Movies
The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (V)
“The film is a strange beast (literally), despite the concept’s gross out potential, director Tom Six plays the film more for sadistic laughs than vomit-inducing gore and what could have been a truly stomach churning experience seems somewhat underwhelming when all’s said and done.”
American tourists Lindsey (Ashley Williams) and Jenny (Ashlynn Yennie), find themselves stranded in a remote part of Germany after getting a flat tyre on the way to a party. Heading off into the woods they come across the luxury home-cum-hospital of Dr Heiter (Dieter Laser). An internationally respected leader in the field of siamese/conjoined twin surgery, Dr Heiter’s vision is to reverse the process, creating the world’s first human centipede. Realising fate has handed him his latest ‘segments,’ Heiter drugs the girls and keeps them prisoner in his basement hospital. Finding and kidnapping a Japanese male tourist, Dr Heiter completes his trifecta of terror and begins work on his human centipede. Heiter’s plan is simple (!) – a tissue match, followed by the severing of the tendons in the kneecap forcing his victims to exist on all fours, then surgically attach them mouth to anus via the removal of teeth and the addition of buttock to face skin grafts, finally forming his human centipede chain.
The Human Centipede is a film whose title conjures up all kinds of imagery – mostly of the weird and disgusting variety – and unlike many OTT-monikered films, it’s a sick and twisted, yet compellingly original, idea that tries hard to deliver on it’s promise. The film is a strange beast (literally), despite the concept’s gross out potential, director Tom Six plays the film more for sadistic laughs than vomit-inducing gore and what could have been a truly stomach churning experience seems somewhat underwhelming when all’s said and done. That’s not to say the film doesn’t push the envelope, director Tom Six delights in dwelling on the degradation and humiliation of Dr Dieter’s victims and the consequences of sewing people mouth-to-anus is disgustingly realised in one particular scene.
Director Tom Six has brought together an international cast for The Human Centipede and it’s the acting rather than the concept which held my attention. Akihiro Kitamura, as Dr Heiter’s third victim and the ëhead’ of the centipede is a true highlight of the film and his performance is a delight to watch, his interaction with Dieter Laser is compelling and his performance runs the full gamut – from anger to hatred to determination, and the scene where Kitamura finally realises the situation is futile really tugs at the heart strings. Here’s hoping he’s able to bring the same range to Heroes when he appears in that series’ fourth season.
Takashi Miike and David Cronenberg are said to be two of the pioneers of body-horror, and after watching The Human Centipede [First Sequence] you can now add Dutch avant-garde artist Tom Six to that list. Here’s looking forward to his proposed 12-person sequel, The Human Centipede [Full Sequence].
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Movies
‘Boorman and the Devil’ Documentary Trailer Chronicles Complicated Relationship with ‘Exorcist II’
Critically acclaimed documentary Boorman and the Devil chronicles how one of the world’s greatest filmmakers made one of the most hated movies ever: Exorcist II: The Heretic. A new trailer highlighting some of the troubled production woes has arrived.
Boorman and the Devil opens at The Quad in NYC on August 28 before opening wider in various cities on September 4, including: Los Angeles, Columbus, Houston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle and more.
After the success of Point Blank and Deliverance, Warner Brothers offered John Boorman the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to direct a sequel to their smash hit, The Exorcist. The result was one of the biggest disasters in movie history. A critical and financial failure that not only changed how Hollywood did business, but nearly ended Boorman’s filmmaking career… but to be an artist is to be a risk-taker.
Now, John Boorman, Linda Blair, Louise Fletcher, Karyn Kusama, Joe Dante, Mike Flanagan, and more reflect back on the ambition of the film, the artistry and craft, and the value of big creative swings.
“I am beyond thrilled that Yellow Veil has come on board to help us share this story with a larger audience,” said director David Kittredge. “Like myself and the rest of our team, they’re huge cinema-lovers. It’s so exciting that a film which is not only a love letter to John Boorman, but also to ambitious filmmaking, will be handled by people who share the same passions that our team shares.”
“I first saw the film at an early festival screening and the post-screening buzz was just electric. Everyone was loving Boorman and the Devil,” added Yellow Veil co-founder Justin Timms. “To be able to team up with David and the filmmaking team on this release is incredibly exciting, and we can’t wait to spread that post-screening electricity with audiences across the country.”
Boorman and the Devil is produced by Kittredge’s Triple Fire Productions, Travis Stevens (Jodorowsky’s Dune, Starry Eyes) of Snowfort Pictures, and Jim Fall (The Lizzie McGuire Movie), with Alan Koenigsberg of Milton Ventures Media serving as co-producer.
Daniel Kurland wrote in his review, “Boorman and the Devil goes above and beyond to be the definitive text on Exorcist II. This documentary will delight horror and Exorcist fans alike, but it also provides incredible insight for anyone who is just marginally interested in film production.”