Blu-ray Review: ‘The Human Centipede II: Full Sequence’ Grows Exceedingly Tedious

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly versionE-mail page to friendE-mail page to friendPDF versionPDF version
No votes yet

CHICAGO – With this sequel to his 2009 cult hit, filmmaker Tom Six appears to have finally mistaken stomach-churning exploitation for nightmare-inducing terror. No quality scares could possibly be produced by this hollow enterprise, only nauseated groans. The first flick was diverting B-movie schlock. This is just a tedious and obnoxiously tasteless retread.

The action opens on a dangerously disturbed security guard, Martin (played by newcomer Laurence R. Harvey), who spends most of the workday whacking innocent bystanders over the head with a crowbar, while somehow never managing to kill them. His love of the original “Human Centipede” has led him to stitch together his own multi-human digestive system comprised of no less than twelve victims. Yet Martin’s utter lack of scientific prowess has resulted in his use of unsophisticated tools, such as a staple gun.

HollywoodChicago.com Blu-ray Rating: 2.0/5.0
Blu-ray Rating: 2.0/5.0

Harvey’s profoundly creepy face is by far the best thing in the picture. His enlarged eyes and wordless, ever-wheezing mouth effectively convey brooding pain and sociopathic glee, even though the script reduces his character to a repellant grotesquerie. Despite Harvey’s efforts, Martin is ultimately a pathetic bore that lacks the campy charm of Dieter Laser’s Dr. Heiter. And unlike the trio of victims in “First Sequence,” none of Martin’s prey is developed in the least, aside from Ashlynn Yennie (making a self-reflexive cameo). Six’s universe is populated entirely by self-absorbed scumbags, so Martin’s homicidal plans function more as a public service. While the first film was filled to the brim with dark humor, the only laughs in “Full Sequence” materialize in the character of perverted Dr. Sebring, marvelously played by Bill Hutchens, whose beard appears to be overtaking his face. Sebring secretly harbors a crush on Martin, and reassures his monstrous mother that the overgrown boy is just going through a “passing phase.” After Martin spots Sebring in his bloodstained parking garage, he mortally wounds the two passengers in the doctor’s car. This jarring event prompts the eternally unfazed Sebring to step out of his vehicle and nonchalantly observe, “So this is where you work…”

The Human Centipede: Full Seqeunce was released on Blu-ray and DVD on Feb 14, 2012.
The Human Centipede: Full Seqeunce was released on Blu-ray and DVD on Feb 14, 2012.
Photo credit: IFC Films

Though the onscreen carnage is occasionally tough to take, David Meadows’s black and white cinematography pleasingly dulls the gruesome textures of the imagery. With the exception of a shot late in the picture that must surely rank as one of the most depraved gross-out gags in cinema history, the film is a classic example of a “bigger is better” sequel that delivers more of the same with diminishing returns. Six prides himself on making the sickest films ever made, yet nothing in his oeuvre matches the unwatchable brutality on display in Ruggero Deodato’s 1980 jaw-dropper, “Cannibal Holocaust,” which is sick primarily because of its vicious animal cruelty. Six is not vicious or cruel. He’s just unabashedly eager to offend the senses at all costs. You don’t watch a movie like “The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence).” You endure it.

The film is presented in 1080p High Definition (with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio), accompanied by English and Spanish subtitles and includes a 12-minute interview with the always entertaining Six. He says the black-and-white photography and choice of a mentally handicapped killer were mere attempts at taking the opposite approach to the material, though they hardly assist in boosting the film’s originality. He also claims that his use of spot color during one of the most grisly sequences was his tongue-in-cheek homage to “Schindler’s List” (har har). In a surprisingly charming tour of the set, actor Dominic Borrelli remains in his centipede pose while quipping, “My mom always said I’d do well in the business and here I am!”

There are other extras, but they’re all too brief to leave much of an impression. All that’s left to savor is a droll commentary track that pairs Harvey with Six. They reveal that the British Board of Film Classification banned the film because of its regrettably memorable scene in which Harvey masturbates with the aid of sandpaper. While Six promised that “Full Sequence” would make his predecessor look like “My Little Pony,” he promises that the third (and allegedly final) installment will make this film look like “a very exciting Disney movie.” Yes, fans, there is to be a third “Human Centipede” picture because, in the words of Six, “three films make a centipede.” He also hints at the possibility of releasing a roadshow version that would play all three “Centipede” pictures back-to-back-to-back for a grand vomitous epic clocking in at four-and-a-half hours. For its tagline I suggest Six borrow the title from Roger Ebert’s new book, “A Horrible Experience of Unbearable Length.”

‘The Human Centipede II: Full Sequence’ is released by IFC Films and stars Laurence R. Harvey, Ashlynn Yennie, Vivien Bridson and Bill Hutchens. It was written and directed by Tom Six. It was released on Feb. 14, 2012. It is not rated.

HollywoodChicago.com staff writer Matt Fagerholm

By MATT FAGERHOLM
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
matt@hollywoodchicago.com

User Login

Free Giveaway Mailing

TV, DVD, BLU-RAY & THEATER REVIEWS

  • Manhunt

    CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.

  • Topdog/Underdog, Invictus Theatre

    CHICAGO – When two brothers confront the sins of each other and it expands into a psychology of an entire race, it’s at a stage play found in Chicago’s Invictus Theatre Company production of “Topdog/Underdog,” now at their new home at the Windy City Playhouse through March 31st, 2024. Click TD/UD for tickets/info.

Advertisement



HollywoodChicago.com on Twitter

archive

HollywoodChicago.com Top Ten Discussions
tracker