Ahhh, The Human Centipede (First Sequence). How you fooled us all! I remember when the trailer for this was first posted on the Bloglin, and all the readers (actually the world) did a big collective dry heave at the premise. And really, who could blame us? Who wouldn’t think that this was going to be simple gross-out/torture porn that may or may not veer to actual Scat porn? Three people strung together ass-to-mouth practically screams a shallow attempt to try and one-up films like Saw and Hostel, to grab a quick buck from dedicated adrenaline junkies and gorehounds.  But you know what? Whatever it was that any of us sold ourselves on what The Human Centipede would be, I guarantee that we were wrong! The Human Centipede is much more David Cronenberg than Eli Roth.

Two American tourists take a wrong turn in search of a club while vacationing (road trippin’, 2 be exact!) in Germany. When their car gives out on a desolate country road (where, duh, there’s no cell service), the girls understandably freak out and try to figure out their next step. Waiting in the car for help to come along, let’s just say, doesn’t work out so well and the gals eventually set out on the road, hoping to come across some trace of civilization. The girls eventually get lost in the woods and come upon a house at the other end of the forest with its lights on. That house belongs to Dr. Heiter, a world renown and recently retired surgeon specializing in Siamese twin separation. But you see, the good doctor is tired of separating life and now seeks to join it together into a magnificent new beast. And wouldn’t you know it? Two parts of the puzzle have graciously just fallen into his sinister lap.

I’m not going to lie… The Human Centipede can get pretty gross at times, but not in the way you’d think. The film’s horror is almost entirely psychological, with writer/director Tom Six employing  the Psycho tactic of alluding to rather than full on showing. Your mind does the rest to great success. The film is way more cerebral than it wants you to believe. The pacing, direction, and the dynamic of the “victims” right down to the cold and sterile sets of Dr. Heiter’s house and examination room are all handled masterfully by Tom Six, who joins Ti West as a new Horror director to watch. And if you’ve seen and enjoyed Ti West’s House of the Devil (also released by IFC stateside), trust me, you’ll quickly understand why IFC–of all studios–put this film out, and why it’s in league with House of the Devil.

But as great of a job as Tom Six does as a director, the true attraction is Dieter Laser as Dr. Heiter. He’s absolutely maniacal and enthralling as the Mad Doctor. He’s one part Udo Kier and one part Christopher Walken, with a dash of John Lithgow splashed in. He’s completely believable, terrifying but not totally humorless (much like the whole film). This sort of movie lives and dies by who plays the villian, and fortunately, this was a grand fuckin’ slam.

The Human Centipede is currently playing limited engagements across the country but will be available on-demand later this summer. Anyone who was turned off by the disgusting thought of watching 90 minutes of ass-to-mouth scenes should really put all of that aside, because that is not what this film is, and any self-respecting Horror fan would be doing themselves an injustice by skipping out on this one.

And yes, a sequel is already in pre-production.