Tom Six, the Dutch filmmaker best known for the Human Centipede trilogy, has announced that his final film — titled The End of Tom Six — will be released independently on YouTube on 15 August 2026. A teaser trailer accompanied the announcement. The release will use a pay-what-you-want model, and a DVD will also be available.

The film is described as a documentary feature with actors, tackling the absurdity of existence, the film industry, Six's own decline, and the limits on artistic freedom. Maartje Willems and Six produced it under their banner, Six Headquarters. The cast includes Edwin Alofs, Demian Kurosa, and Servaes Nelissen. All details were confirmed by Variety on 30 July 2026.

Behind the announcement lies a story Six has kept private for over a decade. According to a press release cited by Variety, the director has lived with multiple sclerosis for 14 years, keeping the diagnosis a complete secret the entire time. A press release states that Six is now nearing the end of his life as the disease progresses.

Six traces a turning point to the aftermath of his Human Centipede trilogy. In 2019, he completed The Onania Club, a satirical film that the industry refused to release. Six and his team attribute the rejection to political correctness. Six believes the prolonged battle to get that film distributed accelerated his MS and, in his words, ravaged his body.

What followed was six years of total isolation. Six confined himself to darkness in his Amsterdam home, documenting his declining health — footage that now forms part of The End of Tom Six. The film folds that material into its broader examination of a career spent pushing against boundaries, and a body paying the price.

The distribution choices are as unconventional as the film itself. Bypassing studios, sales agents, and streaming buyers entirely, Six is putting the film directly on YouTube. The pay-what-you-want model — viewers choose how much, if anything, to pay — is a sharp departure from the standard theatrical or subscription-windowed release. DVD availability means physical-media collectors are covered too.

For a filmmaker whose career has been defined by provocation and controversy, releasing his final work outside every conventional channel is, in its own way, consistent. Six has built his name on refusing to soften his vision. His last film appears to be no exception.