The film tells the story of two American tourists, Lindsay (Ashley D. Millan) and Jenny (Ashlynn Yennie), who become stranded in Germany. They seek help at a nearby house, where they meet Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser), a former surgeon who has been conducting inhumane experiments. Heiter kidnaps the two women and surgically connects them mouth-to-anus, creating a human centipede. The goal of this horrific procedure is to create a new form of human transportation, with Heiter controlling the centipede's movements through a system of pulleys and levers.
The film was produced on a relatively low budget of $250,000. The production team consisted of a small crew, and the filming took place in the Netherlands. The special effects, particularly the surgical procedures and the creation of the human centipede, were achieved through a combination of practical and prosthetic effects.
However, the film also garnered a significant amount of attention and publicity, with many viewers drawn to its shocking and transgressive content. The film's notoriety led to a wider release and a sequel, "The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence)", which was released in 2011.