Samantha Vargas
If you’ve been following me for a while, you might be thinking,
“Wait a second. Hold on. She already wrote about ‘The Human Centipede.’ It even had the same title.”
And you’d be correct.
Back in February of 2020, I wrote a column about how I supported ‘The Human Centipede’ – and other exploitation films – as an artistic endeavor. I had written it while working at The Spectrum, which is the University at Buffalo’s student newspaper, and they even ran it in print.
But here’s the issue – it’s a bad article.
I had written the piece and then edited it with my very talented team, but somehow it just came out bad and unorganized. We’re all human. It’s in the past.
You’re welcome to revisit it and take a look into my not-so-long-ago writing style, but if you’re here for that sweet, sweet ‘Human Centipede’ content, I’d stick around here. It’s time that I give Tom Six’s infamous trilogy the proper treatment – or at the very least, the most treatment some former-film student’s blog can offer.
Let’s just get this out of the way.
This is the blog post where I come out in support of ‘The Human Centipede’ – again.
The film – and the subsequent two sequels – are based around the story of a perverse German doctor with a god complex who wants to surgically connect people mouth-to-anus. His character motivations really flesh out the delusional evil of his mental state because of his focus on sheer domination, rather than any sort of resource-partitioning justification complex – the guy’s not trying to save the world here.
I know I just danced around saying the obvious – the movie thrives on shock value. I’m not going to deny that the mere thought of being force-fed someone else’s shit while experiencing the physical torture of having your lips removed and sewn into someone else’s anus would cause a physical reaction in the viewer.
Shock value horror films aren’t for everyone, and that’s completely valid. My roommate doesn’t even want to hear me talk about this post. It’s completely valid to be utterly disgusted by this movie, but that’s the point of the genre.
Body horror and exploitation films are pretty much cut from the same cloth. Although both types of film encompass different characteristics, both are vehicles for visceral-emotion-inducing visuals. Both are also pretty panned across critics and audiences alike.
While the first ‘Human Centipede’ is closer in tone to something from the ‘Saw’ franchise, it’s certainly not saying anything profound. The first installment of Six’s franchise really isn’t even that good once you get past the shock value of the plot. It doesn’t come close to something like Pascal Laugier’s ‘Martyrs’ or even something outdated like Ruggero Deodato’s ‘Cannibal Holocaust.’
Beyond the shock value of the plot, there isn’t really any substance to the film. It’s undoubtedly a midnight movie – a trip through exploitation for drunk frat guys and edgy high schoolers. Yet, Six makes the –artistic choice- to take the film completely seriously, almost to the point of questioning the project’s self-awareness. Six is exactly the kind person that ‘The Human Centipede’ was made for, which isn’t a compliment. Vapidly existing just to create noise.
‘The Human Centipede’ is an experience rather than a story. And even if you hate it, even if you despise it with all of your being, it is still technically art – and I think it’s important that the film exists.
It’s been 12 years since the first film came out now, and criticism has really shifted since it’s initial release. Following its theatrical announcement, the film immediately garnered the attention of everyone with even the mildest Internet presence. I recall many critics calling for the demonization of the film. Some wanted it banned, and some even sent the director death threats.
Now, if you look up reviews for the first installment of the film, critics are far more understanding of it’s cultural relevance. So, my criticism of authoritarianism on censorship and media doesn’t really matter, does it? It goes without saying that I don’t think the film should be banned or even avoided by mainstream media consumption. Films shouldn’t be banned just because people feel uncomfortable with them.
I think most people agree – but I need to pad out this blog post.
Before I was a pretentious film major – and a post-film school, useless-film-degree holder – I loved horror movies. I still love horror movies. I know it’s a personal preference, but from what I’ve seen, there are two types of people: You either really love the genre, or you can’t watch it. And to be fair, I might be biased. I was one of those weird kids in high school that became totally desensitized to violence and gore and the all-assuming gross-out content. I watched the “Video Nasties” list religiously and shared the 2000’s shock websites that hosted those kink videos.
I spent my adolescence exploring horror and have always respected the genre’s innovation – even in the face of the steady decline of quality in films backed by major production companies.
That’s why I think Six’s film is important. I don’t think it’s good at a basic level. I don’t think it’s shot in any particularly interesting way, I don’t think the actual special effects are used enough, and I don’t think the actual plot points are really very special.
Still, I do think it’s important for the continued innovation of the genre.
I’m so sick of having to watch trailers for another Blumhouse release starring Lucy Hale, but for a while, that’s what was profitable. Ari Aster has found success with “Midsommar” and “Hereditary,” which include scenes with extreme violence and bodily harm. But for every nuanced, artistic exploration is another Blumhouse film. It’s much easier to sell another date-night, predictably forgettable film than it would be to pitch a film based around bodily horror.
But Audiences didn’t want Ari Aster, they wanted ‘The Bye Bye Man’ or ‘Ouiji’ or a remake of ‘The Craft’ – and god that sucks. I’m not saying ‘The Human Centipede’ is anywhere close to being compared to one of Ari Aster’s films, but at least it’s taking a risk.
And just to be clear – I do genuinely like ‘The Human Centipede: Full Sequence,’ which was the 2011 sequel. Six took the sequel in a starkly different direction, incorporating more artistic framing and gritty contrast. It’s certainly not a masterpiece, but it’s one hell of a horror movie.
The third one… also exists. We can leave it at that.
Still, I’d rather have a film shift the cultural expectations of the genre rather than add to the monotonous pileup of garbage that’s released every year.
And that’s on period – poo.
Sam Vargas 