While the Human Centipede films may repulse many, they’ve undeniably sparked a morbid fascination with the realm of extreme body horror. If you’re familiar with them, you understand; if not, consider yourself well-adjusted.
Surprisingly, The Human Centipede draws inspiration from a dark and chilling part of history. It may seem unbelievable given its abominable nature, but there are real-life connections.
The film’s genesis can be traced back to a disturbing combination of Nazi Germany’s heinous history and a twisted joke shared among Tom Six and his friends.
For those intrigued by the origins of this grotesque tale, we’ve delved into the disturbing Nazi experiments that inspired ‘The Human Centipede.’ Explore the unsettling history behind the movies right here at Bigflix.
‘The Human Centipede’ Mysterious Trilogy: A Disturbing Descent into Body Horror
Directed by Tom Six, The Human Centipede is a disturbing trilogy of films, released in 2009, 2011, and 2015, infamous for their depravity and unsettling nature. The plot revolves around three unfortunate individuals stranded by a car breakdown, falling into the clutches of a deranged German surgeon with a twisted desire to subject them to inhumane torture.
His ultimate goal? To create a human centipede by connecting them through their digestive systems. In gruesome terms, he forces them onto their hands and knees, sewing them together from mouth to anus, resulting in a truly unsettling and grotesque horror premise.
The Disturbing Origins of ‘The Human Centipede’: Fact or Fiction?
During the Nazi regime in Germany, some deeply unethical doctors and surgeons conducted horrifying experiments on concentration camp victims. Among them was Dr. Josef Mengele, who stands accused of killing approximately 400,000 Jews at Auschwitz over two years.
Disturbing testimonies from 30 survivors at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem shed light on the atrocities Mengele committed. These survivors were only spared because they were twins, and Mengele was a proponent of eugenics, a practice aimed at improving the genetic quality of the human population by eliminating groups considered “inferior.
Twins were ideal subjects for eugenicists because their differences were attributed to behavior, not genetics, leading them to believe they could eliminate undesirable traits through selective breeding. This history underscores the horrifying reality of Mengele’s actions.
The survivors bravely shared the horrors inflicted by Mengele, including wrenching infants from mothers’ wombs and burning non-twin fetuses in ovens. Another chilling account described him pinning eyeballs to walls like a macabre mural. Many who survived Mengele’s experiments endured profound trauma and lifelong disfigurement.
His cruel practices included forced sterilization, disease injections, limb amputations, and sewing twins together to mimic conjoined twins. It’s evident that the deranged surgeon Dr. Josef Heiter (played by Dieter Laser) in “The Human Centipede” drew his name and inspiration from the notorious Dr. Josef Mengele.
When a Joke Becomes a Nightmare: The Inspiration Behind ‘The Human Centipede
Tom Six aimed to create a profoundly uncomfortable film, and he certainly achieved that goal, to say the least. He believes the film’s success stems from its unique departure from typical ghost stories or slashers.
In interviews, Six makes it clear that he doesn’t adhere to conventional moral standards, a sentiment reflected in The Human Centipede trilogy’s disturbing content.
Surprisingly, the film’s inspiration also sprung from a shocking joke between him and a friend, aligning with Six’s penchant for the unsettling. The joke involved the idea that the worst punishment for a child molester would be to be sewn to the anus of an overweight truck driver.
What Other Messages Did Tom Six Aim to Convey with ‘The Human Centipede’?
The sensationalism of “The Human Centipede” can overshadow its deeper metaphors. When confronted with on-screen monstrosities and chilling lines like “feed her,” it’s challenging to engage in critical thinking. In the first film, the focus is on impurity, extending beyond the visceral content. Drawing from the Nazi regime’s obsession with purity, Tom Six delves into the corruption and monstrous history of that era.
The subsequent films in the trilogy explore metaphors in distinct ways. The second installment blurs the line between fantasy and reality, emphasizing the dangers of obsessive adoration. The antagonist becomes fixated on the first film’s Dr. Heiter and embarks on creating his own human centipede.
The final film reintroduces Dr. Heiter, now a prison warden conspiring to construct an even larger human centipede from inmates, touching on complex issues such as racism, xenophobia, violence, and the prison system.
“The Human Centipede” pushes gross-out horror to its limits, yet its roots in real-life horrors serve as a stark reminder of the dark side of society. If you dare, you can watch the film on platforms like AMC+, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple Video, but be prepared; you might want to keep a barf bag nearby.
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