A Clever Update of the classic Hammer Horror formula

Rating: Null/10 (17 July 2000)

This movie is not a literal reading of Washington Irving's story, and only the most naive moviegoers would expect it to be. What it actually is, is a very clever update of the classic Hammer horror film formula.
Hammer Film Productions produced excellently creepy British horror films in the late 50s, 60s and 70s, most of them involving Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing (or occasionally Vincent Price) and truckloads of actresses stuffed into "buxom wench" costumes. The Hammer formula was to take a well known story - usually something by Edgar Allen Poe - load it up with sex, gore, bosoms, and weird plotlines - and let it loose.
The presence of the venerable Mr. Lee himself at the beginning of this movie is a dead giveaway; this is Tim Burton's tribute to the classic Hammer Horror films. As such you're not meant to take it too seriously. Like the original Hammer horror movies it emulates, "Sleepy Hollow" is strictly for entertainment. Slightly gruesome entertainment, yes, but since when have horror movies been tasteful? And bear in mind the Hammer films were also criticized for the heapin' helpin' of gore they provided as well.
However, Burton goes Hammer one better by giving us a complex storyline that would be well-suited to a detective movie, with suspicion swirling around everyone. Johnny Depp's portrayal of Ichabod Crane is delightful. His Ichabod Crane is always balancing between wanting to fall over in a faint at the horrors he sees and wanting to investigate the weird happenings he comes across in Sleepy Hollow.
I never thought to use the words "sexy" and "Miranda Richardson" in the same sentence, but it happens here. Christina Ricci has been criticized in other reviews for giving a subdued performance, but her primary purpose in this movie is to look sweet (which she does) and fill out a corset and some low-cut gowns (which she also does to perfection). In short, she plays the same type of role as Hazel Court used to in the Hammer Horror films this movie recalls. That doesn't require acting skills so much as it does a soulful gaze and major cleavage, both of which Ricci has in abundance.
To sum up, this movie is a lot of fun, and should not be taken terribly seriously. Burton does manage to throw a few barbs at fundamentalist Christianity, and at times he seems to have a definite sympathy for what appears to be a version of Wicca that some of the characters practice. However, this is really nothing to get riled about; once again, refer to the Hammer Horror precedents for this movie (The Curse of Frankenstein, The Horror of Dracula, etc.) or The Wicker Man (another Christopher Lee film) for a similar sideways look at Christianity, twenty to thirty years earlier.
This movie works as both a suspense flick and a respectful but tongue-in-cheek tip of the hat to Hammer Film Productions. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. If you want a good evening of horror film fun, rent this, Vincent Price's "The Fall Of The House Of Usher," and "Horror of Dracula," and have yourself an evening of 19th century horrorifics. You'll be glad you did.