Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

What would you do if your 15 year old came home from a friends and said he'd watched The Human Caterpiller film?

115 replies

AnnieMaybe · 22/03/2014 21:44

As far as I know this film is some sort of horrible horror torture film

Ds2 is 16 in June and thinks he was old enough to watch it.

I'm annoyed but am I overreacting? Teenage years are hard

OP posts:
NurseyWursey · 23/03/2014 01:54

I have Freaks on DVD. It's a very strange film but not gory

I do like a lot of Japanese horror films, I really don't like any of the gory ones that include rape or genital mutilation though, there's no need.

NoIdeasForUsername · 23/03/2014 01:58

The first one is almost funny in it's attempts at horror, iyswim? The second one on the other hand...Can still see/hear it. It's horrible in a disgusting kind of way.

D0oinMeCleanin · 23/03/2014 02:13

Hmm, I luffs horror but The Human Centipede was not horror to me. More unrealistic, very badly scripted, gorefest. Although saying that a lot of posters here seem to think the sequal is worse, whilst I would agree that it is gorier (? is that even a word?) it is a whole lot less believable and therefore less disturbing iyswim.

Going on the list Nursery posted I'd guess it's all down to taste because I'd put Human Centipede way further down the list. They all seemed to be gore porn to me, Saw et al shows much more.

For a 15yo I wouldn't be worried, the idea of the script is a lot worse than the actual movie, which is at places, so utterly bizarre it is not so much laughable but vaguely humerous (as in whilst watching it you might be a bit ewwwwww but afterwards just a bit wtf? Really? )

MistressDeeCee · 23/03/2014 02:41

Im surprised anyone would be fine with their 15 year old DC watching a scat & torture film. You can't always know what your teens are up to but if I found out my teen had watched this I actually would care. Its not something Id shrug my shoulders about; Id be having a word with him. Bit Hmm about a teen telling his DM he'd seen this, though...wonder why?

MrsDavidBowie · 23/03/2014 07:19

Freaks was a very interesting film.

LordPalmerston · 23/03/2014 07:25

Ring the hosts parents and mention it

LordPalmerston · 23/03/2014 07:26

Agree it's more than a Horror film

LordPalmerston · 23/03/2014 07:26

I happened to flick over when if wS on tv to THAT SCENE. Was really horrible. Stuck in my mind too.

kali110 · 23/03/2014 07:39

I wouldn't have a problem with it. I don't think its a huge thing. If he came back and said he hone out drinking or doing drugs id have gone mad, this not so much.

I liked the first hc, didnt like the second one so much.

cakewitch · 23/03/2014 07:40

Can i ask a question please?? How is it even possible that ANYONE could gain enjoyment from watching films that show another human being brutally murdered and mutilated??
Yes, i am fully aware that it is not real, but it is the fact, to me that people watch the news and find reports of violent crime so harrowing, but will happily sit and watch extremely violent and disturbing images as part of a film, and all of a sudden, thats seen as "entertainment"
How is that even possible?

MissHobart · 23/03/2014 07:52

It's a really crap film, nowhere near as bad as most, and to be fair I reckon 15 is an ok age to watch them. For my 13th birthday I had a sleepover and my mum rented us "Candyman", we shrieked our way through it ran to the bathroom mirror to try and make him appear and had a whale of a time, no lasting damage! I was reading Stephen King by then too.

There are worse films, try "BrainDead" Wink

scrufhead · 23/03/2014 08:05

me and my friend used to raid her dads horror collection at the age of 10. never did us any harm! Smile Smile

Shockers · 23/03/2014 08:14

I'd be upset. This is because we've always told DS to be mindful of what he allows into his head... once it's there, he can't un-see it.

DS1 left a friend's house when he was about 19 because A Clockwork Orange was on and the rape scene distressed him so much. I was proud of him for not bowing to peer pressure. I hope DS2 (13) will also have that strength of character.

digerd · 23/03/2014 08:17

The most 'jump out of your skin moments' in a film that I have seen was Friday the 13th part 2. The most sick, in which many females in the audience actually vomitted at the end was The Devils with Vanessa Redgrave.

It did appear on TV , which I thought it never would,but I couldn't watch it again.
My faves as a 14 year-old were the Dracula films.

Bowlersarm · 23/03/2014 08:18

I wouldn't do anything. He's nearly 16 and capable of deciding what he should watch or not.

Just imagine if he is worried by it and needs to talk to you about what he has seen.

If you get involved with ringing his friends dad, trying to stop him going round to his friends house etc., well, that'll be the last time he tells you anything. It is better that he is happy to tell you about everything, so you know what is going on in his life.

blondefriend · 23/03/2014 08:27

Agreeing with the majority. I have seen the film and it is typical shite horror. We watched a lot of similar films as teenagers - it seems to be part of the growing up ritual and is unlikely to have done him any damage. Coincidentally this film came up in my Yr11 class 2 weeks ago (I'm a Biology teacher). A boy asked if I had seen it and if it could actually happen. We talked through it (from the point of view of digestion, healing and infection) as a class and about half had seen it.

I would probably shrug it off and be glad that your son still talks to you.

SolidGoldBrass · 23/03/2014 09:12

FFS DON'T ring his friend's dad and whine. That would be a disastrous overreaction. You would be letting your DS in for possible ostracism by his friends (can't tell him anything because his interfering cow of a mum will get involved) and making sure that your DS, rather than regarding you as someone he can trust with his concerns, will feel that you are officious, narrow-minded and impossible to talk to.

Nataleejah · 23/03/2014 09:16

Well, he saw it. Past tense. Nothing you can do

purplebaubles · 23/03/2014 09:21

Ew. Honestly the most nasty film I've ever had the misfortune to accidentally turn over onto. (quite how the hell it's allowed to be shown on TV I will never know)

I know you're all saying, it's not real, it's ridiculous etc etc. but I found it very disturbing. Confused Of course some sick bastard could do something like that - or worse.

The bit for me that makes me think wft, is who in their right mind would agree to be one of the actors in it???!! I think they'd need counselling after it.

YANBU. Unfortunately, I think you will just need to have one of those convos about how there are some sick ppl about, and how he doesn't have to watch anything he doesn't feel comfortable watching in future. (did he tell you because it was still on his mind?)

Iggi101 · 23/03/2014 09:26

If I could in-watch one film in my life it would be this one.
I can only assume the parent was trying to be the cool one who lets his kids do anything. Unfortunately not just his kids though was it?

Iggi101 · 23/03/2014 09:26

Un-watch

Nataleejah · 23/03/2014 09:28

I haven't seen this one, not interested. I had my time of watching shite horror in my teens, and honestly -- most of those films just can't be interesting to anyone over 16, even though the rating says 18+

Caitlin17 · 23/03/2014 14:12

Cakewitch the 17th century Cakewitch probably said why would anyone want to watch such dreadful stuff about Titus Andronicus and 'Tis Pity she's a Whore.

anothermrssmith · 23/03/2014 14:35

Let it go, yes the dad was a bit irresponsible letting them watch it but he's almost 16 (presumably everyone else there is a similar age) not 6. I'm amazed he hadn't already seen it to be honest, hell 2 girls 1 cup is on you tube (dont google it, i was actually sick watching it) Phoning the dad to say you aren't happy about it won't help and may get you a reputation as an overprotective mother. Highly doubt he thought it was anything other than hilarious.

SolidGoldBrass · 23/03/2014 15:49

I don't think we know if the other parents were aware the teens were watching the film, do we? It's rather more likely that one of them rented it without letting his mum and dad know (or possibly the parents are horror fans themselves and have a copy which the teenagers are not supposed to either know about or watch...)

And thundering in with an interfering phone call that drops all the kids in it is terrible parenting when they haven't done anything wrong. 15 is old enough to make their own choices about what they want to watch/read/listen to, and when it turns out that they have different opinions to the parents, it's time for the parents to get the fuck over it.