The Human Centipede 2 - Should it be banned in UK?

(Note, all views expressed in this blog are purely based on personal opinion. The following is not intended to be a rant, but rather an expression of said opinion).

Following on from my most recent review of The Human Centipede, I decided for my own morbid curiosity more than anything else to check out when the sequel was coming out. Hell I figured “why the hell not?” I mean I took the time to see the first one so why not check out the second.

So imagine my surprise when I saw that The Human Centipede 2 was actually BANNED in the UK! That’s right, the BBFC have refused to give it a rating – meaning that legally it cannot be shown or sold in any format in this country. Their reasons? They just found it sick and twisted.

Ok, there as more to it than that I guess, but then I guess if you read the synopsis of The Human Centipede 2 then you can’t blame them for that. For the sake of those that are easily offended, I won’t say what the plot of The Human Centipede 2 is, but you can read about it on the web. I haven’t included a link for anywhere particular but you can read about it on Wikipedia if you’re interested. I will say this, after reading the plot of The Human Centipede 2, I have to admit that I can’t blame them for their decision to ban the film.

Let’s be honest, banning films in England (whilst rare in this day and age) is not a new thing. I mean classic films like A Clockwork Orange and The Exorcist were banned in the UK for the longest time. I’m not comparing The Human Centipede to either of those films – I mean both films I mentioned did actually have an underlining theme behind their controversial subject matter.

A Clockwork Orange was incredibly violent, but it had deep moral and psychological themes to it and whether aversion therapy is really the right way to solve violence in our society by taking away their ability to defend themselves.

The Exorcist is supposedly based on real evidence of devil possession but it is a classic for its time for all the special effects and disturbing imagery. It delved into our deepest human fears and really tested how much we put our faith in religion to fight back evil. It also spawned the screamer craze on the internet (I really hate those things).

The Human Centipede 2 is... well, about a human centipede and a guy who... er, likes seeing people sown mouth to backside I guess. Not really much in the way of moral messages I guess – but does it really deserve to be banned in the UK? I mean, what really makes this film so bad that it couldn’t get a rating when the first one managed to get an 18 certificate all right.

Let me just remind you that the BBFC gave an age rating to A Serbian Film for crying out loud. A Serbian Film – one of the most horrific, inhuman and disgusting movies ever to be created. Why? I hear you ask. Two words – Newborn Porn! I honestly think this is the most sickening film ever to exist – in fact, just typing about it makes me angry. And even THAT managed to get an 18 certificate! All because it was supposed to be an allegory for political pressure in Serbia. Personally, I think that’s just crap! The film is what it is, a degenerate of a movie that somehow we are now able to buy on DVD.

Or, how about the Hostel movies? These movies are surely just as sickening and horrific as the Human Centipede 2, in fact more so. Whilst I did like the Hostel movies to begin with, the more I see them the more I despise them. They are nothing more than torture porn and I honestly saw no point to these movies other to show director Eil Roth as what he really is – a sick bastard! Don’t believe me, look at some of his other movies like Cabin Fever!

Then again, if we are on the subject of torture porn, why don’t we look at the Saw movies, who arguably started this new craze of torure porn in horror movies. Here’s the thing though – in Saw, the movie was about a guy (Jigsaw) who believed that he was trying to help people appreciate their existence by putting them in life or death traps, usually resulting in them being killed in horrific ways. Here’s the thing though, I actually like the Saw movies. I will admit that as the film series went on they did concentrate on the gore rather than the story (to anyone chuckling factiously here, yes, believe it or not Saw had a story) and the traps just got way too over the top. But the point here is that the traps were never intended to kill the victims. If anything, Jigsaw wants his victims to escape the trap, because he believes it will make them a better person. So at least there actually is a point to the Saw movies, it’s not just violence for the sake of violence.

I guess the real question is, should movies like The Human Centipede 2 be banned? I’m of the opinion that people are intelligent enough to make their own mind up as to whether they want to see a film or not. After all, it’s not as if the director is forcing the public to watch his movie.

However, I know there are some people who are worried about films like these coming out because you’ll get the usual “what if kids see this film?” Again, this is what the rating system is for in the first place, to advise people of what the content will contain. And I would like to think that everyone in the world would know what is suitable for them or their family. I mean, if you were looking for a film for the whole family to watch and you had a choice of either the latest Disney film, or the horror movie Cannibalistic Zombie Badgers Who Play Your Organs Like Bagpipes (directed and produced by Michael Bay) – I think that it’s fair to say the Disney film would win out! I mean, seriously, who would want to put their family through the torture of Michael Bay?

I’m not saying that the BBFC did the wrong thing in banning the film in UK – if anything I believe they had the noblest of intentions. I just think that if you look at the past films that have managed to pass with a certificate of some kind (albeit cut in some ways) then it just feels a little hypocritical to ban this one especially. Why should we have to miss out when the rest of the world gets to see it?

Or, maybe this is just a clever marking ploy to raise awareness of the movie a little more – in which case this is a genius marking ploy on the part of Tom Six. I’d say, let this movie come out. We all know what we can take or not. Let the film come out and we can decided if we want to see it or not.

Sorry if this came across as a rant, I tried to write it so that it didn’t mean to be. Got anything else to add to this? Please feel free to email or comment below!

Kindest

Pandragon

Pandragon Reviews - The Human Centipede

WARNING: This review contains minor spoilers and some adult content. Those of a sensitive constitution read at your own risk.

The internet is a wonderful tool when coming to promote new movies these days and help gain a following months before the movie is even out. In the old days, producers were restricted to having trailers in cinemas just before the main feature, along with TV commercials and posters. Now, with sites like YouTube, movie studios can place their advertisements on the world wide web for all to see, gaining popularity through viral campaigns and what have you. It’s also a great tool for independent film makers who don’t have a large budget to make the audience aware of their up and coming feature.

And this was the case with The Human Centipede, at the time one of the most talked about – and arguably the most controversial – horror movie. The interest around this film was massive before it had even come out in cinemas; and even then it had a limited run. But then, what wasn’t there to get excited about. The concept of the film is about a guy that sows three people together, mouth to, ahem, backside, to create the eponymous Human Centipede. And can you believe this actually came about from an idea the director had about what would be a fitting punishment for sex offenders?

Now, admittedly I’m not a huge fan of horror movies, so I didn’t exactly rush to see this movie. I just think horror movies these days have lost a lot of impact that they used to have. Whereas in the old days horror movies tried to creep their audience out through atmosphere and haunting visuals, nowadays it’s just all gore and stupid main characters. I just don’t think movies these days are that scary anymore. However, I heard a LOT of people that had seen this movie, saying how gross it was and that it was one of the creepiest films they had ever seen. Some people who haven’t seen the film even get creeped out by the very idea of the movie.

Ok, I was starting to get interested. But seeing as the film wasn’t shown in any cinemas in my area (at least to the best of my knowledge), I decided to wait until it came on TV to see it. And it just so happened that, last night, I stumbled across it. So I stayed up and watched it, with the many predetermined thoughts that my mind had been filled with. I expected this movie to make me feel physically sick and disturbed afterwards.

So come around 1:00am, when the film had finished, how did I feel? Honestly, I felt somewhat disappointed. Not by the movie, the movie I thought was actually pretty good – but for all the hype, I was surprised at how – restrained it was in many ways.

I don’t think I need to go too much into the plot as I’m pretty sure you would have already guessed what it is by the title – a mad scientist capturing three young people with the intention of creating his own twisted monster. That’s pretty much it. Not much in the way of plot I’ll admit, but I think the movie does the best it can with what it has. The whole way through the film there is a certain feel of helplessness and being trapped, which the movie does very well. It has a certain lovecraftian feel to it – that’s not to say that they are assaulted by outerspace gods, but rather that they cannot escape the horror no matter how much they try.

Personally, I think the creepiest parts of the film come from the first part, building up to the Human Centipede itself. There is a real sense of fear that is carried across very well and we can really sense the terror from the protagonists. Some reviewers complained that the main actresses were not very good and just spent the whole time screaming, but to be fair I think they did all right. And to be fair, I think I’d probably spend the whole day screaming if I had to go through what they did!

Honestly though, when it comes to the actual creation of the Human Centipede, I gotta be honest, I just found these scenes unintentionally hilarious! Don’t get me wrong, I really felt for the guys that had to go through this torment – but a couple of the scenes just made me laugh, though I guess that was just out of being uncomfortable. I think one of the most infamous scenes of the film was the part where one of the characters, the head of the centipede, has to, er, relieve himself and because the other two girls are connected to his backside, they have to eat his... leavings. This scene is actually not as gross as it looks on screen as it’s only implied what happens. Still, the idea of it is pretty sick so I guess that’s why people would get upset.

Now let’s talk about one of the highlights for me. Dieter Laser as the mad doctor. I’ve never really heard of this actor before now and as far as I’m aware, the only other English speaking role he’s done was in the TV seires Lexx, which I never saw. But let me tell you, he is frigging brilliant in this film! He plays the character of Doctor Heiter with all the insanity and psychotic mentality that you expect from a mad scientist – and he’s so entertaining to watch. Even when he’s being disturbing, you still can’t take your eyes away from him. There are times when he is a little over the top and can be a bit campy, but otherwise he is brilliant – I hope he plays more villain roles in the future.

There were, however, a couple of things about the movie that kinda puzzled me. Ie, the scene when one of the girls almost has a chance to escape, but then goes back to save her friend, who is drugged and comatose. Whilst I understand she was trying to save her friend, surely it would have been better for her to go and get help and then come back, especially when her friend would have slowed her down. Then again, I find with a lot of horror movies, logic doesn’t factor into it.

Another thing, and this is the thing that most interests me about the movie – apparently what they do in the movie is 100% medically accurate and this is the selling point of the movie. I can take it or leave it as to whether it’s true or not. But here’s my question – WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THIS ANYWAY? What possible scientific benefit could this have to the world? How could anyone come to this conclusion, did the doctor just wake up one day and think “you know what would be pretty good – a human centipede! Yes, brilliant! I’ll win a noble prize for that!”

But, all joking aside, I think the most disturbing part of it is the ending. I won’t ruin it, but those of you who have read the short story I have no mouth and I must scream will probably understand what I mean.

I must admit this is by far one of the more stand out horror movies and in a sea of crappy slasher flicks, this one actually does at least try to be different. It has a sinister and at times shocking feel to it, but for all the hype of the disgusting nature of the film, there is actually very little visual horror, and actually little gore to it. It makes you use your imagination to try and guess what is happening, and that in turn makes it a much scarier film. And at the end of the day, isn’t that what horror is supposed to do, allow your imagination to create the horror?

Disturbing? No question. Sick and twisted? Absolutely. Campy? In places, yes. The most contraversal horror of all time? I’m gonna say no. There are certainly more disgusting movies out there, such as A Serbian Film and the unrated version of Caligula – but The Human Centipede is certainly worth checking out. If you have a weak stomach and the idea of this film sickens you, then I’d stay away. But, if you’re looking for a horror movie that doesn’t rely on heavy gore to get the terror, then this is the movie for you.

And if you thought the plot for this film was demented, then you should see the plot synopsis for the sequel...

The Human Centipede - Copyright 2010 IFC Films/Six Entertainment

All material used/mentioned is for reviewing purposes and no intention of copyright infridgement is intended.