Tom Six

Tom Six
Six in February 2011
Born (1973-08-29) 29 August 1973 (age 53)
Alkmaar, Netherlands
Occupations
  • Filmmaker
  • director
  • writer
  • actor
  • producer
  • editor
Years active2004–present
Websitesixentertainmentcompany.com

Tom Six (born 29 August 1973) is a Dutch filmmaker, screenwriter, film editor, and actor. He is best known for his trilogy of body horror films; The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009), The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) (2011) and The Human Centipede 3 (Final Sequence) (2015). Six was an original director of Dutch reality TV series Big Brother, which has since become an international franchise.

Early life

Tom Six was born in Alkmaar, North Holland, in the Netherlands, on 29 August 1973.

Career

Six started a film production company with his sister Ilona called Six Entertainment, where he wrote and directed such films as Gay in Amsterdam, Honeyz and I Love Dries (later retitled What the F**k?!), about the aspiring Dutch singer Dries Roelvink.

Six had success with the film The Human Centipede. Although it met with mixed reviews and reactions, The Human Centipede garnered widespread attention. The first film's success gave Six the flexibility he needed to work on a sequel, The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence), eventually leading to a trilogy. He made the first film to get viewers comfortable with the idea of the Human Centipede. Both the controversial content of the first film and the second's brutal depictions of sexual violence have generated controversy. In the United Kingdom, the BBFC declined to issue an 18 certificate for The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence), highlighting the antagonist's "total degradation, humiliation, mutilation, torture, and murder of his naked victims". Six then submitted a new cut with two minutes and 37 seconds removed and received the 18 certificate. Six responded with mixed feelings. On the one hand, he was devastated that he had to cut his film, and on the other, the decision of the BBFC gained much press and notoriety. He has said, "In the UK, censors cut many minutes from The Human Centipede 2 by law. It feels like I made a comedy and they cut out all the good jokes. It’s appalling. Nobody is forced to see a movie."

The final film in the Human Centipede series, The Human Centipede 3 (Final Sequence), was released on 22 May 2015. Tom Six's idea was that each of the three sequences of The Human Centipede can stand on their own as a self-contained film, or they can be connected into a single 4.5-hour-long movie. The Human Centipede 2 begins where the original ends, while The Human Centipede 3 begins where The Human Centipede 2 ends; therefore, the three films together make a "movie centipede" titled The Human Centipede (Complete Sequence).

For several years, Six has been attempting to distribute the satirical psychological horror film The Onania Club, originally due in 2017, later delayed to 2019, and with no updated release date. He commented on the matter, saying that "great art takes time." According to Six Entertainment Company official site, the movie was finished in 2020. However, in 2021, Six admitted there have been issues getting it released after the distributor decided not to release it, which led to Six asking fans for support to get it released.

Personal life and health

In 2026, Six publicly disclosed that he had been living with multiple sclerosis (diagnosed roughly 14 years earlier and kept private for a long time). He made the self-described final documentary The End of Tom Six (shot over a year while largely isolated in his Amsterdam home), produced with his long-time partner/girlfriend Maartje Willems, through their company Six Headquarters. Six talks about his unreleased film The Onania Club, living with multiple sclerosis and his views on the film industry, art and life itself. After distributors ignored or rejected the documentary as well, they released it independently on YouTube in mid-August 2026 on a pay-what-you-want basis (also available on DVD through their website www.theendoftomsix.com).

Filmography

Year Film Functioned as Notes
Director Writer Producer Actor
2004 Gay in Amsterdam Yes Yes Yes No
2007 Honeyz Yes Yes Yes No
2008 I Love Dries Yes Yes Yes No
2009 The Human Centipede (First Sequence) Yes Yes Yes No
2011 The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) Yes Yes Yes No
2015 The Human Centipede 3 (Final Sequence) Yes Yes Yes Yes Uncredited appearance
2020 The Onania Club Yes Yes Yes Yes Unreleased film
2026 The End of Tom Six Yes Yes Yes Himself Documentary film

Notes

  1. ↑ Re-cut for English-speaking audiences as What the F**k?! [sic].
  2. 1 2 3 Uncut versions of all three of the Human Centipede films were compiled into the official 2016 film titled The Human Centipede (Complete Sequence) - The Movie Centipede.

References

  1. ↑ "Meet the man behind The Human Centipede". BBC News. 24 August 2010.
  2. ↑ Tom Six (29 August 2016). "Tom Six on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ↑ "Tom Six". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  4. ↑ "Tom Six News & Biography - Empire".
  5. ↑ "Tom Six's 'What The F**k?!' Debut Film Coming Soon". BloodyDisgusting.com. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  6. ↑ Brummelen, Peter van (21 October 2008). "I love Dries een film voor frituurliefhebbers". Het Parool (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  7. ↑ Shoard, Catherine (6 June 2011). "The Human Centipede sequel just too horrible to show, says BBFC". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  8. ↑ BBFC (10 June 2011). "THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE II (FULL SEQUENCE)". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  9. ↑ Collis, Clark (4 October 2011). "'Human Centipede 2': Tom Six, Laurence R. Harvey talk about their controversial sequel". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  10. ↑ "Six Entertainment Company". Six Entertainment Company.
  11. ↑ "Six Entertainment Company". Six Entertainment Company.
  12. ↑ "Tom Six - THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE III (FINAL SEQUENCE)". www.starburstmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017.
  13. ↑ Productions
  14. ↑ Korngut, Josh (14 July 2021). "Tom Six Disparages PC Culture, Now Asks For Fans Support to Release THE ONANIA CLUB".
  15. ↑ "Tom Six on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on 19 February 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. ↑ "Tom Six Talks What The F**k! - THE HORROR ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE". 27 March 2016.
  17. ↑ Earl, William (30 July 2026). "'Human Centipede' Creator Reveals Last Movie 'The End of Tom Six'; He Filmed for Six Years While Living in Isolation With Multiple Sclerosis (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 15 October 2026.
  18. ↑ Turner, Gustavo (11 September 2026). "'Human Centipede' Director Tom Six Addresses Career Collapse, Impending Death: "These Are My Final Words" (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 October 2026.
  19. 1 2 "'Human Centipede' Creator Reveals Last Movie 'The End of Tom Six'; He Filmed for Six Years While Living in Isolation With Multiple Sclerosis (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. 30 July 2026. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
  20. ↑ "Six Entertainment Company". Six Entertainment Company.
  21. ↑ "Tom Six Looks to Check in to The Onania Club - Dread Central". 26 May 2015.
  22. ↑ Tom Six [@tom_six] (2 August 2016). "One thing I promise u, you have never ever seen a movie like The Onania Club. Coming weeks the first secrets plus set reports in November x" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. ↑ "Tom Six on Twitter : "Yeah, I will do a subtle Hitchcock". 10 September 2016. Archived from the original on 10 September 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)