The Piper ~ Korean Version of a Popular German Fairy Tale

“The Piper” is a 2015 Korean drama film, categorized as Horror, Fantasy, Thriller, and Suspense, based on a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, and streaming on Viki.

Memorable Quotes:

• “Crimes committed for survival will be forgiven.”

• “Scores must be settled.”

SUMMARY: A widower has an ailing son. A Yankee doctor said he could cure him if he brought the boy to Seoul. On their way to the city, the man and his son stopped and asked for food and shelter in a small village. The townspeople seemed friendly and harmless. Too bad he didn’t know what they were really like.

♦ A Shaman’s Curse: A Visitor Will Come.

In “The Piper”, Woo-Ryong and his son, Young-Nam, are on their way to Seoul with high hopes. Young-Nam has tuberculosis, and a Yankee doctor said he can be cured. On their way, they stop at a small village and ask if they can stay there for one or two days. The Village Head agrees to let them stay. During a private conversation, Woo-Ryong told the Village Head that the Korean War was over. The Village Head made him promise not to tell the villagers. They came to that location during the war, trying to escape the Chinese army, and are now living a peaceful life. He doesn’t want the townspeople disturbed.

Woo-Ryong thought it was an odd request, but he agreed to keep it a secret. He also saw that the village was rat-infested. He told the villagers he could get rid of the rats, but they would have to pay him. After all, he needed money if he was going to Seoul to get medical treatment for his son. He said he was a piper and whenever he blew his pipe, all creatures responded by following the sound. When he played the pipe, he would lead the rats out of the village. Simple and it worked! The villagers were very happy, especially the Village Head, but then they all had a change of heart…

What do you think they did to their visitor?

German Version:

“The Pied Piper of Hamelin” is a well-known fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. Hamelin is a small town in Germany. A mysterious piper dressed in multicolored (“pied”) clothing arrives in a small town, plagued by a rat infestation. He offers to rid the town of rats in exchange for payment. The townspeople agree. He plays his magical pipe, lures all the rats into a river where they drown, and the villagers renege on the payment. OK. Two can play this dirty game. The Piper retaliates by playing his pipe again. Guess what happens.

Main Characters:

• Woo-Ryong (played by Ryu Seung-Ryong,, “Masquerade”, “The Recipe”, “Hwang Jin-Yi”, “Low Life”, “Extreme Job”, “Chicken Nugget”, “Psychokinesis”, “The Sound of a Flower”, “Moving”, “Kingdom 1 and 2”)
• Young-Nam (played by Goo Seung-Hyun, “Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds”, “The Fatal Encounter”, “Secretly Greatly”)
• Village Head (played by Lee Sung-Min, “Handsome Guys‘, “12.12: The Day”, “The Moon”, “Remember”, “Hunt, “A Bloody Lucky Day”, “Shadow Detective 1 and 2”, “Reborn Rich”, “Juvenile Justice”, “The Queen Who Crowns”, “The Unjust”; “The 8th Night”)
• Mi-Sook (played by Chun Woo-Hee, “My Youth”, “Unlocked”, “Anchor”, “Love, Lies”, “The Atypical Family”, “The 8 Show”, “Vertigo”, “Heung-Boo: The Revolutionist”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 6.4 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 7.4 out of 10 stars
• Viki viewers rated the film 8.2 out of 10 stars
• Letterboxd: 3.2 out of 5 stars

My personal rating is the same as the Viki audience.

If you like Western fairy tales with an Asian spin, watch “The Piper”. The Korean version of this famous and timeless fairy tale was very close to the original in many ways. It was released in 2015, but this film was recently added to the Viki database for viewing by a US audience in 2025. It wasn’t a scary movie. But I wouldn’t let young children watch it.  (My opinion.)

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Film Review: ‘The Piper’: The Pied Piper of Hamelin’ gets a chilling retelling in Kim Gwang-tae’s artfully restrained thriller. | Variety

The Piper (South Korea, 2015) – Review | AsianMovieWeb

Robert’s Review: The Piper (2015) | The Scariest Things

TRAILER/TEASER:

CJEntertainmentUSA. “The Piper Official Main Trailer w/English Subtitles [HD].” YouTube, Video, 8 July 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=tPycF54GGIQ.

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