Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		1.5

The Human Centipede 3 [Final Sequence] Blu-ray Movie Review

Let's hope that "final" in the title is truth in advertising.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 27, 2015

Tom Six insists he always foresaw his much reviled The Human Centipede: The Complete Sequence as a trilogy, and for some squeamish viewers at least, that “complete” in the title of a bundled release offering all three films may be one small glimmer of hope in an otherwise pretty destitute landscape. Perhaps the “best” (a decidedly relative term when discussing these films) news about The Human Centipede 3 [Final Sequence] is that the actual “calling card” of these films is relegated rather surprisingly to the background for much of its running time. (For those who aren’t aware of the general set up of these films, please refer to my colleague Casey Broadwater’s The Human Centipede [First Sequence] Blu-ray review and The Human Centipede 2 [Full Sequence] Blu-ray review.) Instead, the viewer gets to “delight” in a host of other depravities, including misogyny, castration, waterboarding, and several gruesome beatings and/or deaths. Six insists The Human Centipede 3 [Final Sequence] is a comedy, which may lead some to wonder what kinds of sitcoms the Dutch filmmaker grew up with which helped shaped his ostensible “comedic” sensibilities.

Some viewers who wander into The Human Centipede unprepared (and/or uninformed) may feel like they’ve become a prisoner in some horribly demented fortress, and so it’s perhaps appropriate that The Human Centipede 3 [Final Sequence] does in fact take place in a jail. Franchise stalwarts Laurence R. Harvey and Dieter Laser are back again, albeit in new (and according to Six’s repetitive commentary, “completely different”) roles. Laser is unhinged warden Bill Boss, who takes a break from tormenting his prisoners in order to humiliate his secretary Daisy (Bree Olson, former porn starlet). Harvey portrays number cruncher Dwight Butler, a kind of hapless schlub who nonetheless comes up with the film’s central concept of stitching together hordes of inmates, ostensibly to offer a potent “anti crime” image for any potential bad guys out there in the big, wide world.

Before that happens (and anyone jonesin’ for mouth to butt shenanigans had better be patient going into this film), though, several other sidebars occur, including a lot of brutality aimed at various prisoners by the demented warden, a guy who also goes out of his way to humiliate Daisy. There are some lunatic “comedic” touches here, including squirm worthy “jokes” centered around a certain kind of genital mutilation that is practiced on the African subcontinent. Probably even more so than The Human Centipede 2 [Full Sequence], though, The Human Centipede 3 [Final Sequence] employs a “meta” ambience where characters are “inspired” by the goings on of the previous films.

Six has tended to use his own little “repertory company” in these films, and so it’s perhaps at least a bit of a surprise when Eric Roberts shows up part way through the film, more or less sleepwalking (albeit sleazily) as the governor who initially is out to rein in the excesses of the warden, but who supposedly undergoes a change of heart late in the proceedings. Remember when Roberts was an actual, bona fide Academy Award nominee? Yeah, neither does he, probably.

The kind of (relatively) interesting thing about this third Human Centipede is that it really doesn’t even need the franchise’s central gross out conceit to achieve its smarmily lunatic ambience. The over the top theatrics of Laser set a pitch perfect tone for the film, and Harvey’s stuttering sidekick and Olson’s put upon secretary actually create a modicum of actual sympathy, at least when compared to some of the rest of the goings on. Six obviously thrives on being a provocateur, but in essence The Human Centipede 3 [Final Sequence] , for all its supposed envelope pushing, is fairly routine when it comes to its exploitation angles.

The Human Centipede 3 [Final Sequence] Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Human Centipede 3 [Final Sequence] is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of IFC Midnight and Scream Factory, an imprint of Shout! Factory, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.34:1. A lot of this film has been color graded to a kind of sickly yellow hue (easily seen in many of the screenshots accompanying this review), and when combined with an often low contrast look, detail can be somewhat lacking even in decently lit sequences. When the buttery hues aren't slathered on the image, detail improves markedly, and some of the more gruesome gross out moments (like a close up of a badly disfigured face) pop with enough detail that they'll probably induce squirms in the more squeamish viewer. Some sequences look like they were green screened (notably several in the guard tower of the prison), and backgrounds can look very soft if they're seen at all. There are no issues with image instability, and there are none of the annoying anomalies that afflicted The Human Centipede 2 [Full Sequence] 's video presentation.

The Human Centipede 3 [Final Sequence] Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Human Centipede 3 [Final Sequence] features a boisterous DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track that offers a good deal of immersion in several noisy sequences within the claustrophobic halls of the prison, as well as some ostensible "song and dance" moments (don't ask). Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly, and the film's use of sound effects often ups the angst level of several gross out moments.

The Human Centipede 3 [Final Sequence] Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Tom Six is generally decently informative, though Six has a tendency to repeat himself and seems to find the film a lot more amusing than some may.


• The Making Of Featurette (1080p; 26:05) has segments devoted to each of the main characters and features a lot of behind the scenes footage.


• Alternate Ending (1080p; 4:01)


• Deleted Scenes (1080p; 1:45)


• Still Gallery (1080p; 5:27)


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:05)


• Teaser Trailer (1080p; 1:14)

The Human Centipede 3 [Final Sequence] Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There must be an audience for this kind of film, but I'm well outside of that demographic. What's kind of funny about The Human Centipede 3 [Final Sequence] is that its more lunatic proclivities are actually kind of insanely enjoyable if divorced from some of the more revolting aspects of the story. But this is a pretty dark and twisted journey through some fairly despicable content, and those who aren't instantly "charmed" by the admittedly shocking idea at the core of this tale will probably want to skip this one, as indeed they should with the previous two Human Centipede films. Technical merits are generally strong for those considering a purchase.