The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence)

The first Centipede was a bit of a surprise, and will forever live on in a sort of cult favourite. The concept is so twisted and bizarre, that I'm surprised it turned out to be a decent movie. And decent may be a bit of a stretch, but it looks like a masterpiece compared to the sequel, although it's not without its own charms, I suppose. I was fully aware when the first movie came out, but had no idea the sequel was released, until a friend mentioned having seen it. He gave me fair warning, and I wasn't eager to take it in. But on a late Friday night, there was not much else to do, and Full Sequence beckoned from the depths of Netflix.

So it was done: I watched, in terror, and ninety minutes later I emerged scarred for life. I'm not so sure I watched a movie as opposed to a twisted snuff film: the grime and dirt of this movie had to be mentally cleansed from my mind by taking in some Star Trek or anything at all. It's best not to dwell on the subject matter and the horrors you've just watched, but I guess that's the point of the movie, right? Where the first Centipede was a polished movie, and didn't actually show much (more hints and obscurities), this movie showed it all, and it was not pretty. The realistic look of it all is presented to us in black and white, which I'm sure made the scenes that much worse. There are moments where the camera idles on a scene of carnage, just long enough to make you question your sanity. I really did feel as though I was looking at crime scene photos during those moments. It was horrible.

All that being said, you have to applaud the director to illicit such response from his audience. He directed the first as well, and went in a completely different direction here. The focus is on a mentally disturbed, obsessed fan of the original movie. His intense urge to create his own centipede leads us down a brutal path of gore and violence the likes you don't want to see again, and the journey there is uncomfortable. He attacks, maims and in some cases kills his victims, then when he has enough, begins putting the pieces together. The macabre surgery process takes forever to come across, and I consider leaving the room for a time until the horribleness starts. It looks realistic, and the detached feeling you get from the first film is no longer there. All of this is further "enhanced" with his home life, where he is abused by his mother and neighbours. Suffice to say things don't end well, although that could hardly be called a spoiler. This isn't so much a movie as an experiment, just like the first, and for that, I have a certain appreciation. It should be interesting - to say the least - to find out what happens in the third incarnation.