This line from Eurotrip is all I could think of during the first half hour of this film. I mean the premise couldn't get more bizarre, and I was expecting just another torture porn fiasco. But by the end, it turned out to be a rather fascinating study of madness and doomed obsession with playing God.
What really holds this all together is the performances of Dieter Laser and Akihiro Kitamura as the Japanese man used as the 'head' of the centipede. The two girls never really get a chance to act beyond the first 20 minutes, but with a premise like this it's understandable; Their mouths are basically sewn shut for the majority of the film. (Insert misogynist joke here.) They can only communicate by holding each others hands and mumbling. Kitamura however is literally like a mad dog on screen, bristling with anger and the will to escape and exact his revenge. He represents the determination of all creatures to be free of the will of others, which makes him the most relatable character.
Then we get to Dr. Heiter. Dieter Laser is effortlessly creepy as the Frankensteinish surgeon. He lives in an out-of-the-way house in the woods, and his obsession seems to center around the passing of "three dog", his Siamese triplet dog who he appears intent on resurrecting. This is never explored fully but it seems like a logical explanation. Heiter's house is one of my favourite things about this film. Its maze-like hallways are only ever lit by natural light, giving the film a claustrophobic feel and ratcheting up the tension in certain scenes.
Don't see this movie expecting another Hostel. Very little of the actual surgery is shown, which is kind of refreshing. The movie never goes for shock value, opting for a more humanistic approach. There's a few squeamish scenes but you won't be vomiting in your popcorn or anything. I also loved the ending, which is as thematically fascinating as it is satisfyingly bloody. Despite having one of the strangest premises in recent memory, this film is easy to recommend. If you can get past the rather silly opening setup and the doomed-from-the-start evil plot, there's a lot to enjoy here. It was also scary enough to give me nightmares, which not many films can accomplish.
What really holds this all together is the performances of Dieter Laser and Akihiro Kitamura as the Japanese man used as the 'head' of the centipede. The two girls never really get a chance to act beyond the first 20 minutes, but with a premise like this it's understandable; Their mouths are basically sewn shut for the majority of the film. (Insert misogynist joke here.) They can only communicate by holding each others hands and mumbling. Kitamura however is literally like a mad dog on screen, bristling with anger and the will to escape and exact his revenge. He represents the determination of all creatures to be free of the will of others, which makes him the most relatable character.
Then we get to Dr. Heiter. Dieter Laser is effortlessly creepy as the Frankensteinish surgeon. He lives in an out-of-the-way house in the woods, and his obsession seems to center around the passing of "three dog", his Siamese triplet dog who he appears intent on resurrecting. This is never explored fully but it seems like a logical explanation. Heiter's house is one of my favourite things about this film. Its maze-like hallways are only ever lit by natural light, giving the film a claustrophobic feel and ratcheting up the tension in certain scenes.
Don't see this movie expecting another Hostel. Very little of the actual surgery is shown, which is kind of refreshing. The movie never goes for shock value, opting for a more humanistic approach. There's a few squeamish scenes but you won't be vomiting in your popcorn or anything. I also loved the ending, which is as thematically fascinating as it is satisfyingly bloody. Despite having one of the strangest premises in recent memory, this film is easy to recommend. If you can get past the rather silly opening setup and the doomed-from-the-start evil plot, there's a lot to enjoy here. It was also scary enough to give me nightmares, which not many films can accomplish.