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Rating: 3.5 out of 5
I grew up on that old school Disney, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” I remember watching that little film along with toad around every Halloween. I will say this, as a kid, it creeped me out just a tad bit. The Horseman didn’t creep me out nor scare me; it was the dude that sang the song. He was creepy, spooky, and downright scary to me. Yet, I still love watching that special every single year. It’s a classic little cartoon. My thing is, how does a girl that beautiful think Ichabod Crane was a catch. The dude was lanky as hell. Either way, still love the cartoon.
Before the TV show Sleepy Hollow came out, there was a movie version made by the very creepy but perfect director, Tim Burton. If anyone knows anything about Tim Burton, he makes some creepy films and has his own style of making films. They are usually strange, dark, but also pretty entertaining. If you’ve seen A Nightmare Before Christmas or Edward Scissorhands, then this film will be perfect for you.
This version of Sleepy Hollow begins in 1799, before the turn of the century. A man draws up a will and rides off in a carriage before being decapitated like the Queen of Hearts ordering, “Off with His Head!” A young police detective named Ichabod Crane (Depp) is ordered by his superior (the great Christopher Lee) to go to the small town of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of murders where the victim’s heads are missing. After arriving and making his presences and duties known, the council of elders of Sleepy Hollow: Baltus Van Tassel (Gambon), Reverend Steenwyck (Jones), Magistrate Samuel Philipse (Griffiths) and Dr. Thomas Lancaster (McDiarmid) and Notary James Hardenbrook (Gough) inform Crane that the murders are not ordinary. The council and town folk believe that the killer is the undead apparition of a headless Hessian mercenary (Walken) from the American Revolutionary War who rides a black steed searching for his missing head. As the kills increase, Crane, along with his sidekick Masbath (Pickering) and the help of the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel (Ricci), start the unravel the truth behind the headless Horseman and the connection he has to several members in the town.
The most noticeable aspect of this film is the style of the film. It is one thing to make a movie that has a dark feel to it. Hell, you can film anything at night and make it a horror movie. This movie has that creepy and eerie feel and looks to it. Nothing in this film has any bright colors. I don’t think you even see the sun. Everything is just dark and gloomy. Burton, make sure you know it. The sky is always cloudy and gloomy. The town of Sleepy Hollow just looks dull and a grim place to live. Everyone wears dark clothes and seemed to not be happy. Burton sets up this atmosphere perfectly. Even the blood is dark red rather than the bright red you see in other films. Everything in this film screams TIM BURTON. His signature look and feel are all over this film, and it works.
Also, some of the strange things are what drives this film. First are some of the features that add to the appeal of the film. The witch in the woods at that element of creepiness, and when her eyes pop out of her head, I did jump the first time I saw it. Then the Tree of the Dead scene was crazy. First, to have a tree that is a portal to the underworld is one thing. For that tree to have blood in it is a totally another thing. The way the Horseman jumps from the tree is something to see.
The story draws you in slowly and goes at a really nice pace. It is the right mix of horror, action, and gore. There is quite a bit of gore with the heads rolling off the victims. You can tell that Burton draws on some other films. I see you Frankenstein and the whole windmill scene. Also, figuring out what is going on and how the conspiracy unfolds is pretty interesting even if the film doesn’t quite stick the landing.
Depp plays Crane really well. Rather than the charming school teacher in the cartoon, this Crane is more of a timid, sometimes stuttering police detective whose methods are quite unnatural for its time. Crane’s beliefs are innocent as he believes in improved methods of investigation and justice rather than torture. He believes in himself and is quick to tell people what he thinks. What I really like about Crane and this film is this film tells of his backstory. How his father was a devoted church member, and his mother was a “witch.” How his father murdered his mother and the trauma that haunts Crane.
Sleepy Hollow is one of the best Tim Burton movies. It is a great Halloween movie that has some scares but more blood and gore than anything else. Even though the cartoon version will always be a classic, you will get a chance to see a pumpkin thrown at you with surprise. This film is quite enjoyable.
