‘The Piper’ Director on How to Perfectly Pace a Supernatural Slasher, From a Mysterious Opening to the Shocking, Bloody End — Horror Film School

variety.com:

William Earl administrator SPOILER ALERT: This article discusses plot points from “The Piper.” Horror Film School is a feature in which talent in front of and behind the camera share the ins and outs of creating the biggest onscreen scares.

Icelandic director Erlingur Thoroddsen‘s latest film is “The Piper,” starring Charlotte Hope and the late Julian Sands. The indie horror feature follows a musician hoping to finish a lost piece of music that may conjure up the evil entity that was the inspiration for the dark German legend “Pied Piper of Hamelin.” From a fiery opening to a enigmatic midsection to a bonkers ending act that evokes VHS-era supernatural slashers like “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Wishmaster,” Thoroddsen’s film works because of its clever pacing, walking a tightrope between thrills and mysteries.

The director spoke to Variety about how he found the perfect pace for “The Piper.” DO tease out interesting specific details to engage audiences, but DON’T give away the whole plot. “Mysteries are hard to construct because you don’t want to give too much away, but you want to give enough away at certain points to keep people involved.

I’m a big horror movie fan and I’m very familiar with the format. When I was writing, I had to trust my instincts, but then move the pieces around to make it all work in the end.