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Dieter Laser, Ashley C. Williams, Ashlynn Yennie, Akihiro Kitamura, Andreas Leupold

Two American college girls become the subjects of a sadistic medical experiment while on a road trip across Europe. Invited to a party by a handsome waiter, Jenny and Lindsay are en route to the festi... read more read more...vities when their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Desperate, they decide to seek help on foot, eventually coming across the home of a retired surgeon named Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser). Dr. Heiter is internationally renowned for his work on separating conjoined twins, but these days he's using his surgical skills for something entirely different. His goal is to create a human centipede by removing his patient's kneecaps, and sewing them together, mouth-to-anus. The only thing preventing Dr. Heiter from carrying out his experiment is a lack of human subjects. When Jenny and Lindsay arrive on his doorstep, Dr. Heiter enthusiastically begins prepping for surgery. The first installment of a two-film story arc, The Human Centipede was quickly followed by The Human Centipede II: Full Sequence. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

27% liked it

12,464 ratings

Critics

50% liked it

90 critics

R, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Tom Six

Release Date: April 28, 2010

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DVD Release Date: October 5, 2010

Stats: 3,144 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (3,144)

  • MizturY0da
    May 26, 2012
    MizturY0da
    2 stars
  • fb1378820053
    May 15, 2012
    fb1378820053
    The Human Centipede is a Gruesome, Disturbing, Surgical Horror, the Acting is dreadful and is not helped by the Laughable Dialogue (even though for most of the film the Dialogue is screaming, Groaning and Crying) The Storyline is well... Different to your average Low Budget Horro... read morer, Some of the gross out scenes in this film will leave an imprint on your eyes for the rest of your life that is why the film has attracted such a mass cult following. However The Human Centipede is just a bit to clever and disturbing to be viewed as a Cheap, Awful Horror Film though and the I doubt it's the last we will see of this film in the Future... Brace yourself the Human Centipede is not an easy ride..
  • aquateen2
    April 2, 2012
    aquateen2
    It seems impossible for me to conclude whether I liked The Human Centipede or not. Honestly, i've never had this problem with a film before. Firstly, from a cinematic perspective i'd say its pretty good. The cinematography is academy award worthy and the acting wasn't as bad as y... read moreou might expect from a low budget surgical horror movie. Looking at it on behalf of a mainstream audience (as it is Tom Six's first wide international release) the film is further away from good than nearly any film you could think of. It's not what happens in the movie itself that might cause any audience for that matter to vomit. It's the whole idea of why the director made it in the first place. An illusion im not sure Six wanted to create for his feature. Horror fans wont be frightened enough by this. I'd suspect that they'd laugh at it. But then again, horror films are supposed to make you feel uncomfortable and this did me. Also, for the mainstream audience who dont come to the conclusion that its disgusting, vile and rotten to the core will just be sitting there bored for an hour and a half. I was one of those people. Which brings me back to whether I enjoyed it or not, because The Human Centipede (First Sequence) is remarkable from a cinematic view because the way it's been made is unique and unlike anything that's hit cinema screens before. But whether it was actually made to entertain people like a good, solid, enjoyable film or deliberately to upset people and creep them out rather than scare them like the movie is supposed to, remains a mystery.
  • fb573414556
    March 11, 2012
    fb573414556
    The Human Centipede. What is thre to say? I thought it would suck, it did. Truth be told though It was strangely enjoyable. The actings bad, the script is stupid, and everything was generally bad. But for some reason, that's what makes it enjoyable, behind people's mouths sewn to... read more peoples behinds there is some kind of message, I'm not quite sure what it was trying to say but if you wade your way through all the trash it's definetely there. But that's not the point, you're not going to watch this looking for art. Just enjoy it in a weirdly trashy kind of way. That being said I'm pretty sure the film only works once, don't bother with the DVD.
  • MovieGeek13
    February 29, 2012
    MovieGeek13
    Certain horror films have achieved popularity among fans simply because of how much grotesque violence they can successfully depict. Cannibal Holocaust, I Spit on Your Grave, Audition, Nekromantik just to name a few. And oddly enough, all of these have enjoyed a shelf life that m... read moreany Oscar winning dramas can only dream of achieving. In my personal opinion, I don't support the idea that audiences can get a kind of catharsis from extreme violence. The film has to justify why it has decided to show this level of violence and for such a prolonged duration of time. I don't admire all of the films that I mentioned above because several of them don't provide that justification.
    But despite opinion to the contrary, The Human Centipede does. The film shows a gradual devolution of a human being to nothing more than a pet, an insect even more so. It is the ultimate horror, not only in terms of body horror but in the cerebral sense that you are nothing, a mere piece in a much larger entity, although what that entity is supposed to be is completely obscure and undefined. Tom Six, the writer, producer, and director does not bother with any political undertones. He combines sexual desires with horrific metamorphosis of the flesh in very much the same way David Cronenberg has made a career out of.
    The two female leads are the kind of bimbos that get killed off in the opening credits of most horror movies. But the end of the film raises things places the film into the realm of a tragedy. We've had to endure abusive, inhumane treatment to these three conjoined innocent victims and we can't help but feel sorry for them. It's almost as if the film is pointing the finger at the audience, not by putting us in the same position as the psychotic doctor, but by forcing us to see feel sorry for them as people, something that we weren't doing during the film's first half.
    For my money, The Human Centipede is a solid horror movie. Tom Six is after something a lot more complex than most of the extreme horror films out there. I don't consider this a mindless exercise in torture porn. There are a lot of interesting ideas at work particularly in the way the film challenges the audience, not only to endure the characters' pain and suffering but to look beyond the violence and the horror. Great stuff!
    Side note: The film is surprisingly light on gore. Most of the gross stuff happens off screen; your brain does most of the work.
  • jamers2011
    November 11, 2011
    jamers2011
    Really gross. I was curious about this film and so I gave it a shot. That's really the only reason I'd recommend it to anyone. Besides that, the acting is dreadful, the writing is weak, and nothing happens except naked people screaming and crying.
  • fb733768972
    October 31, 2011
    fb733768972
    The Human Centipede is one of the most disturbing films I have ever seen in my entire life. Why did I watch it? I have no idea and as I was sitting through the film, it's no help when you actually feel like part of the centipede. The end is more disturbing than the entire film, w... read morehich makes me cringe that I had absolutely no opportunities to take break. I will not recommend this film to anyone, nor will I ever give a star to this film. I am voicing my opinion and that is all. It deserves a spot in the genre of the only film that would ever make anyone cringe. I refuse to rate this film, and I will never change my mind. If this was the only film on earth, I have watched it and ran away from film. It's not bad, It's not good, it's not brilliant, and it's not terrible. Quite frankly, it's not anything that could be put to words. Watch it if you want to have a disgusted blank face. I do not recommend it, but I provide caution for those who do. What did I just watch?
  • fb729949618
    October 30, 2011
    fb729949618
    Fucking gross. I can usually stomach any film....until this. The upcoming sequel is supposed to be worse, holy cow.
  • paulkoh110
    October 25, 2011
    paulkoh110
    Honestly, I've seen more brutal films (Requiem for a dream, Deadgirl, and Irreversible). This movie is no different except for the fact that it blows. Not a snuff film, tom six tries to make something different but instead holds onto the one idea he finds dear (3 people being put... read more together) and chooses not to diverge to anything else.


    Its just an unsatisfying film. I felt empty watching 3 people get attached together...ohhhhhh thats creepy...no it really isn't. A guy shitting out his guts (Deadgirl) or a woman getting raped (Irreversible) is more shocking than this low budget mess
  • murphmann93
    October 24, 2011
    murphmann93
    This film is as hard to review as it is to watch. Disgusting, vile, shocking, gross, horrorfying, grotesque and degrading. They are not even half of the words to describe what this film is. I'm surprised that I watched it all the way to the end, and the fact that I did is somewha... read moret of an acheivement. No doubt, it leaves you in suspense as what the seriously disturbed doctor will do next. Admittingly, it's also a film that you do end up watching to the end just to see how stupid it turns out to be. I don't even know how anyone would let a film like this out to the public. Terrible. Makes you want to throw up anything you've just eaten so I suggest if you really, really do want to watch this. Don't eat beforehand.

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Critic Reviews

Peter Travers
May 14, 2010
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

This horror show from Dutch director Tom Six will be heaven for devotees of four-star torture porn and zero-star hell for everyone else. Full Review

Michael Ordoņa
May 6, 2010
Michael Ordoņa, Los Angeles Times

There are terrible movies and there are loathsome movies. And then there's that rare breed so idiotic, exploitative and sickening one wishes they could be scrubbed from memory. Full Review

Wesley Morris
May 6, 2010
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

It would be nice to report that Six ... has an eye for horrific imagery and a head full of fresh ideas - or, barring all that, that he's simply a hard-working hack. But this is lazy moviemaking based ... Full Review

Roger Ebert
May 6, 2010
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The star rating system is unsuited to this film. Is the movie good? Is it bad? Does it matter? It is what it is and occupies a world where the stars don't shine. Full Review

J. R. Jones
May 6, 2010
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

This nasty stuff plays like a cross between Saw, Naked Lunch, and Bride of the Monster. Full Review

Jeannette Catsoulis
April 30, 2010
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times

A must-see for coprophiliacs and spanking enthusiasts, The Human Centipede (First Sequence) may be the year's first mainstream fetish movie. Full Review

V.A. Musetto
April 30, 2010
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

The Human Centipede, by skillful Dutch director Tom Six, might be compared to Hollywood schlock like Hostel. But it has a style and sense of humor sorely lacking in the American movies. Full Review

Stephen Whitty
April 30, 2010
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

Although I'd certainly recommend it to hard-core horror fans, I don't think I'd ever want to meet anyone who truly enjoyed it. Full Review

Owen Gleiberman
April 28, 2010
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Much of the film's ''entertainment value'' rests on the sadistically outlandish performance of Dieter Laser, who's like Boris Karloff starring in a movie by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Full Review

Karina Longworth
April 27, 2010
Karina Longworth, Village Voice

It's definitive psychological horror, positioning the viewer to identify with the victim's suffering and lack of free will, even after harshly judging what they did with that free will when they had it. Full Review

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    • Jenny: What is this? What are you doing to us?
    • Katsuro: [in Japanese] The Japanese have tremendous strength when backed in a corner.
    • Dr. Heiter: Swallow it, bitch!
    • Dr. Heiter: Rohypnol, the rape drug.
    • Dr. Heiter: Here's your breakfast.
    • Dr. Heiter: Feed her! Feed her!
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