Visually arresting dark tale is gory, but a clever piece by Tim Burton

Rating: 7/10 (3 August 2016)

Embracing a dark, quirky vision and engaging characters from Washington Irving's novel 'The Legend of The Sleepy Hollow', this film sees Johnny Depp collaborating with director Tim Burton for another fantasy adventure, but with more blood and gore and less kid- friendly material than most of Burton's. With Burton taking place in the director's chair, it is only anticipated that the director captures his trademark macabre storytelling and Gothic visual atmosphere, take a look back at Burton's 'A Nightmare Before Christmas' for an example. As expected, this film embraces it beautifully, if a bit creepy. So the movie takes place in near the dawn of the 18th century where we witness a wealthy farmer, his son, and a widowed woman as they riding on a stagecoach in the middle of a dark field when they suddenly beheaded by the Headless Horseman (played by Christopher Walken). A New York City constable Ichabod Crane (played by Johnny Depp) is appointed by the government to travel out an old town of Sleep Hollows to investigate the grisly murders and bring the headless slayer to justice. Upon his investigation, he meets Katrina Can Vassel (played by Christina Ricci), the daughter of the wealthy townsman Baltas Van Tassel (played by Michael Gambon) who he gradually falls in love with. As the body count in the old town continues to rise, Ichabod is accompanied by Katrina and Masbath (played by Marc Pickering) to put an end to the Headless horseman's tyranny.
This Tim Burton fantasy picture is with zero doubt creepy in both the visual and narrative department, not to mention quite gory as decapitations occur more often than a slasher flick by Wes Craven. Calling this a slasher movie set in the Victorian Age however, does a feel somewhat of an overstatement as this film's main element is visuals and storytelling than a plot of individuals getting picked off one by one. Nonetheless, there are definitely some scares to endure here as we experience some of Tim Burton's dark, creep trademark imagery, one of which includes a living tree filled with severed heads from the Headless Horseman's slayings. The visuals suite the story quite well and make up for the story's eerie atmosphere. The costume design and makeup, particularly done on Johnny Depp's Ichabod Crane is dazzling and captures an accurate feel of the Victorian Age setting. The character development is fine, though the manner in which they are written give them a feel of more like caricatures than lively characters. Then again, this is Tim Burton we are talking about, and the slight quirkiness of the characters only deliver an appropriate feel for a Tim Burton picture. As Johnny Depp's Ichabod Crane and Christina Ricci's character develop a relationship, we experience a romance that feels pretty weak than realistic. As a result, it is hard to buy into these two falling in alive, especially considering the heavy age gap between the actor and actress. Overall, the film's engaging, solidly paced storytelling make up for the flaws, with plenty of surprises and twists to experience.
Sleepy Hollow is a visually arresting work of art by Tim Burton, one that is definitely worth checking out, but perhaps not for non-Tim Burton fans. This movie may plague with nightmarish imagery and gruesome violence, but it is done a genuine manner that never feels gratuitous or exploitative. In the end, Tim Burton's macabre storytelling, characters, and artistic visual aspect are certainly worth admiration.