Program Note
The mad scientist is a paradoxical figure in body horror: while positioned on the moral opposite end of the narrative, committing bodily mutilation and murder, they simultaneously provide a coldly rational, scientific justification for the grotesque and brutal plot. Some deranged projects even claim to uphold bioethical ideals—like the survival of humanity or the preservation of the body—presenting themselves with a disturbingly persuasive veneer of logic. Of course, it’s all bullshit. Dr. Heiter from The Human Centipede doesn’t even bother with such excuses. He simply kidnaps American tourists traveling in Germany—and stitches them together. Mouth to anus, feeding and excretion become part of a continuous loop, depicted through scenes of torture and human experimentation that refuse any symbolic reading. The film vacillates constantly between pure disgust and morbid curiosity, fueled by the spectacle of bodily violation. Tom Six’s The Human Centipede ignited a cult body horror franchise with its notorious first installment, followed by Parts 2 and 3. It quickly earned global cult status and became, for many domestic festivalgoers, an iconic film synonymous with BIFAN’s transgressive identity. (Jin PARK)