They’ve both been banned in England.
Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 masterpiece was kept off British movie screens for decades at the director’s request following charges it inspired viewers to commit acts of violence. And now, “The Human Centipede II,” the sequel to the 2010 horror shocker, will get the same fate.
Director Tom Six, the trippy mind behind the “Centipede” films, seems more upset at the spoilers included in news reports about the ban.
Banning movies seems so antiquated at this point in our culture, even if reading some of the new film’s plot points made me want to grab some poster board and march against it. Yes, it sounds that revolting.
So why not slap an “X” rating on it, or leave it unrated, and let the public decide its fate?
“The Human Centipede” wriggled its way into the popular culture thanks to its repulsive plot – a mad surgeon fuses three people together to create a new life form. The pranksters over at “South Park” even parodied the movie a few weeks ago. But the film made very little money at the box office, and the sequel will likely repeat those numbers.
But the publicity sure to swirl around the ban can only help the film’s commercial chances.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Banning this movie is paying it a compliment it doesn’t deserve. It’s like that line in a bunch of samurai movies, “I’d cut you down, but you’d just get my sword dirty.” The state only needs to get involved in cases where normal people’s capabilities aren’t enough, and I’m pretty sure most people don’t need the state to tell them to miss this. Plus, banning it is just going to entice a few of the vermin who do things just because they’re forbidden.
However, more power to any private theater that refuses to screen it, because it’s utterly vile.
Reminds me of “The Warriors” getting banned in NYC for fear of inciting gang violence. No stopping a good movie from making it big, ban or no (“The Warriors” is a guilty pleasure of mine).
So, if history repeats, Tom Six should get down on his knees and pray to whatever god or gods he worships for the great publicity.
A Clockwork Orange is a bad example becase, as you in fact pointed out, it’s withdrawl was driven by Kubrick himself. There are numerous examples of movies that actually were banned in the UK, but Straw Dogs is a good one, because it’s a movie of similar stature. It was banned from video release (even in edited form) between 1984 and 2002.