The Piper

Erlingur Óttar Thoroddsen must be commended, for he has written and directed a most intriguing adaptation of "Rattenfänger von Hameln."

The detail that affected me most while watching the film was the death of Julian Sands, who was in fact British and lived in England, while hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains in the United States, where he was for the filming of this film... The film is not to blame, of course, but Sands was an actor I was most fond of.

I learned of the film thanks to a list by my dear Brett Petersel, I suspect its global promotion was poor, which is why it is so underrated.

Yes, it is not a cult classic, but it is an undeniable truth that it is a production that will satisfy horror lovers.

I didn't think too much about watching this one especially after I saw the late great Julian Sands name on the poster. It is a classic horror story with a twist and a few Lovecraftian overtones that will please the fans of the king of cosmic horror. The movie starts at a steady pace by laying down the story and various players, quite atmospheric at times and tries to keep the mystery in check for as long as possible. After a while, the plot becomes apparent but this does not hurt the pace and there are a few surprises in store. The ending was a bit too "happy" and convenient for its own good, but overall this was a good movie that tries to honor older horror movies while keeping in touch with the present. Not a masterpiece but a solid effort that makes up an entertaining watch for horror fans.

An uninspired horror film and the last screen appearance of the late Julian Sands, that explores the concept of music as a tool of evil through a reinterpretation of the popular story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Unfortunately, it lacks the suspense or imagination necessary to overcome its outdated visual style -unequivocally inspired by the typical mannerisms of 1990s Italian horror- and an alarming lack of effective scares. Furthermore, the Pied Piper's main appearance comes too late and is poorly justified. The most notable aspect, however, is Christopher Young's eerie and omnipresent score.

While watching this live I have to admit the storyline was okay, and the actors did the best they could with what they had been given, nothing really special story wise.

Now the music is a completely different thing. If you love music or feel very enchanted by it and you can be inspired by it, then this is the movie for you.

Honestly there was not a moment in this movie that I was no terrified by the beautiful but heartbeat accelerating music.

I was constantly watching over my shoulder trying to see if the piper was there.

The music will bring you into a beautifully constructed scene of terrifying wait, as if something was really going to happen anytime.

The main melody is in every part of the movie and it leads up until the final scene.

I recommend if you are very moved by music.

Well, The Piper wanted to be a good movie, with its own plot and development, reaching to a nice climax and delivering all that it could.

Sadly it came off as boring and unsatisfactoring, it did try, but never quite delivered a punch. A few swings, some effort, sweat, simply put - unoriginal.

A movie like so many others before it, with a mytical creature, some supernatural elements and that is all. The creature itself makes very few appearences and it's not because it wanted to have that Jaws effect, but because the script didn't know what to do with it. Perhaps it relied on its third act, which does deliver a little but too little too late.

All in all, not a movie I'd recommend, I think it could and should have been better.

Cheers!