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The Human Centipede: First Sequence (2009)

By Michael Schilf · December 4, 2010

Screenplay Genre: Horror / Thriller

Movie Time: 92 minutes

1. INCITING INCIDENT

Two American tourists, Lindsay (Ashley C. Williams) and Jenny (Ashlynn Yennie), on a road trip through Europe get lost on some back woods road somewhere in Germany when their car breaks down with a flat tire. (00:05:49)

2. LOCK IN (End of Act One)

After walking through the woods in high heels in a futile attempt to find help, the two girls stumble upon an isolated villa owned by Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser), a retired surgeon who specialized in separating Siamese twins. Heiter invites the girls inside, only to drug them. The next day, they awaken to find themselves trapped in Heiter's makeshift basement laboratory along with another man. (00:21:30)

3. FIRST CULMINATION (Midpoint)

After Heiter explains to his three victims – the third being a Japanese man Katsuro (Akihiro Kitamura) – that he plans to stitch their mouths to each other's rectums in order to "reassemble" them into his new "pet": The Human Centipede, Heiter begins drugging each of them, but Lindsay manages a daring escape. However, she goes back to save Jenny, only to be recaptured. (00:43:10)

4. MAIN CULMINATION (End of Act Two)

As Heiter examines his human centipede in his laboratory, he states that the front (Katsuro) is "strong" and the middle (Lindsay) is "constipated, but the back (Jenny) is "dying", which brings him to the conclusion that he will "have to replace" her. It is at this moment that the downstairs phone rings: two detectives are buzzing at the front door. (1:01:30)

5. THIRD ACT TWIST

After the detectives leave to secure a search warrant, Katsuro stabs Heiter and leads Lindsay and Jenny on a labored attempt to escape. The injured Heiter, however, crawls after his human centipede, cornering them in his bedroom, declaring: "Eye for eye. Tooth for tooth." Katsuro grabs a piece of shattered glass to defend them, but after concluding he is no longer a human being, he slices his throat. (1:19:00)