A brilliant masterwork of gothic fantasy

Rating: 10/10 (2 January 2000)

The cinematography in this film is the best I've seen in a movie. Every scene is a gothic work of art, and it's worth seeing just for that alone. It also features the brilliant and charismatic actors Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci, and a fantastic gothic score by master musician Danny Elfman. Put it on your "Must See" list!
I have to give this film a ten out of ten because it thoroughly deserves it. Personally, I would have preferred Depp to have played his role seriously, rather than as a parody, but because I know others will enjoy it all the more for that, and because the film is so perfect in other ways, it would not be fair for me to reduce it from its ten points just for that one personal preference.
For those who don't already know, the story involves a headless horseman who has risen from the dead, and rides through the countryside wielding a sword and cutting off other people's heads, in revenge for losing his own. In this version of the story, there are more details than the other film versions, giving the story a more interesting plot.
The original story was a poem by Washington Irving (1783-1859) called "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". Some scholars believe that the poem was based on a story by Karl MusÃ¤us (1735-1787), a German academic writer, who was among the first to collect and write down German folktales. If Irving didn't get the idea from the German folktale, the similarity is remarkable.
Although heads are cut off, in gory detail, please don't be put off from seeing the film because of that. It's done more like a nightmare fantasy, rather than realistically, so every teenager and adult would be able to watch it without difficulty, though it's certainly not for children. I would strongly urge everyone to see this wonderful film.