AllMovie

Robert Browning's cautionary poem The Pied Piper of Hamelin is vividly brought to the 21-inch screen by director Nicholas Meyer. Monty Python regular Eric Idle stars as the enigmatic Piper, who agrees for a price to rid the town of Hamelin of its rat population. When the corrupt city elders refuse to pay the Piper, he makes the town's children dance to a strange, alluring tune, resulting in anguish and grief for the selfish adults. Though peppered with comedy relief, wise-guy dialogue and contemporary attitudes, this 60-minute, taped installment of Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre is a lucid, faithful recreation of the original. Parents of very young kids, beware: this one might induce a few unsettling dreams.