revolting and nauseating. One watch of the trailer will likely divide audiences even further, as it gives a taste of what you are in for should you venture into the film. And rather sadly, it ruins a bit of the surprise of what Heiter’s creation looks like.

I only say it ruins some of the surprise because knowing what the creation looks like before seeing the film hinders its impact. The sheer idea of what it looks like, and the physics and “accuracy” behind it, are significantly more disgusting than the film actually is. Sure, the film is rather sick and twisted for the majority of time, and there are a lot of scenes made explicitly to make the squeamish regret their decision to watch it. But once you get past the idea of the human centipede itself, there is really nothing that should irk, repulse or keep you from watching for the remaining period of time. You may even find yourself a little disappointed at the limited paths the film takes and does not take. Sadly, the idea is more horrific than the final product, and the hype around that idea has already made the film a genuine success right from the start.

Looking past the rather slapped together storyline (there really is only so much story can go into a film that is more based on an idea than anything else), the other reason anyone should seek the film out is Laser’s performance as Dr. Heiter. I cannot recall any recent performance that is nearly as demented, as ridiculously overacted, as involving, as nearly insane, or as deliciously evil as Laser’s. This is a character that needs to be seen to be believed. Laser comes off as both unintentionally hilarious and downright psychotic in his every scene. Never once does he waver or even consider not putting every ounce of strength he has an actor into this character. This is the kind of legendary, entire self-involving performance people raved about Sacha Baron Cohen pulling off in Borat (and to a lesser degree, Brüno) a few years back. But Laser makes those performances come off as amateur in comparison. He is the real deal and a menacing and truly horrifying actor if I ever saw one. He is absolutely perfect in every sense, and he sells the idea and the film even better than the title and the hype does. No other actor in the film even comes close to how amazing a performance he gives.

But there are problems. As mentioned, the story is a bit of a mess, and does not serve any real point other than to get to the moments before and after the centipede is created. The haphazard survival story that comes about really does not even attempt to go anywhere, and some of the more emotional sequences come off rather silly in the grand scheme of things. But the film moves past these elements, and does away with them almost like they are nothing. The film knows it was made to be about a concept more than it is a cohesive whole, and having Laser’s performance is merely an added benefit that likely was not initially envisioned when it was being scripted. Six relies too much on the creation of the centipede and in turn, Laser, to keep the film going from start to finish, that he allows everything else to become secondary to it. But really, if anyone goes into this movie expecting anything more, they should not be searching for a film like this in the first place.

As a filmgoer with full knowledge of The Human Centipede (First Sequence) going in, I came out wildly surprised by the film. Sure, it was not a great film and I do think the envelope could have been pushed even further, but Six has created something original and manages to be thoroughly enjoyable. But I doubt if I watched it again alone it would have nearly the same effect as it did watching with a crowd. This is a movie that practically begs to be watched with more than one person (just think of all the drinking games that could come out of it). It is a movie that is destined for cult status, and the rare movie that lived up to its hype, at least in some degree. Let’s just hope the sequel does not overdo it too much.

  -- David Baldwin