Inspired by Washington Irving
With direction by Tim Burton, music by Danny Elfman, gorgeous sets, and an amazing cast, it’s easy to see why 1999’s Sleepy Hollow is one of my favorite films. I watch it multiple times each year (especially around Halloween and, for some odd reason, Christmas) and I never get tired of viewing it.
The supporting cast alone is worth the price of admission. Michael Gambon, Jeffrey Jones, Ian McDiarmid, Michael Gough, Richard Griffiths, Christopher Lee, Martin Landau, Miranda Richardson, Christopher Walken, Claire Skinner, Lisa Marie, Marc Pickering, and Casper Van Dien all provide solid support to leads Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci.
Depp portrays Ichabod Crane in the film, but instead of being a gangly teacher that actually believes in witchcraft and folklore, Depp’s Crane is a New York constable who puts science before tall tales and religion. He’s also something of a coward and extremely annoying at times.
Ricci’s Katrina Van Tassel is a young lady with a deep belief in spells and folk ways. She, as well as the rest of the citizens of Sleepy Hollow, believe that the Headless Horseman (Walken) is real. Crane plans to prove them all wrong, but falls for Katrina while attempting to do so.
The sets are beautiful. They make the film look and feel creepy and mystical. The design of the Horseman was also excellent. He looked aged but more than capable of tormenting anyone that crosses his path. When he’s headless, he’s portrayed by Ray Park. You might recognize Park as Darth Maul from Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, or as Snake Eyes from the G.I. Joe franchise, or as Toad from the first X-men film. He was also a cast member on Heroes on NBC.
If you’re familiar with the short story by Washington Irving, you know the general legend of the Horseman. He comes riding in the night looking for his missing head, taking heads until he finds his own. Burton took a lot of freedom with the story, but I really enjoyed his take on the story.
If you’ve never seen Sleepy Hollow, I highly recommend watching it as soon as possible. It’s a truly beautiful film and despite being a “horror” film, it’s not too terribly scary. It’s simply an excellent story with a great cast and wonderful sets.
Thanks for reading. I hope that you are all enjoying this series so far. You’ll definitely lose your head over tomorrow night’s film………..which I won’t reveal until tomorrow!
Ken's Alternate Universe! 