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| Image courtesy of Lionsgate |
Based loosely on the famous German story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, 2024’s The Piper gives the story a modern feel in a musical environment, but fails to impress the horror element as efficiently as it may have endeavored.
Writer/ director Erlingur Thoroddsen (The Rift, 2017 and 2018’s Into the Dark) does a good job establishing the setting and keeping the mood somber for the most part, but it feels as if he relied too much on the main character than the threat that carries the film.
Mel, a composer and flutist, is tasked with completing her late mentor’s concerto. However, she soon realizes that her mentor had attempted to destroy the music at all costs before she died mysteriously and brutally…and for a good reason. Mel, played by Charlotte Hope (Sister Victoria from 2018’s The Nun), discovers that playing the melody invokes a sinister force around children and causes hallucinations in all who hear it.
Desperate to finish the concerto in time for a tribute concert, however, Mel resorts to frantic measures to unearth the origins of the grotesque tune. With her stern and unyielding conductor, Gustafson (Julian Sands) pushing her to complete the work and a local boy going missing after playing the melody she had recorded, Mel feels compelled to excavate the tragic roots of the piece before more children disappear.
The Piper feels dark and intriguing at first, but it takes a long time to any find traction. In fact, it feels more like a dark drama attempting to build up tension that ultimately culminates in a death rattle of anti-climax. Visually, the film is beautiful and filled with apt atmosphere, similar to the heavy old air of films like Turn of the Screw from 1992 and perhaps even the brooding mansion in Woman in Black. Unfortunately, this is all the charm The Piper holds.
It focuses too much on the mechanics of the melody and the mysterious figure that appears in their visions than to concentrate on the impending doom of the children, which would have been far more intimidating to the audience.
The characters are completely uninteresting and forgettable, the plot too simple – bordering on boring – and even the late great Julian Sands feels out of place in this role. The Piper realizes its flaws a tad too late and suddenly whips out horrific scenes similarly outrageous to Wishmaster’s party scene. It tries too hard too late to establish a horror element that would have served it better evenly throughout the course of the 95 minute run time.
It is, by far, not the worst film at all and the ambience, score and setting is gratifying enough for someone who knows the tale of the Pied Piper. It simply lacks foreboding and fright, but for a regular drama thriller with supernatural fundamentals it is not a bad way to kill time. It is creepy enough in most places as long as you do not expect to sleep with the lights on.
Oh, and that melody will haunt you long after, like a Rhinestone Cowboy!
—Tasha Danzig