Directed by Tim Burton, Sleepy Hollow is a marvelous retelling
of the Legend Of Sleepy Hollow tale by author Washington Irving. Taking place in
1799, Johnny Depp plays Ichabod Crane as a New York City constable who is sent
upstate to investigate a series of murders in the rural town of Sleepy Hollow.
All of the murders had been committed by decapitation, with the heads of the
victims having been taken by the killer. There's talk in town that the culprit is none other than
the Headless Horseman, the restless ghost of the Hessian, a mercenary who fought
on the British side during the Revolutionary War, and whose lust for blood and
combat made him a special target of the American Army. They hunted him down and
killed him in the Western Woods, an area that is now considered off limits by
the townsfolk of Sleepy Hollow because it is haunted by the Hessian's shade.
However, Crane is a new-wave detective who is a pioneer in the burgeoning field
of forensic science. A logical man who is grounded in the laws of physics, Crane
thinks the whole Headless Horseman story is absurd. He is convinced that the
killer is an all too human madman, and he sets out to find him. But during a
meeting with the local town magistrate, Crane meets the Headless Horseman in all
of his frightening glory. The Horseman slices off the magistrate's head and
takes it with him while Crane stares dumbfounded (before he faints dead away of
fright). Although badly rattled by his encounter with the supernatural, Crane
bravely carries on with his methodical and meticulous investigation, reasoning
that science will still win the day. Only this time, Ichabod Crane's prime
suspect is not only dead, but headless as well.
Shot in a visual manner that strongly invokes the style of the old Hammer Horror
films (and having Hammer star Christopher Lee in a small part as a New York City
judge also handily lends to the Hammer atmosphere, as well); Tim Burton has
created another masterpiece. What makes Sleepy Hollow so effective, other than
its convincingly staged scenes of terror, is the fact that it is also a gripping
mystery, as well. This is more than just a monster on the rampage movie, as
Crane soon discovers that the Headless Horseman is being directed by someone,
and the mystery lies in finding that culprit, as well as discovering the
motivation behind these gory attacks. The script has the perfect blend of horror
movie chills and a credible plot that is intelligently handled. Johnny Depp gives a great, quirky
performance as Crane. He is obsessive to a fault, and is a bit of a wimp--yet he
overcomes these faults in true heroic fashion in order to get to the bottom of
the Headless Horseman mystery. Christina Ricci, who was so memorable as
Wednesday in the Addams Family movies, lends able support as Katrina Van Tassel,
the grown daughter of the local wealthy landowner who soon becomes a target of
the Headless Horseman. The rest of the cast is equally impressive, featuring
Christopher Walken, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Jeffery Jones, and
Michel Gough, another alumni from the fabled Hammer House Of Horror.
The special features are pretty decent, including a commentary by Burton, a
"making of" feature, interviews with the cast and crew, as well as a photo
gallery. If you're looking for a fun, scary movie, give Sleepy Hollow a try. It's
one of the best Hammer Horror films that wasn't actually made by Hammer. --SF