A new spin on an old tale...

Rating: Null/10 (2 December 1999)

In his usual dark style, Tim Burton has put a new spin on an old tale that will leave you in awe of his fantastic vision.
With this work, Burton's cinematography has matured exquisitely. The setting and landscapes for Sleepy Hollow are breathtaking and surreal, contrasting dark hues of grey with the brilliance of deep crimson in its more chilling scenes.
Johnny Depp's reprisal of Ichabod Crane is slight camp, reminiscent of his role as Ed Wood. It's as if Depp has studied old black and white film actors with an unusual amount of interest; his mannerisms and expressions could have been taken from any one of the old greats of the fifties.
Surprising cameos from Christopher Lee and Martin Landau are wonderfully effective, but the most satisfying comes from the Headless Horseman himself, played by the sinister Christopher Walken. His portrayal of the man before the legend is brief but powerful due to creative use of make-up, complete with teeth filed down to sharp little daggers and contacts that make his already menacing gaze even more frightening.
If you are expecting to be terrified out of your wits, then you will be disappointed. But there are more than a few good jumps to shake things up as well as 'tasteful' use of special effects that do not overpower the film, only add to it. The heads roll magnificently!
Photographically speaking, this is Tim Burton's best film and the slight changes in the original legend are necessary to achieve his vision. Depp's Ichabod Crane is an investigator trying to find new ways of solving crime through amateur forensics complete with his own handmade surgical instruments. This makes for good comedy as well as good gore in some of the film's funnier moments.
A plot twist near the end leaves Ichabod thinking he's found the truth, but more is to follow as the story climaxes and changes direction before finally coming to a close.
No spoilers here, but all in all I found Sleepy Hollow to be a fun film with all the elements of a good ghost story. The escapist part of me was taken by the creative use of sets and camera work. A good piece of cinema!