The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence)

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.

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!!

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.

If you've ever wondered, "how disgusting can a movie be?..." well, this film pretty much answers the question. For what it is - and you probably know more or less what it is, or you wouldn't be reading this - it is fully realized in pretty much every aspect. Casting Harvey was pure genius. He carries the film with his amazing performance. There are plenty of little twists to keep you occupied, some of which are actually humorous in a grotesque way.

The odd thing, though, is that the film really isn't scary. Maybe because Martin is so divorced from reality that he seems incapable of true evil. Rather, he is just driven by a single-minded vision to complete his project. Probably the first real success he's had in his sad, sad life.

The effects are spot-on, and the pacing generally good, although I found it dragged a bit about 2/3 of the way through. However, the brashness and oddness of this film have surely earned it a spot alongside cult classics such as Eraserhead.

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.