Not for the squeamish but good supernatural suspense.

Rating: 9/10 (9 January 2000)

The headless horseman galloping through the countryside lopping heads clean off their respective bodies, a late 18th century "rationalist" detective, a superstitious village community and Christina Ricci as well (the best person to develop from child acting).Brilliant!! This is an excellent and absorbing story.
As I have not read Washington Irvings story I did not really know what to expect. It became clear very early in the movie that there was indeed a supernatural cause behind the series of deaths (i.e. there was no faking the phenomenon by an errant villager for instance). The film does not however then plunge into a mass of pointless special effects and gore (although these were present in a significant way). It does in fact manage to blend a whodunit into the supernatural stew and a very tasty stew it is too. Despite the early knowledge that the immediate cause was supernatural there remained the mystery about who raised the horseman and who pulled his strings.
The film is not for the squeamish but is highly recommended to fans of supernatural suspense.