You’ve surely heard the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. You know the Headless Horseman, Brom Bones, and Ichabod Crane. This is a retake on this story in a very Y2K Tim Burton fashion featuring Burton favorites like Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, and Christopher Walken.
Here, Ichabod Crane has been made a sallow twink developing early forensic techniques. Katrina is a witch. Brom Bones is an extremely handsome Red Shirt who does less to get between Katrina and Ichabod and more to establish the strength of the villain. And the Headless Horseman himself is an agent of the devil, under the control of evil, terrorizing the town of Sleepy Hollow.
This flick is a fun genre mashup of mystery and dark fantasy that could pass for urban fantasy were its setting modern. A lot of its elements satisfy urban fantasy tropes: mystery focus, battling the supernatural, people wearing leather, a proper villain monologue, and a serviceable romance secondary to the external dilemma.
I can’t quite call it horror. Although there’s blood and some scares (mostly for younger viewers), it’s not really meant to scare you. It’s just kinda spooky to look at. The Headless Horseman is essentially just a murder weapon, and the question remains who wields him, to what end.
That said, it doesn’t have an especially twisty story, although it tries. That’s not really the point either. It’s just a pleasant feature.
Sleepy Hollow feels like Halloween recorded directly onto a film reel. It’s among Tim Burton’s finest executions of aesthetic. Danny Elfman also Danny Elfmans on the score to satisfying effect.
I’ve really got no complaints about Sleepy Hollow. I’m not as excited about it as I was in my youth; I kinda prefer actual horror movies these days. But this is a very fine Spooky Season entry that I watch every single year regardless. It’s like The Nightmare Before Christmas with a lot more blood. And Christopher Walken saying, “Gnyaahhh!” “Hrrggghhh!” “Agghhghgh!”
I recommend this to anyone with any tolerance for horror who also likes mysteries. It’s really fun. I can’t do Halloween without it.
(image credit: Paramount Pictures)
