by Karl P. Madsen, Horror Editor
Fan – 1. enthusiastic admirer – an enthusiastic admirer of a celebrity or public performer. 2. Same as fanatic (noun)
The sequel to Human Centipede (The First Sequence), Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) is a unique format. Instead of building the second movie off the events, and timeline, of the first film, this sequel uses the First Sequence as the catalyst for the events of the Full Sequence. That’s why this film is 100% medically inaccurate instead of the first Human Centipede’s 100% medically accurate status.
Martin (Laurence R. Harvey – cinematic debut) has some problems; physically he’s short, overweight, and a bit awkward, and because of mental, physical, and sexual abuse he doesn’t speak, can only perform the simplest jobs, and is a bit socially awkward. Oh yeah, Martin is also obsessed with the movie The Human Centipede (The First Sequence). That is if obsessed means you watch the movie continuously, have a scrap book documenting various aspects of the movie, and (shudder) you become aroused at certain points of the movie. So, yeah, obsessed is a good way to describe him.
So, Martin is obsessed with the film Human Centipede (The First Sequence) and, because of certain situations throughout his life, is determined to not only replicate the process from the first movie, but to outdo it by a factor of four. Whereas in the first one the doctor was a successful surgeon, with state of the art facility in his basement, and the knowledge to make the procedure 100% medically accurate, Martin is not as accomplished. In fact Martin lives in relative poverty with a mother that hates him for having her husband imprisoned, who abused Martin physically, mentally, and sexually for most of his life. His doctor may or may not be abusing him, and the neighbors intimidate him. The only plus to Martin is his job in a parking structure, which allows him the privacy to watch his movie, and hunt for his subjects. Okay, here’s the meat of the movie; Martin is going to outdo his obsession by creating a human centipede consisting of twelve (yes, I said 12) subjects. Of the twelve, two die, one is his intimidating neighbor; eight are innocent victims who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. His coup de grace is the acquisition of Ashlynn Rennie (Human Centipede) one of the actresses who played in the original, whom he has tricked into becoming his number one (and not in a Star Trek way). Remember, Martin doesn’t have the education or the money to perform the operations properly, with a well outfitted facility, so he acquires a warehouse, his surgical kit comes from a toolbox under the sink, anesthesia courtesy of a crowbar, sutures from Swingline, and bandages are duct tape. Anything from this point onward is either a spoiler, or inappropriate.
Special Features:
Interview with Filmmaker Tom Six
Commentary with Tom Six and Laurence R. Harvey
Set tour of Warehouse
Foley Sound Effects
Making the Poster
Deleted Scene
Promo
Trailer
Teaser
Karl’s Scores:
Acting – B+
Setting – A-
Special Effects – B+
Creep Factor – A
Tension – A
What the Heck Moments – Oh My
Overall – A
The first installment of this trilogy was a masterpiece of ingenuity and disturbingness. The second film could have been a contender for with first; the first film itself is used as an influence vice a starting point, it was shot in black and white to enhance the feeling of unhealthiness and lack of sanitation, and the simple fact that a man is prepared to not only recreate but to surpass a fictional event without the proper facilities. Several problems occur though. One is what I call ‘Too Much’; in this case too much is wrong with Martin. Hey, pick one, maybe two, but did he have to be mentally, physically, and sexually abused by his father, the target of other sexual predators, socially awkward and unattractive, and despised by the mother that keeps trying to kill him and commit suicide because her husband is in prison for his atrocities against Martin. It bothered me that I couldn’t find Martin as a sympathetic character, because I really wanted to. I think that if he had any combination of two of his problems a cruel insanity could have been portrayed as cruelly insane. Another problem I have is that I’m a fan of retribution, and this film didn’t use the retribution factor to a fulfilling and disgusting end. Of the four characters that Martin has cause to seek retribution against only two ends up as part of the experiment. As to the disgusting point, how would you feel if he had put dear ol’ mummy in the middle of the line-up. I just threw up in mouth a little bit just writing that. Human Centipede II is a good movie, just not a great movie. It has all the right elements; tension, disturbing situations, and an innovative idea, but the execution could have been better. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad film, it simply could’ve been better. This movie isn’t for everyone, but I liked it.
ComicsOnlinegives Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) 3 ½ human experiments out of 5
Pick-up your copy of Human Centipede II (Full Sequence)at Amazon.com.
Keep ComicsOnline.comat the top of your favorites for more horror reviews and news, and everything geek pop culture.
