Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Director: Tim Burton
Writer: Washington Irving (story) and Kevin Yagher (screen story)
Genre: Fantasy/Mystery/Horror/Thriller
Story
Heads will roll! That was the tag line and certainly it was true. There were plenty of decapitations in this retelling of a classic story about the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow. We all know the story about Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) who is sent to investigate the strange murders occurring in Sleepy Hollow and the Hessian Horseman (Christopher Walken) committing the murders. When Crane gets to the village he is immediately drawn into the action with murders happening on a daily basis. As Crane comes closer and closer to discovering the truth the job becomes more and more dangerous for him and the townspeople.
Everything Else
The directing by Tim Burton was certainly not his best work and after watching Sweeney Todd, Sleepy Hollow actually left a little to be desired. Even so, Burton provides another unique version of a classic story and keeps you entertained throughout. The character interactions usually seemed natural, but at times there were things that seemed odd; namely the reactions to murders and the headless horseman. The problem was most often the fact that there was not enough emotion, but this allowed Burton to keep the idea of decapitation lighthearted and even funny at times. With more emotion from the characters it could have been a much darker film which would not have appealed to as wide an audience.
The dark and foggy atmosphere created for the film keeps the mood mysterious and spooky, but often seems a bit over the top. The special effects did the job nicely, but there weren’t any standout, great effects. The story flows well even with the twists and turns as the viewers are slowly shown the truth about the murders in Sleepy Hollow and who the headless horseman is or rather why he is.
The acting on all parts was good with Depp (would it be a Burton film without him) and Christina Ricci as the stars. Christopher Walken does his crazy man performance as Hessian Horseman and the teeth were wild for sure. The supporting roles were not lacking good acting, but the acting did not stand out in Sleepy Hollow much because of its way of muffling the emotion involved. Even when a kid’s father is killed he seems to care very little about it. Overall, Sleepy Hollow is a balanced, well made film about the headless horseman.
The Real Deal
The first viewing of Sleepy Hollow a few years back was a lot of fun. Sharon was there and she of course liked it (or it would not have been a Sharon Movie) even though that may come as a surprise. This may be one of those movies that if seen in the wrong mood could be somewhat disturbing (heads rolling and all), but it was simply hilarious when viewing it in the right mood. This is the real reason it was a Sharon Movie for sure. If she had not seen the humor in it then there would not have been anything “Sharon” about it. It is also interesting that an R rated film is a Sharon Movie as this is often the first deterrent. The blood and gore along with language and decapitation was enough to give this one the R rating, but not enough to keep me from laughing at it. I recommend it to anyone who can find the humor in it and are looking for an entertaining and lighthearted movie.
Sharon’s Take
Sleepy Hollow is a movie that people might not expect to be a Sharon Movie. I really liked this film because it was suspenseful, and yet humorous at the same time.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 785,938
Sharon Movie? Yes
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