A blood-drenched gothic adaptation!

Rating: 8/10 (3 April 2020)

The Tale Of The Headless Horseman wonderfully realised! Washington Irving's original story follows Ichabod Crane (here played by Johnny Depp) a teacher living in a private town named Sleepy Hollow. He learns of urban legend the Headless Horseman who rides at night, lopping the head off of anyone he comes across and bringing them back down to hell as the sun rises. Alone in the woods one night, he comes face to face with the horror! This adaptation turns Crane into a New York detective with a very squeamish side who is sent to the town to give a scientific conclusion to this urban legend and unravel the mystery of the increasing murders happening. The film is sumptuously designed with gorgeous gothic style and imagery which is a real visual and thematic treat! What may also surprise newcomers is that it's also really funny in places; Depp is again fantastic in the lead role and brings an innocent boyishness to it, providing a lot of the dark comedy. The romantic subplot is explored well with Katrina Van Tassel being portrayed well by Christina Ricci; Crane's love interest throughout. Ricci is beautifully cast in Burton's world along with a host of great supporting roles from Christopher Walken, Christopher Lee and Lisa Marie as Crane's mother. If you are squeamish, there are sequences here that will be hard to watch including autopsies of decapitated bodies and a certain bloody kiss that Ichabod himself would find difficult to stomach! A fantastically moody Elfman score weaves throughout and there are certain horrific images that will stay in your head for some time; also beautiful ones such as the twisted Tree of the Dead. Cinematographer Emmanuel Lunezki drapes the visuals in luscious gothic mastery making it feel very much like a silent horror movie. Although the mystery is resolved a little too neatly at the end of the film, it's still a very well adapted piece of gothic cinema with a biting edge and one that I remember really well from watching it as a kid