Sleepy Hollow

Rating: 7/10 (12 September 2008)

Ichabod Crane: "It was an evil spirit possessed you. I pray God it is satisfied now, and you find peace. The evil eye has done it's work; my life is over, spared for a lifetime of horrors in my sleep, waking each day to grief. Goodbye, Katrina." In the early United States of America, young policeman Ichabod Crane is sent to from New York to the fledgling settlement of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of ghoulish murders. On his arrival, the town council informs him that the three victims were killed in open ground, and the heads had disappeared - taken by a headless ghost that is supposedly responsible. Ichabod is unconvinced of this, but learns more about the ghostly horseman - it is the ghost of a Hessian sent by the British during the revolutionary war, and he was caught by redcoats and decapitated with his own sword. When Ichabod sees the ghost kill one of the town council members, his skepticism evaporates - and he soon discovers that the horseman's ghost has an unholy connection to Balthus Van Tassel, a wealthy farmer - and whose daughter Ichabod is falling in love with...
I knew this film would be good before I even got to see it well for starters, its a Johnny Depp-Tim Burton collaboration who has made several films together and almost all of them, quite impressive. This one is another one of those impressive films by said collaborators. The magic of the Depp-Burton killer combo works really well when they're making dark, brooding films and the vibe alone will make you shiver. They did it with Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood and Sweeney Todd. This film is no different. Tim Burton's vision is pretty amazing when put on screen.
From the enormous sets built to the small details in the costumes and the masterful screenplay by Kevin Yagher, add to that Johnny Depp's commitment to the lead role and you get a pretty amazing film.