Review: Unique And Freaky Polish Cannibal Mermaid Musical 'The Lure'

In mermaid tales — the old ones, before Disney — hybrid fish-women use their glorious voices to lure men into the depths. In some regions mermaids are harbingers of doom; in others, vengeful spirits of women who were themselves lured to the water by treacherous, violent men.

The Polish cannibal mermaid musical "The Lure" cherry-picks from various traditions to create its own unique folkloric creatures in a darkly freaky riff on Hans Christian Anderson's "The Little Mermaid."

As a family of musicians sings on a beach at night, a mermaid just off shore falls in love with the 20-something son. With acoustic guitar, gilded pipes and glowing curls, this penniless prince captivates Silver (Marta Mazurek), a mermaid drawn by his song. She and her sister Golden (Michalina Olszańska), their heads bobbing just above water, plead for a helping hand: "help us come ashore, nothing to fear, we won't eat you my dear."

Soon Silver and Golden are nude in...