Framing a horror story around the legend of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, The Piper creates a story that flirts with elements of both worlds. It is also presented in such a way as to never let you settle on the feeling of it being a parody or a straight-up horror show. This makes it both unsettling and humorous, often at the same time.
Elizabeth “Oh Behave” Hurley stars as Liz Haines, a teacher who moves to Hamelin, Germany with her daughter Mia (Mia Jenkins) to take up a post at a local school. Once settling in the small Saxon town, strange things start to happen. It seems Mia has to pay for her mother’s transgressions. The details of which will be revealed as the story develops.
Casting Hurley as the main adult in the cast brings with it a few preconceived notions. She really is limited in her thespian skills and this plays handily into the sense of farce. The imaginative special effects used to create The Pied Piper tilt things into the horror genre quite well and that scene is super creepy but a lot of fun at the same time. You almost end up cheering for the Piper to finish the job.
Taking a very old legend, recreating it with elements of modern horror, and filtering it through the sensibilities of a absurdity works well in this case. You will yell at the screen (shout at home screens, maybe a bit less in the cinema) when the main characters behave in obviously dangerous ways, yet revel in the horror when it arrives. This duality is at the heart of its entertainment value.
The Piper will be released on DVD/Digital platforms on November 13th in Australia and New Zealand.
Rob Hudson
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