A third Human Centipede? How far can they can really take this!
The German (it's Dieter Laser again) plays a mad prison warden in this one, intent on devising new torture devices and thus methods of criminal correction. He's low on financing, at the risk of getting fired, and both desperate but also overwhelmingly insane when one day a movie director with a poop fetish comes with a 100% medically accurate solution.
Of course they jump right on it.
It shocks, again. Especially the ball scene. But who can really take this seriously? Although the violence is always prevalent, the blood flows, and you never know what twisted impulses the warden gets next, he's just so outside his boundaries that the setting's almost more unreal than it is disturbing. Maybe the sunshine plays a part too, because unlike the previous two there's plenty of that element here. It's a deceptive, but nevertheless brightly shining shine.
No doubt that's a motive with this movie too. It's different from its predecessors, even with the re-occurring theme, and that said I guess they all are. Each one - though the first and two were somewhat related - present the Human Centipede in a very different way.
This time it's with a very misleading cover image, but I chose this over the other since that one's a major spoiler and this one does look better. It's misleading because - compared to the previous - there aren't many female participants here, just the one as a 'gender experiment', and that's kinda disappointing isn't it, even if it is different, and distances this from the common stigma that movies like this have mainly to do with female exploitation. There's exploitation of all sorts here, for all genders and races. One big step for exploitation movie equality!
Speaking of differences: it's almost like they tried to make this one a comedy, but... it doesn't really work, does it? It's a mixture of morbid and gruesome and veiled and considerate. Gruesome and fun? That works. Uncomfortable and gruesome and fun? That doesn't! They did get in a set of notable actors with this one though, such as Bree Olson, Eric Roberts, Tommy 'Tiny' Lister and that one guy covered in tattoos. Wasn't expecting to recognize so many faces.
Akihiro Kitamura from the first movie makes a short appearance as well, Laurence R. Harvey from the second is back in a prominent but less of a leading role, and even Tom Six (the director) makes a small appearance as a director in the movie: the one who gives the warden this mad idea.
It's an interesting mix. It's an entertaining - and shocking - plot progression. The quality definitely jumped a step since the former, the actors aren't bad, and the gore looks authentic as ever. Dieter Laser once again goes beyond expectations into his role, though I miss his more 'contained' insanity, as it was in the first.
What's to complain about though? Once more it's a captivating film, taking this grotesque idea to new places with each segment of the franchise, but now that it's over: I hope they leave it at this.
rated 3/5: not bad