"One heck of a real scary film"

Rating: 10/10 (27 January 2001)

Being from New York myself, I found "Sleepy Hollow" a real horrifying film. The writers' idea of making "Ichabod Crane" as a scientific policeman instead of a wimpy schoolteacher was brilliant. Johnny Depp was sensational as Crane. Christina Ricci has come far since her days as Wednesday Addams. Here she is, at 19, playing a good romantic role as Katrina Van Tassel, leading the constable on a roller coaster ride of "she loves me, she loves me not". Michael Gambon and Miranda Richardson are magnificent as Lord and Lady Van Tassel. Jeffrey Jones is as menacing as ever. Ian McDiarmid (Senator Palpatine of "Star Wars: Episode 1") delivers a fine role as the town doctor. Casper Van Dien comes across again as a romantic figure in the form of the town smithy (unfortunately, he shoes no horses). Young Marc Pickering is a talented youngster and will probably prove himself to be a fine actor in the future. An unbilled but recognizable Martin Landau gives a great, but all too short and silent, portrayal of Peter Van Garrett, one of the Hessian's first victims. "X-Men"s Ray Park delivers one heck of a performance as the Hessian (sans head) as does Christopher Walken (with bright blue eyes and saber-teeth), even though he does little more than growl and snarl. It was also a change of pace seeing Christopher Lee playing someone other than Dracula. Washington Irving's original story of an actual murder spree in upstate New York, circa 1735, is improved on, turning it from a light, scary Halloween story to a fantastic whodunit murder mystery.