The Human Centipede

The Human Centipede (First Sequence) is a 2010 horror film by Dutch director Tom Six. It depicts a mad scientist who kidnaps three tourists and surgically connects them mouth-to-anus to form a “human centipede”. It spawned two sequels (Full Sequence and Final Sequence) that expanded on the premise with increasingly large numbers of victims (12 and 500, respectively).

Their flesh is his fantasy

100 percent medically accurate

I don’t like human beings.

The centipede can be considered a phallic symbol. Centipedes are very aggressive creatures. Their bite can be very painful. Maybe he's connecting the pain that a centipede inflicts with the pain inflicted on him through use of psychological and sexual abuse by his father.

This is exactly what America needs.

First Sequence

• 100 percent medically accurate
• Their flesh is his fantasy
  • Taglines

Dr. Josef Heiter

• I'm Dr. Josef Heiter, retired, but still very well known as the leading surgeon in separating Siamese twins. Six months ago, I designed a never-seen operation, not separating any more but creating. I transformed my three Rottweilers into a beautiful three-hound construction. Good news, your tissues match. So, I'll explain this spectacular operation only once. We start with cutting the ligamentum patella, the ligaments of the kneecaps, so knee extension is no longer possible. Pulling from "B" and "C" the central incisors, lateral incisors and canines from the upper and lower jaws, the lips from "B" and "C," and the anus of "A" and "B," are cut circular along the border between skin and mucosa, the mucus cutaneous zone. Two pedicelated grafts are prepared and lifted from the underlying tissue. The shaped incisions below the chins of "B" and "C" up to their cheeks connecting the circular mucosa and skin parts of anus and mouth, from "A" to "B," and "B" to "C," connecting the pedicelated grafts to the chin-cheek incisions from "A" to "B," and "B" to "C," creating a Siamese triplet, connected via the gastric system. Ingestion by A, passing through B, to the excretion of C. The human centipede, first sequence.
• Swallow it, bitch!
• I don’t like human beings.
• Feed her! Feed her!
• Do you already regret your little escape? In fact, I'm thankful for it, because now... I know definitely you are the middle piece!

Katsuro

• God. Are you God? I'm just a puny insect. I cast out my parents, left my child, dismissed their love and led a selfish life. Just like an insect. No, my existence is even lower than insects, but... but dear God... that's how I've lived, and this is my punishment. I want to believe that I'm still a human being... Hey girls! Hey mister! What an insane world we live in.
• Oh shit! I have to shit!

Full Sequence

• 100 percent medically INaccurate
  • Tagline

Mrs. Lomax

• One digestive system? Is this a perverted film you've been talking about?

Greg

• He's gonna stitch us up. He's gonna stitch us up arse-to-mouth.

Dr. Sebring

• Let's see. The centipede can be considered a phallic symbol. Centipedes are very aggressive creatures. Their bite can be very painful. Maybe he's connecting the pain that a centipede inflicts with the pain inflicted on him through use of psychological and sexual abuse by his father.

Final Sequence

• 100 percent politically incorrect
  • Tagline

Bill Boss

• This is exactly what America needs.
• I don't speak with a stupid filmmaker about his poop fetish!
• Hey, cockroaches, did you like these films? I handpicked them for you as an instructional and mental training. The world's first human-prison centipede will finally teach you how to become humans.

Tom Six

• Well, it is 100% medically accurate. I consulted a real surgeon in Amsterdam and he made a very detailed operation report for me and he said he could actually make a human centipede in his hospital. I brought the... operation reports and the drawings... so maybe you can have a look at that?

Inmate 333

• This trash occupies a world where the stars don't shine.

About

Is the movie good? Is it bad? Does it matter? It is what it is and occupies a world where the stars don't shine. —Roger Ebert

• underneath an extremely repulsive concept, [First Sequence] is a relatively conventional horror movie.
  • Kim Newman ^{[citation needed]}

• Grotesque, visceral and hard to (ahem) swallow, this surgical horror doesn't quite earn its stripes because the gross-outs overwhelm and devalue everything else
  • Rotten Tomatoes consensus on First Sequence ^{[specific citation needed]}

• I am required to award stars to movies I review. This time, I refuse to do it. The star rating system is unsuited to [First Sequence]. Is the movie good? Is it bad? Does it matter? It is what it is and occupies a world where the stars don't shine.
  • Roger Ebert ^{[citation needed]}

• If I had to make a fourth one, which I might do in 20 years from now, who knows, it will be about connecting all starving Africans on the African continent done by a charity organization, to solve the hunger problem. Or about aliens connecting the whole human race!
  • Tom Six ^{[citation needed]}

• Thank you BBFC for putting spoilers of my movie on your website and thank you for banning my film in this exceptional way. Apparently I made an [sic] horrific horror-film, but shouldn't a good horror film be horrific? My dear people it is a fucking MOVIE. It is all fictional. Not real. It is all make-belief [sic]. It is art. Give people their own choice to watch it or not. If people can't handle or like my movies they just don't watch them. If people like my movies they have to be able to see it any time, anywhere also in the UK.
  • Tom Six after the second film was initially banned by the BBFC ^{[citation needed]}

• It should be mandatory to watch THC2 in school classes...It deals with a character that is bullied and what to do!
  • Tom Six, after a Tennessee high school teacher was suspended for playing the film in class ^{[citation needed]}