(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
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