The horror film The Human Centipede is opening in a handful of US theaters this weekend. It was not submitted to the MPAA for a rating.

The Chicago Sun-Times's Roger Ebert is awarding it no stars as well. In his review, he writes I am required to award stars to movies I review. This time, I refuse to do it. The star rating system is unsuited to this film.

The movie deals with a mad doctor, a surgeon who once separated conjoined twins and now goes about capturing victims and perform reverse surgery, bonding them end to end so that they have a common digestive system.

No horror film I've seen inflicts more terrible things on its victims than The Human Centipede , Ebert writes. Nevertheless, he says that within Dutch director Tom Six, there stirs the soul of a dark artist. Likewise, Mark Olsen wrote earlier this week in the Los Angeles Times. Centipede is at once arduously rough to sit through and compelling. There's a real film hidden beneath the hooky idea.

And in an interview with New York's Village Voice, Six himself acknowledged that during test screenings, Some people walk out of the cinemas, others can't stop laughing, and if people are eating during the movie, they are vomiting their food out because they didn't expect this to happen. It has a lot of influence on people's emotions.

Update: The Sun Supports the hype for The Human Centipede

20th May 2010. Based on article from thesun.co.uk, thanks to DoodleBug

It's being hailed as one of the most twisted, stomach-churning movies of all time which has sent American cinemagoers reaching for the sick bags.

The Human Centipede features a depraved storyline about a psychopathic German surgeon who drugs his victims before surgically joining them together, mouth to backside, in order to create a human centipede.

The horror is said to be so gross that cinemagoers have been racing out of US screenings to be sick - and reviewers are warning audiences not to eat before seeing the film.

Clips from the film have been a YouTube sensation, with the trailer alone racking up 1.4million views. Screenings in Los Angeles have also sold out.

In a few months time, the movie is set for release in Britain - so long as it doesn't get banned first.

The buzz surrounding the film has led to several UK companies competing for the rights to release it later this year.

The twisted flick looks set to become a lucrative new horror franchise with The Human Centipede 2 already in production.

The BBFC have just passed much hyped The Human Centipede, 18 uncut. The certificate is for DVD rather than a cinema release though.

By all accounts, the concept is nastier than the actual film but maybe it would be more fun to believe the Sun's rantings:  

The Human Centipede features a depraved storyline about a psychopathic German surgeon who drugs his victims before surgically joining them together, mouth to backside, in order to create a human centipede.

The horror is said to be so gross that cinemagoers have been racing out of US screenings to be sick - and reviewers are warning audiences not to eat before seeing the film.

Update: Cinema Release Uncut

3rd July 2010. Based on article from bbfc.co.uk

The BBFC have passed the cinema release 18 uncut

Update: Taking legal advice over scat

25th September 2010. See article from bbfc.co.uk

The BBFC have added their Extended Classification Information:

THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE (FIRST SEQUENCE) is a horror film about an insane German surgeon who kidnaps three tourists and surgically attaches them to each other to form a human centipede. The film was classified 18 for strong bloody violence, threat and horror.

The central conceit, in which three people are surgically attached anus to mouth to share a single gastrointestinal tract, provides the film's elements of horror and threat as the victims are chained up, drugged and left terrified by the surgeon's explanations of what he plans to do to them. The actual surgical process is not shown in any significant detail. Instead, the nature of the procedure is hinted at by two short scenes. In one, the surgeon removes one of the women's teeth with pliers, resulting in a lot of blood but with the actual process of removal hidden by the positioning of the characters' bodies. In the other, a scalpel is seen cutting into the flesh of a woman's buttocks before a bloody flap of skin is lifted. These bloody scenes, plus the later shooting of several characters with blood sprays from wounds and the stabbing of a scalpel into a man's legs, breach the BBFC's Guidelines at 15 which state that violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. Once the surgery is completed, no detail is shown of the contact between the faces and anuses of the victims, because the attachments between them are covered in bandages. Although the central idea of the film is undoubtedly grotesque and revolting, the Guidelines state that works should be allowed to reach the widest audience that is appropriate for their theme and treatment and that adults should, as far as possible, be free to choose what they see, provided that it remains within the law and is not potentially harmful. The Board has taken legal advice which indicates that THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE is not in breach of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 or any other relevant legislation. In terms of harm, the scenario is so far fetched and bizarre that there is no plausible risk of emulation.

The film also contains multiple uses of strong language, some strong verbal sex references as a man talks about women being wet between the legs, and infrequent non-sexualised nudity as the female victims crawl around with their breasts partially exposed.

The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) is a 2011 Netherlands/UK horror by Tom Six. See IMDb

The BBFC has rejected the sexually violent, and potentially obscene DVD, The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) This means that it cannot be legally supplied anywhere in the UK. The decision was taken by the Director, David Cooke and the Presidential Team of Sir Quentin Thomas, Alison Hastings and Gerard Lemos.

The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) is a sequel to the film The Human Centipede (First Sequence), which was classified 18 uncut for cinema and DVD release by the BBFC in 2010. The first film dealt with a mad doctor who sews together three kidnapped people in order to produce the human centipede'of the title. Although the concept of the film was undoubtedly tasteless and disgusting it was a relatively traditional and conventional horror film and the Board concluded that it was not in breach of our Guidelines at '18. This new work, The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence), tells the story of a man who becomes sexually obsessed with a DVD recording of the first film and who imagines putting the centipede idea into practice. Unlike the first film, the sequel presents graphic images of sexual violence, forced defecation, and mutilation, and the viewer is invited to witness events from the perspective of the protagonist. Whereas in the first film the centipede idea is presented as a revolting medical experiment, with the focus on whether the victims will be able to escape, this sequel presents the centipede idea as the object of the protagonist's depraved sexual fantasy.

The principal focus of The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) is the sexual arousal of the central character at both the idea and the spectacle of the total degradation, humiliation, mutilation, torture, and murder of his naked victims. Examples of this include a scene early in the film in which he masturbates whilst he watches a DVD of the original Human Centipede film, with sandpaper wrapped around his penis, and a sequence later in the film in which he becomes aroused at the sight of the members of the centipede being forced to defecate into one another's mouths, culminating in sight of the man wrapping barbed wire around his penis and raping the woman at the rear of the centipede. There is little attempt to portray any of the victims in the film as anything other than objects to be brutalised, degraded and mutilated for the amusement and arousal of the central character, as well as for the pleasure of the audience. There is a strong focus throughout on the link between sexual arousal and sexual violence and a clear association between pain, perversity and sexual pleasure. It is the Board's conclusion that the explicit presentation of the central character's obsessive sexually violent fantasies is in breach of its Classification Guidelines and poses a real, as opposed to a fanciful, risk that harm is likely to be caused to potential viewers.

David Cooke, Director of the BBFC said:

It is the Board's carefully considered view that to issue a certificate to this work, even if confined to adults, would be inconsistent with the Board's Guidelines, would risk potential harm within the terms of the VRA, and would be unacceptable to the public.

The Board also seeks to avoid classifying material that may be in breach of the Obscene Publications Acts 1959 and 1964 (OPA) or any other relevant legislation. The OPA prohibits the publication of works that have a tendency to deprave or corrupt a significant proportion of those likely to see them. In order to avoid classifying potentially obscene material, the Board engages in regular discussions with the relevant enforcement agencies, including the CPS, the police, and the Ministry of Justice. It is the Board's view that there is a genuine risk that this video work, The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence), may be considered obscene within the terms of the OPA, for the reasons given above.

The Board considered whether its concerns could be dealt with through cuts. However, given that the unacceptable content runs throughout the work, cuts are not a viable option in this case and the work is therefore refused a classification.

The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) is a 2011 Netherlands/UK horror by Tom Six just banned by the BBFC.

Director Tom Six commented to empireonline.com:

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 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. 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.

An interesting piece by Jane Fae who analyses the BBFC's justification for banning The Human Centipede II alongside the Video recordings Act, Obscene Publications Act and Dangerous Pictures Act.

Was the decision to ban Human Centipede 2 correct in law?

See article from blog.indexoncensorship.org by Jane Fae

Those boldly proclaiming on the internet that they'll be getting their own copies of this movie anyway should beware. Without a BBFC rating, a depiction of rape involving barbed wire wrapped round someone's penis sounds very much like a realistic depiction of an act likely to do serious harm in a sexual context.

In other words, extreme porn, possession of which is a criminal offence, liable to punishment by means of a fine, community service or prison. You have been warned!

...Read the full article

Too obscene to be seen?

See article from eyeforfilm.co.uk  by Jane Fae

So how do the BBFC know what is obscene - and therefore ought not to be released into the public domain: they ask the experts (aka police and CPS lawyers) what sort of material juries are likely to consider obscene. So, according to these experts, juries in many parts of the country would find the practice of urolagnia (aka golden showers) obscene.

We asked the CPS if they had any stats as to when the last prosecution in respect of this practice happened. They don't. What we do know, however, is that prosecutions for obscenity are a dying breed. A report from the CPS themselves has just 82 charges under the Obscene Publications Act reaching the magistrates' courts in 2009-10. It is likely that not all of these succeeded or were continued.

Yet the BBFC steadfastly refuse to rate films containing this practice - even extending the ban out to anything that features what they consider to be female ejaculation which, again, with very little evidence, they maintain is no more than pee - and therefore quite unshowable.

...Read the full article

Hopefully though Human Centipede II does not count under the Dangerous Pictures Act. The BBFC didn't note it as a 'sex work' so presumably they didn't see it as primarily intended to sexually arouse. And hopefully the barbed wire rape falls short of explicit or 'realistic'.

Film critic Kim Newman offered up a very plausible angle about the BBFC ban. See article on facebook.com

He reminds us that one of the founding aims of the BBFC is for it to protect the film industry from prosecution. Given that the Crown Persecution Service have steadfastly held on to their own definitions of obscenity, then the concept of eating shit is still something that falls within their definition.

With this in mind, it seems that BBFC may be wise to ensure that film makers and retailers are protected from the risk of prosecution.

Surely this has got to be a lot more credible reason for a ban than bollox about harm to viewers. It is pretty near impossible to conceive examples of what 'harm', the BBFC is alluding to. Surely a surreal, unbelievable and uncopyable concept of a surgically created human chain is one of the least likely foundations for fears about taking inspiration for real world evil acts. Perhaps the BBFC are thinking more along the lines of people suffering heart attacks induced by extreme 'outrage'.

Judging by the amount of internet chatter on the subject, then this could be the first ban of a popular work since the ban on the game Manhunt. Presumably this will therefore be the first banned work that could result in mass censorship avoidance via internet download. It will be interesting to see if this will pose any challenge to the UK censorship system/

But maybe if Kim Newman's right and the major objective if for the British film industry to avoid prosecution then, all will have worked fine. The fact that anyone will be able to watch it anyway, no doubt doing no-one any actual harm, will quickly fade away into old news.

The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) is a 2011 Netherlands/UK horror by Tom Six which has just been banned by the BBFC.

It is interesting to note that the film was passed R18+ for public exhibition in Australia. R18+ is equivalent to the UK 18 rating. The Australian censors do not mention cuts or modifications so presumably it is uncut

There's a twitter message doing the rounds that says that Bounty Films and Eureka! film distributors will appeal against the BBFC ban on Human Centipede II (Full Sequence).

It has just been announced that Human Centipede 2 has been banned outright by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) - who thirty years ago were called the more accurate-sounding British Board of Film Censorship. While it's true that fewer films are banned now than in the past, it's still too many that are cut or banned outright. The BBFC themselves claim that adults should be allowed to watch whatever they want unless it's dangerous or illegal - but they act as judge and jury in making those often subjective decisions.

The justification for banning Human Centipede 2 is that it MAY contravene the Obscene Publications Act. Yet the advice the BBFC receive about this law is suspect - until the end of the 1990s, they maintained a blanket ban on hardcore porn for the same reason and it took a court case to prove this to be a lie.

Their claims that Human Centipede dehumanises the victims and sympathises with the victimiser could also be said of a film like Salo, which is passed uncut.

And the BBFC's subjective viewpoint isn't just inconsistent, it's constantly changing. In 2002, the Board went to court to defend cuts made to Last House on the Left. In 2008, it was passed uncut. In 1999, A Cat in the Brain was banned outright, with the claim that the video was potentially harmful because of the influence it may have on the attitudes and behaviour of a significant proportion of its likely viewers, whatever classification it was given; in 2003, it was released uncut. Did society really change that much in those few years to make these previously dangerous films now safe?

The BBFC may seem irrelevant in the age of the bit torrent, but that's not true -- their restrictions still stifle innovation in UK cinema by making it hard for filmmakers to release edgy or confrontational films, and by charging excessive, mandatory fees that make it hard for small, non-commercial films to make any money.

We believe that adults should be allowed to watch any work of fiction that features consenting adults, and that bans should only be enforced for films that clearly break existing laws (ie child and animal abuse). There has never been any independent evidence to show that watching films has ever directly influenced anyone to commit violent or sexual crimes, let alone that they can corrupt a whole nation. It's time that Nanny cut the apron strings and the BBFC finally move to their stated position of classifying, not censoring, and also that films should be allowed to be released unrated -- with all the distribution restrictions that such a category would invariably bring. People should have a right to choose, not to be told that other people have made that choice for them.

...Sign the petition

I can't understand why there isn't more outrage over the BBFC's banning of The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence). Like me, you probably weren't planning to rush out and buy a DVD of this movie, which tells the lovely story of a bloke who stitches 12 people together to create the eponymous beast while pleasuring himself with sandpaper and barbed wire. But you should nonetheless be angry at the BBFC's blanket ban on the film, its unilateral removal of our right to decide for ourselves whether to watch it or to snub it. Because it sums up brilliantly the tyrannical elitism of censorship and the BBFC's treatment of the public as potential perverts who are only one sick movie away from going completely mental.

...Read the full article

See also A Disgusting Act of Censorship from reason.com  by Brendan O'Neill

Press Release on behalf of Eureka Entertainment and Bounty Films: Re The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence):

Within the last week, the BBFC announced that it had rejected and was unable to classify for release on DVD, The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence).

Bounty Films, and its UK distribution partner Eureka Entertainment Ltd., are disappointed by the decision of the BBFC to deny the film a classification certificate. While both companies respect the authority of the board, we strongly disagree with their decision.

In support of their decision, the BBFC issued a press release that gave an unprecedented level of detail regarding certain scenes contained within the film. Whilst it appears customary for the BBFC to issue press releases in support of its decision making, the level of detail provided therein does seem inconsistent with previous releases where the statements have been more concise. We are concerned this may be prejudicial to our forthcoming appeal.

The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) is adult entertainment for fans of horror films. If a film of this nature does not seek to push boundaries, to challenge people and their value systems or to shock, then it is not horror. The subject matter of this film is in line with not only the genre, but other challenging entertainment choices for adult consumers.

We respect those who have different opinions about both the film and the genre, and whose opinions may differ to our own, but we hope that the opinions of the adults for whom this product is intended will also be considered. The adult consumers who would watch this film fully understand that it is fictional entertainment and nothing more.

Classifying and rating product allows the public to make an informed choice about the art and media they wish to consume. Censoring or preventing the public from obtaining material that has not been proven to be harmful or obscene, is indefensible in principle and is often counterproductive in practice. Through their chosen course of action, the BBFC have ensured that the awareness of this film is now greater than it would otherwise have been.

Having taken advice on these matters, and in accordance with BBFC guidelines, we will be submitting our appeal to the Video Appeals Committee in due course.

When Tom Six first learned of the British Board of Film Classification's refusal to classify his latest film, The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence), he was overjoyed. The BBFC helped to generate an enormous amount of publicity for my film, said the Dutch director. It is incredible when everyone is talking about your movie.

But then I became really angry. How can it be that adults are not allowed to choose whether or not to see a film? It really felt like Britain was behaving like China. This kind of censorship is ridiculous.

...Read the full article

Has someone at FrightFest already seen Human Centipede Part II, and if yes, did the board make the right decision?

Alan Jones: Yes, and no. Tom Six has rightfully pointed out it is a work of fiction, so what's the problem? I must say the BBFC's statement revealing much of the plot was unforgivable. What no one has pointed out yet is that the movie is in Black and White and therefore even more of a limited commercial proposition. I can't say any more on the subject because although many people know FrightFest is mentioned in the movie, and we get name-checked individually, there's a lot more to it than that. I do remember when Tom screened the movie, Video Nasties documentary director Jake West said it was going to run a foul of the BBFC and we all laughed. Well, he was right after all.

...Read the full article

Film4 FrightFest 2011, the UK's biggest genre film fest, runs from Thursday 25 August to Monday 29 August at the Empire Cinema, Leicester Square. The full line up will be announced on 1st July. Festival and day passes go on sale from 2nd July. Tickets for individual films on sale from 1st August.

What's it like to ban a film? When I used to deal with asylum cases, the courts said we had to exercise most anxious scrutiny. It's a bit like that, however inexact the parallel. Freedom of expression is a strong human right, and it always needs a powerful balancing case to justify cuts or bans. The main instrument we use these days is the age classification system rather than censorship. And we've repeatedly found at the BBFC that the public overwhelmingly believes that, at the adult level, people should be free to choose whether or not to see a film, with only limited exceptions.

...BUT...

...Read the full article

The Human Centipede Part 2 (The Full Sequence) continues to languish in the UK banned vault. The last I heard, the appeal against the ban is still in progress.

But across the Atlantic in the Land of the Sometimes Free, the film is set for a theatrical release (albeit limited).

According to the guys over at Arrow in the Head, The Human Centipede Part II: [Full Sequence] will hit select Landmark theatres on October 7th.

The BBFC justification for banning Human Centipede Part 2 has been used with great effect to form a teaser trailer for its uncut showing in Australia.

Perhaps it will start a trend and that all countries will follow suit and have a bit of fun at the expense of the BBFC.

The BBFC have kindly confirmed that the appeal against the ban on Human Centipede Part 2 has yet to be fixed.

An interview by Tom Six gave the impression that formal appeal had already been heard and lost twice... and that Tom Six was already looking to the High Court for satisfaction.

Presumably in the following except from his interview, Six was using the word 'appeal' in an informal sense, meaning that he had just asked the BBFC (rather than the Video Appeals Committee) to think again.

Here is the original Tom Six wording again:

Offsite: Interview with Tom Six re the BBFC Appeal

31st August 2011. Thanks to Mark. See interview from horror-movies.ca
See also Tom Six, The BBFC and The Human Centipede 2 Censorship Debacle from bleedingcool.com

Q: Have you got anything to say to the BBFC?

Tom Six: Oh, I've got lots of things to say, you can imagine. When I first heard it I wanted to thank them so much for their incredible publicity, but now I'm getting really annoyed. They didn't agree with our appeal, so it's looking not good, and I'm really angry now, because how can they say to adults you can't watch this film? It's incredible, and I'm really sad because the UK is the country that gave the world the black humour of Monty Python and Little Britain, and in my film; part 1 and part 2, there's a lot of black humour. I'm so disappointed they're so humourless.

...

Q: Do you see the BBFC ban being lifted any time soon?

Tom Six: Well, they have rejected our second appeal, so now the distributor has to go to a barrister or court, I'm not sure how that works, so it looks not very good. The film is not obscene, a lawyer said that and we have to get a barrister saying that. We have to find a way, I'm fighting my ass off with the distributor to find a way to show the film in the UK.

...Read the full interview

The first trailer has appeared showing actual footage from Human Centipede Part 2 (Full Sequence).

The trailer starts with a reprise from the first part but begins with the new material when the lights come on in the disused building.

The first poster for The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) has been unveiled. And the banned in Britain movie has made its debut at the Fantastic Fest film festival in Texas.

The poster depicts a centipede-like outline made up from 40 people apparently sewn together.

The film will go on US cinema release from 7th October, but the MPAA Unrated version will limit the amount of cinema's partaking in the release.

And as for the first reactions from Fantastic Fest. It seems that the BBFC are doing a far better job of recommending the film than any of the early critics.

Update: US Cuts

6th October 2011. Based on article from newcityfilm.com

While unrated, cuts were made for U.S. distribution, including a rape scene involving barbed wire and sandpaper.

Australia's Sex Party has tweeted that the New South Wales Attorney general has asked for the film censor's Review Board to reconsider the uncut R18+ certificate previously awarded to The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence).

Eureka Entertainment is pleased to announce the forthcoming release of the controversial horror film The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence).

Ian Sadler, Sales Director for Eureka Entertainment, Bounty Films' UK distributor said:

We are really pleased that after nearly 4 months of detailed discussion and debate, we have been able to reach an agreement with the BBFC and to produce a very viable cut of the film which will both excite and challenge its fans. Naturally we have a slight disappointment that we have had to make cuts, but we feel that the storyline has not been compromised and the level of horror has been sustained.

Further details of our plans for the UK theatrical and DVD release will be announced early next week.

The BBFC has awarded an 18 classification to a cut version of The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) after 32 cuts

6th October 2011. From press release from bbfc.co.uk

The DVD of The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) has been passed with an 18 classification following 32 cuts made across 8 separate sequences. The cuts total 2 minutes 37 seconds and address all the concerns raised when the Board refused a classification on 6 June 2011, including those relating to sexual violence, graphic gore and the possibility of breach of the law relating to obscenity.

The President, Sir Quentin Thomas, said

When we first examined this work earlier this year we judged that, as submitted, it was unsuitable for classification; and, as we explained to the company, we could not ourselves see how cuts could produce a viable and classifiable work. That remains the view of one of our Vice Presidents, Gerard Lemos, who is therefore abstaining from the Board's collective decision.

The company lodged an appeal against our decision to refuse classification. In the course of preparations for that appeal, the company proposed a number of cuts which it was right for us to consider. In response, after further examination, we proposed a more extensive series of cuts. These cuts produce a work which many will find difficult but which I believe can properly be classified at the adult level. The company has now accepted these cuts, withdrawn its appeal and the work has been classified, as cut, at 18.

In its original letter of 6 June refusing classification, the Board made clear that it was open to the distributor to attempt cuts. The cuts which have now been made are, in the Board's judgement, necessary if the film is to be classified.

Update: The BBFC list their cuts

7th October See article from bbfc.co.uk

Human Centipede Part II (Full Sequence) has been unbanned and passed 18 after 2:37s of BBFC cuts for:

• UK 2011 Bounty video
• UK 2011 cinema release

The BBFC commented on their cuts:

Company was required to make 32 individual cuts to scenes of sexual and sexualised violence, sadistic violence and humiliation, and a child presented in an abusive and violent context. In this case, cuts included:

• a man masturbating with sandpaper around his penis

• graphic sight of a man's teeth being removed with a hammer

• graphic sight of lips being stapled to naked buttocks

• graphic sight of forced defecation into and around other people's mouths

• a man with barbed wire wrapped around his penis raping a woman

• a newborn baby being killed

• graphic sight of injury as staples are torn away from individuals' mouth and buttocks.

The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) will make its Australian debut at the Brisbane International Film Festival in November. It will give local audiences a first look at what American critics are describing as a methodical snuff film, an unfortunate success and a dismal, nauseating and yet bizarrely artful sequel.

Recently released in full in America, and to be shown cut n the UK, the film has been booked by festival director Richard Moore and guest curator Tim League for the 20th anniversary program of BIFF after the Australian Classification Board cleared the uncut version for R18+ release earlier this year.

It's not the first time Moore has sparked controversy; while head of the Melbourne International Film Festival, his selection of Bruce laBruce's L.A. Zombie was followed by a ban, and an illegal screening.

Moore said he was not showing The Human Centipede 2 at the festival to create controversy but as a chance to present BIFF audiences with an Australian premiere of a hotly anticipated genre title. He said the movie was not being treated as one of the showpiece films of the event.

Having seen the sequel himself Moore admitted the movie would not be everybody's cup of tea.

Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence opens at the Brisbane International Film Festival at midnight on November 5. BIFF runs from November 3 to 13. Tickets and more information are available via the BIFF website.

Just how stupid is the British Board of Film Classification?

Earlier this year, it refused to grant a certificate to the gory, freakish horror film Human Centipede II, on the basis that it could deprave or corrupt a significant proportion of those likely to see [it]. Yet the movie, which I and some other journalists finally got to see last night, satirises that very idea; it relentlessly takes the mickey out of the notion that Joe Public, the little people, you and I, can be easily warped by watching fictional immorality. The BBFC banned the film on the basis that there was a real risk it could cause harm to those who see it, seemingly unaware of the fact that the film is a clever attack on the idea that movies cause harm to those who see them.

...Read the full article

Australia's Classification Review Board have announced that the uncut R18+ certificate for The Human Centipede 2 will be reviewed on November 4th.

It was previously reported that the New South Wales Attorney General, Greg Smith, had appealed against the R18+ rating.

The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) is 2011 Netherlands/UK horror by Tom Six. See IMDb

Unbanned and passed 18 after 2:37s of BBFC cuts for:

• UK 2011 Bounty Blu-ray at UK Amazon for release on 21st November 2011
• UK 2011 Bounty R2 DVD at UK Amazon for release on 21st November 2011
• UK 2011 cinema release

The BBFC commented on their cuts:

Company was required to make 32 individual cuts to scenes of sexual and sexualised violence, sadistic violence and humiliation, and a child presented in an abusive and violent context. In this case, cuts included:

• a man masturbating with sandpaper around his penis

• graphic sight of a man's teeth being removed with a hammer

• graphic sight of lips being stapled to naked buttocks

• graphic sight of forced defecation into and around other people's mouths

• a man with barbed wire wrapped around his penis raping a woman

• a newborn baby being killed

• graphic sight of injury as staples are torn away from individuals' mouth and buttocks.

Publicity material for the film reads: A triumph in biological horror!

Tom Six's follow up to the cult horror smash hit of 2010 ups the ante with a brute force unparalleled in film today. The iconic Dr. Heiter has inspired a real-life protege, the sickly, disturbed car park attendant, Martin, who takes his gory inspiration from the original film to horrific new extremes!

Martin, a mentally disturbed loner who lives with his nagging mother on a bleak London council estate, where loud neighbours and squalid living conditions threaten to plunge this victim of sexual and psychological abuse over the edge. Working the night shift as an attendant at an underground car park, he indulges his obsession with The Human Centipede (First Sequence) watching the film over and over on a laptop in his office and meticulously examining the scrapbook he has lovingly filled with memorabilia from the film, including the ass-to-mouth surgery instructions made famous by Dr. Heiter, the mad scientist from Martin s favourite movie. Pushed to the brink by his harridan mother and haunted by the teasing voices of his abusive and imprisoned father, Martin sets into motion his plan to emulate Heiter s centipede by creating his own version. In a rented warehouse, he begins to acquire victims, including his loud, violent neighbour, a prostitute and her lecherous client, and several more... including Martin s pie'ce de re'sistance, one of the actresses from The Human Centipede (First Sequence). Although lacking the medical skills of his hero, Martin soldiers on with grotesque DIY gusto, along with a healthy supply of duct tape, household tools and staple guns!

What follows is one of the most harrowing and terrifying films ever conceived, featuring a central character that makes Dr. Heiter seem tame in comparison. The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) is a triumph in biological horror by one of the new masters of the horror film.

Mayhem Festival
Broadway Cinema, Nottingham
27-31st October 2011

Mayhem returns for five fear-filled days of the strange and scary. Featuring ghosts. gore, extreme cinema, haunted TV, weird science and much much more.

Tickets for the complete programme are £55. 

Featured Events:

Thu 27 Oct

• The Awakening + Director's Q&A (15)
• Theatre Bizarre (18)

Fri 28 Oct

• The Devil's Business + Director's Q&A (18)
• The Wicker Tree + Director's Q&A (18)
• Thrill Laboratory Present - The Experiment Live (18)
• Helldriver (18)

Sat 29 Oct

• The Whisperer in Darkness (18)
• A Horrible Way to Die (18)
• Saint (18)
• Revenge: A Love Story (18)
• Scary Shorts - International (18)
• Theatre of Blood (18)

Sun 30 Oct

• Tomie: Unlimited (18)
• Eyes Without a Face (18)
• Little Deaths (18)
• Ghostwatch + Writer's Q&A (15)
• The Last Employee (18)

Mon 31st Oct

• The Human Centipede II: Full Sequence (18)

The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) will make its Australian debut at the Brisbane International Film Festival on Saturday 5th November.

It has been labelled a mad orgy of depravity and gore, a movie so disturbing and sickening it was banned in Britain [for a while].

But this week the film scuttles into Brisbane cinemas, untouched by censors and courting inevitable moral 'outrage'.

Queensland was once infamous for its movie censorship, with the state banning an average of five films a year until former premier Wayne Goss disbanded the review board in 1990. But now the state's Arts Minister Rachel Nolan is wisely refusing to intervene, saying it's up to federal classifiers to approve films: This is the new Queensland and the Government and I, as Arts Minister, are not going to be some kind of moral censor.

However the Classification Review Board is set to examine the film's R18+ rating after a request from the NSW Attorney-General.  A total of eight complaints have been made to the film censors. But the review will not be conducted until November 28, allowing the film to premiere at the festival.

Christian lobby group Family Voice Australia is preparing a submission to the review board and is calling for the film to be banned in Australia.

Films like this are really promoting a very demeaning image of women and children, claimed national research officer Roslyn Phillips, urging Brisbane organisers to ditch the movie from its program.

Meanwhile University of Queensland psychology researcher Brock Bastian provided a puerile and generalised sound bite for the newspaper article. He claimed violent media, including films, could affect the behaviour of their viewers: It's not the most healthy or best way to be spending your time and it may transfer into your interpersonal interactions in subtle ways. [perhaps having the occasional urge to molest a centipede].

The Brisbane International Film Festival runs from November 3 to 13. Tickets and more information are available via the BIFF website.

It seems that a video on demand version of The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) is all over the internet via file sharers - so much for the BBFC cuts and previous ban.

From the Melon Farmers:

From reports I have read though, this seems to be US Unrated version that is missing the barbwire rape of the 'centipede'. It is much more complete than the cut BBFC version though.

Reviewers don't seem to have been impressed by the need for BBFC cuts. For instance the sandpaper masturbation is off screen, the BBFC claimed sexual motivation is near non existent, and most of the violence is of a level that has been passed before.

This seems to leave just the BBFC concern that arses, mouths and shit in near proximity could be deemed obscene by the authorities.

Update: Differences

2nd November 2011. Thanks to goatboy

The sandpaper scene in the leaked VOD version of Human Centipede 2 is exactly the same as in the BBFC cut. Also in the VOD version the rape scene at 76 minutes is completely cut out, some of it is retained in the BBFC cut. However the guy having his teeth knocked out is shorter in the BBFC version and some shots of swallowing in the centipede are in the VOD version but not the BBFC .

It is an odd film!

Abertoir Horror Festival
Aberystwyth Arts Centre
8-13th November 2011

A horror festival with a wider remit than just film. There are talks, theatre and music events.  There are still plenty of films including The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence).

Special guests including Vincent Price's daughter Victoria who will be introducing some of her father's great works.

You can now get your full 6 day pass for a mere £55! That includes everything we've got during the festival, the music, the theatre, the films, the talks and the hangovers. Passes are already selling faster than expected, and the line-up this year looks set to top all others! Individual tickets are available.

The newspapers are full of the revelation that Vincent Tabak, the Dutchman who strangled Joanna Yeates to death, was addicted to violent pornography showing the choking and strangulation of young women.

On the same day as Mr Tabak was found guilty of Jo Yeates's murder, I was exposed to the latest work by another Dutchman.

Writer-director Tom Six has followed up his controversial 2009 horror film The Human Centipede, which features a mad scientist joining three people together surgically.

For his sequel, The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence), Six has stitched together a film that is ten times more extreme, filthy and psychopathic than the original.

I don't think many critics are going to bother denying it is ugly, boring, nihilistic, repetitive and profoundly repellent.

...Read the full review

By now, you're all wondering if the film is worth it. How badly have the cuts affected the film. Well, having watched the cut version on DVD, I can now say that if you enjoyed the original, you will probably get a kick out of the sequel.

Unfortunately, the cuts are very noticeable. There are at least two major censorship moments in which the scene builds-up to a murder, only for the living victim to suddenly turn up dead, without any explanation.

...Read the full article

The BBFC's outright rejection of The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) in June surprised some. The film's predecessor, The Human Centipede (First Sequence), was passed uncut last year. It too featured human beings sewn together mouth-to-anus so they shared a common alimentary system, but unlike its successor it was disturbingly realistic. Expert advice ensured that the experiment it depicted would actually have worked. Any filmgoers in danger of being depraved and corrupted into emulating what they'd seen were thus presented with a workable blueprint.

The new film, on the other hand, is outright farce. Its protagonist isn't a distinguished surgeon but a dim-witted car-park attendant. He makes no attempt to provide his victims with the nutritional supplements they would require, or even with water. He anaesthetises them with a tyre iron and attaches them to each other with a staple-gun. No one could possibly take him seriously.

...Read the full article

I wonder if perhaps the Guardian blogger shouldn't also be targeting the lords and masters of the BBFC at the Crown Prosecution Service. The CPS jealously guard the few things left that are considered obscene, and anything shitty is one of them. Perhaps they couldn't bring themselves to promise to lay off prosecutions for Human Centipede 2.

Human Centipede 2 has taken just £942 at the box office after opening in the UK last weekend.

hecklerspray.com suspect that it has been streamed and downloaded online (uncut) more times than it has been seen in a cinema.

Offsite Comment: Story is a few legs short of the full sequence

10th November 2011. See article from cinema-extreme.blogspot.com

Playing on just ten screens across the entire country, and predominantly at once-off, late-night festival screenings, Human Centipede 2 has taken just £942 at the UK Box Office, over its opening weekend. That's just in ten, individual showings, not ten screens playing the film three or four times a day!

...But..

What the report failed to state, is that in the USA, THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE II has been doing very well, thank you very much! So far, the film has taken some $49,456 (US) in its Opening Weekend, playing on just 18 screens.

...Read the full article

Just got back from seeing it on the big screen in London (Apollo Cinema, Piccadilly Circus)...

As hard as it is to believe, some scenes are in fact longer in the UK version than in the VOD version!! I made some notes on my mobile phone, so here goes...

First up, the company logo is no longer IFC, it's Monster films...

Part that seems cut in both US & UK versions: When Martin looks at the warehouse with the lettings guy, it seems the attack on the guy is missing in both versions, as both jump from him being asked to sign the lease to him dead on the floor with stomach wounds...

Another part that seems cut in both versions: When Martin is on the stairs with the hooker, it jumps from him getting maced to the body being in the van...

The scene after Martin kills his mother: Not a huge difference, but the camera lingers for longer on her mangled face (When she's sitting in the chair), showing a slightly closer, gorier angle.

The sandpaper part: This is longer in the UK release, you see him unzipping his trousers (Not in VOD) and the sequence goes on slightly longer until he climaxes...

The part with the Dr, Martin and his mum together: A very small difference here, you see the centipede eating its prey for longer, as it crushes it etc...

The teeth removal part: This is shorter, there are less hits from the hammer (I think you see about 4 hits), then it switches to Martin dragging the bloody teeth etc from the mouth. Seemed a bit pointless to shorten this, as, like I said, it only removes a few hits.

The ligament cutting part: This part is almost exactly the same as the VOD release, but there seemed to be more screaming added.

The buttock cutting: Exactly the same as VOD.

The buttock stapling: This is essentially the same as VOD, however the VOD shows possibly around 2 seconds longer of the stapling itself.

When the completed centipede is revealed: The VOD is missing a shot of Martin with his arms out-stretched, looking very happy with his creation...

The laxative / Wall painting scene: Is identical, this is the only bit where colour (Brown) is shown...

The rape scene: This is where it get's interesting, as in the VOD, this scene is practically non-existant, you just see Martin slumped over the end of the centipede; In the UK version, this part go's on for 20 - 30 seconds, and is pretty nasty! There's no mention at all of barb-wire, but you see Martin Getting himself ready (Playing with his y-fronts), followed by him humping the centipede, with a LOT of screaming, shots of reaction from other members of the centipede, and like I said, lasts about 30 seconds and is pretty disturbing to watch. Absolutely NONE of that was in the VOD version.

The baby scene: The scene is essentially the same, but when the bay comes out it's on the screen for a tiny (Very tiny) bit longer, but cuts straight from that to the car driving off. (Interestingly, some shots of Martin banging on the car and shouting have been removed.)

When the centipede is being killed: During the shooting, one of the women pees herself, I didn't notice that in the VOD version - The shootings and throat slashings are the same.

And that's about it!! Sorry if I've missed any parts!! To be honest, for a UK cut of the film it really wasn't too bad, I went there expecting to see next to nothing!!

In June, the British Board of Film Classification banned The Human Centipede 2, causing every news outlet in the country, and many more around the world to suddenly take an interest in the movie. We were no exception, reporting "The BBFC have denied The Human Centipede sequel a certificate on the outrageous grounds that it's too "sexually violent and potentially obscene"".

With the film finally out in the UK, we decided that it was the perfect time for us to do some digging, and try to understand what it was that so offended the BBFC initially, and what persuaded them to finally change their minds.

In the interest of balance, we also spoke to Tom Six and Laurence R. Harvey, respectively the director and star of Human Centipede 2.

...Read the full article

The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) is a 2011 Netherlands/UK horror by Tom Six with Laurence R Harvey and Ashlynn Yennie. See IMDb

The film was unbanned by the BBFC and passed 18 for very strong bloody violence and gore, and sexual violence after 2:37s of BBFC cuts for:

• UK 2011 Bounty Blu-ray at UK Amazon released today on 21st November 2011
• UK 2011 Bounty R2 DVD at UK Amazon released today on 21st November 2011
• UK 2011 cinema release

The film found fame where it was earlier banned by the BBFC for:

• UK 2011 Bounty R2 DVD

BBFC Comments: Very Distressing

Based on article from bbfc.co.uk

THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE II (FULL SEQUENCE) is a horror sequel, this time about an asthmatic London car park attendant called Martin who has become obsessed with the film THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE (FIRST SEQUENCE). Martin decides to kidnap a number of people and construct his own human centipede by stapling them together. The film was classified 18 for very strong bloody violence and gore, and sexual violence. Prior to classification, the BBFC required cuts to remove several elements of sexual and sexualised violence, sadistic violence and humiliation, and a child presented in an abusive and violent context.

Although the BBFC was clear that the original version of the film was potentially harmful in its portrayal of violent acts and sexual and sexualised violence, the classified version of the film, which omits the most explicit moments of sadistic violence, sexual and sexualised violence, and the killing of a newborn baby, does not pose a credible harm risk, although some viewers may find it very distressing.

The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) has been been banned by the Australian Classification Review Board (ACRB).

The review was the result of an appeal against the previously uncut R18+ certificate awarded by the Classification Board. The appeal was requested by Australia's Justice Minister Brendan O'Connor, reportedly on the advice of the New South Wales Attorney General Greg Smith.

The film has already opened at select cinemas a fortnight ago, including Melbourne's Cinema Nova, which advertised the film with a prophetic see it before it's banned motto.

From the ACRB's official press statement:

A three member panel of the Classification Review Board has by unanimous decision determined that the film The Human Centipede II (full sequence) is classified RC (Refused Classification).

In the Review Board's opinion, The Human Centipede II (full sequence) could not be accommodated within the R 18+ classification as the level of depictions of violence in the film has an impact which is very high.

In addition, the film must be refused classification because it contains gratuitous, exploitative or offensive depictions of violence with a very high degree of impact and cruelty which has a high impact.

Films classified RC cannot be sold, hired, or advertised in Australia.

The Review Board's reasons for this decision will appear on the Classification website when finalised.

Update: Nutters Rejoice

30th November 2011. See article from au.christiantoday.com

Ros Phillips, national research officer for FamilyVoice Australia, said:

We congratulate the Classification Review Board for its unanimous decision to classify the torture porn film The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) as Refused Classification,

Earlier this year we were shocked to learn that the uncut version of this horrific film had been passed by Australia's Classification Board as R18+ - but had been banned by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), Phillips said.

On behalf of Australian families, we thank the Board for its unanimous agreement. Pornography based on human torture has no place on Australian screens.

FamilyVoice provided the Classification Review Board with a substantial submission, explaining in detail why Australia's classification guidelines require scenes in Human Centipede 2 to be Refused Classification.

FamilyVoice describes itself as: A Christian Voice for family, faith and freedom. They obviously have got themselves about the concept of 'freedom'. Perhaps A Christian Voice for family, faith and censorship, would be a more honest strap line.

Sensible Decision

The Human Centipede II (full sequence) has recently been sent back to the Film Classification Review Board after its original R18+ classification was disputed. In this case it seems that technical skill (I'm not sure acting comes into it) has not just been squandered, but misdirected into something that brings no light to anyone, only darkness.

A good film can be a source of wonder, and not just because of the special effects. When a good director and team bring the technical marvels together with the essential elements of good acting and a good script, some very special films can result. The talents of many people are needed to bring this about, as ever-lengthening lists of credits show.

Not every film can be special and the relentless demand for product in our consumer society inevitably effects quality. All the same, it is sometimes a cause of regret when I think of the talent that is squandered in making a mediocre film, to say nothing of a really bad one, like The Human Centipede II.

The film was initially banned in Britain, a rare occurrence, but was subsequently released after cuts were made. These featured what the British Board of Film Classification described as scenes of sexual and sexualised violence, sadistic violence and humiliation, as well as a scene of a child presented in an abusive and violent context.

The description of the deleted scenes does not make easy reading. They included graphic sight of a man's teeth being removed with a hammer; graphic sight of lips being stapled to naked buttocks; graphic sight of forced defecation into and around other people's mouths, a woman being raped with barbed wire; and a newborn baby being killed.

The plot, such as it is, focuses strongly on the link between sexual arousal and sexual violence and a clear association between pain, perversity and sexual pleasure. Not the sort of film you'd hope your neighbour watches.

The review of its classification in Australia came after an application from the federal Minister for Justice, Brendan O'Connor. On 28 November the review board announced a unanimous decision to refuse the film classification, meaning it cannot be sold or shown in Australia.

Congratulations to the board and the minister on this outcome. Predictably, a few on the margins are bleating about censorship. But most Australians will see the decision as a win for common decency and common sense.

The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) is a 2011 Netherlands/UK horror by Tom Six. With Laurence R Harvey and Ashlynn Yennie. See IMDb.

US: The Director's Cut is uncut and MPAA Unrated for:

• US 2012 IFC RA Blu-ray via UK Amazon and at US Amazon released today 14th February 2012
• US 2012 IFC R1 DVD at US Amazon released today 14th February 2012

UK & Australia availability

UK & Australia: The Uncut Version is now available online for:

• 2011 Bounty Rental Streaming [UK+Australia only] at Bounty Films
• 2011 Bounty Download to Own [UK+Australia only] at Bounty Films

UK: Passed 18 after 2:37s of BBFC cuts for:

• UK 2011 Bounty Blu-ray at UK Amazon
• UK 2011 Bounty R2 DVD at UK Amazon
• UK 2011 cinema release