Sleepy Hollow Synopsis: Set in 1799, “Sleepy Hollow” is based on Washington Irving’s classic tale “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Faithful to the dreamy custom-bound world that Irving paints in his story, the film mixes horror, fantasy and romance and features an extraordinary cast of characters that dabble in the supernatural.
I have always loved watching Sleepy Hollow in October. It’s perfectly atmospheric and spooky, and I absolutely adore the setting. The cast is spectacular. Johnny Depp (back before he completely overdid everything) gives a fantastic, humorous performance as Ichabod Crane. The intelligence, balanced with the cowardice and nervous energy, brought so much life to the character.
Watching him go from skeptic to quivering believer is one of my favorite parts of the film, most notably when he’s trying to explain to Baltus Van Tassel (Michael Gambon) that the Headless Horseman is real and Van Tassel is well aware of the horseman’s existence, considering that’s what they’ve all been telling Crane since his arrival.
I’m not one for excessive gore in my horror films, but given this is a Tim Burton movie, the bloodshed and decapitations were more campy than they were grotesque. I lived for the Headless Horseman sequences, and Christopher Walken was perfect casting, even if we don’t get to see him all that long.
I would say the weak link of this movie is Christina Ricci. She felt incredibly miscast as Katrina. The character was quite bland, and Ricci’s performance felt stilted and yawn-inducing. The romantic angle might have enhanced the movie, but I didn’t feel as though Depp and Ricci had any chemistry, which is unfortunate. As it is, the only time my attention waned while watching Sleepy Hollow was when Katrina and Ichabod were making eyes at each other.
This is such a fun movie and perfect for this time of year. In my opinion, this remains one of Tim Burton’s best films.
Starring: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Richard Griffiths, Casper Van Dien, Jeffrey Jones