“The Human Centipede (First Sequence)” is a horror film about a man who wants to join his victims together into a living chain. That is the whole idea, and it is also the problem. Directed by Tom Six and written by him, the film runs 92 minutes and stars Dieter Laser as Dr. Heiter, Winter Williams as Lindsay, and Ashlynn Yennie as Jenny.
The setup is simple. Two American girls break down during a road trip through Europe and seek help at a remote German villa. They find Dr. Heiter, a retired surgeon with a very disturbed plan. The film is built on three acts: the girls arrive, the doctor explains his scheme, and the procedure begins. The tagline sums it up: “Their flesh is his fantasy.”
Trailer, via Independent Film Company.
Dr. Heiter and His Scheme
Dieter Laser plays the doctor with a calm, unhurried menace. He explains his plan clearly, almost kindly, and that makes it worse. Winter Williams and Ashlynn Yennie play Lindsay and Jenny as ordinary young women caught in an extraordinary trap. The film depends on them being believable as people, not as victims waiting to be arranged.
The procedure itself takes up a large share of the runtime. The film shows the stitching in detail, shot by shot, with close-ups on wounds and tools. It is meant to be disturbing, but it also becomes repetitive. The film asks viewers to sit through a long sequence of joining flesh together, and that patience is tested.
Detective Kranz and Detective Voller
Andreas Leupold and Peter Blankenstein appear as Detective Kranz and Detective Voller, officers investigating the disappearance of the girls. Their scenes are brief, but they give the film some distance from the central horror. Rosemary Annabella voices Amy, a character whose role is small but noticeable.
The film is not subtle. It does not try to be. It is a blunt, literal horror film about a man who joins bodies together. That approach has its defenders, but it also leaves little room for anything beyond the premise.
A Comparison of Approaches
| Approach | Focus | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| The Human Centipede (First Sequence) | Detailed, literal horror | Repetitive, testing patience |
| Other horror films | Atmosphere, suggestion | Less demanding of the viewer |
The comparison is rough, but it points at the difference between a film that shows everything and one that lets the audience imagine.
Verdict
“The Human Centipede (First Sequence)” is a technically competent horror film that betrays its own premise. It is willing to show the full extent of its idea, which is both its strength and its weakness. The film is not a failure of execution. It is a failure of restraint.
Dieter Laser’s performance carries the film. Winter Williams and Ashlynn Yennie hold their ground under difficult circumstances. The technical work is solid. But the premise is thin, and the film does not build enough around it.
The film is best understood as a deliberate provocation, not a serious work of horror. It is a film that tests how far a viewer can go with a particular kind of horror. It succeeds at that test, but it does not become a good film because of it.
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