Heads will roll. So, close your eyes. Say your prayers. Sleep if you can..........

Rating: Null/10 (19 May 2003)

Sleepy Hollow comes to us from one Hollywood's more gothic and darker directors, that being Tim Burton. Famous for movies such as Beetlejuice, Batman and Edward Scissorhands, Burton brings an 18th century story to the screen as only he can. It also has much more, with great special effects and a subtly humorous script. Then to round this movie off, it has one of Hollywood's more hunkier guys in the lead role, who I am sure the girls cannot resist, that being Johnny Depp.
It is the year 1799 and in the isolated hamlet of Sleepy Hollow, murder most foul has occurred. Three corpses have been found, each killed instantly, all decapitated. Visiting constable, Ichabod Crane, suspects one of the villagers is responsible, but the locals believe the killer is not one of their own and most definitely not of this world.
There is a lot to like about this movie. The look of it is truly amazing, as nothing was left to the imagination in creating the town of Sleepy Hollow'. The people who were given the task of recreating the life and times of such a place did a remarkable job in making Sleepy Hollow' seem incredibly creepy. Another highlight was the use of special effects to enhance the story all the more. The character of the headless horseman' and other little bits and pieces, make Sleepy Hollow' an even greater visual experience.
With all that being said, Tim Burton put his delicate touches to the film and made it very well. Being hands on' and very relaxed off-screen, Burton would have been great to work for on this film. It is also very obvious that Burton was apart of the film, as the dark, gothic look of the film has to be his idea. In this instance it helps make the film even greater.

The screenplay for the story is quite incredible. Not only is game enough to show a very gory type of villain, it has a hero that is quite eccentric, with all his gadgets, gismos and personality. Then to round it off we have some character that I would call different', but in a very good way. I also like the tongue in check' humour that was placed within the story and the action sequences which give the movie its variety. The Sleepy Hollow' screenplay was very well written by Kevin Yagher.
Johnny Depp is the remarkable 1800's character of Ichabod Crane in the movie. Depp recreated the feel of the horror film acting' just nicely. I had to agree with his description of his character from a featurette on the film though. He said that his character on the outside' seemed very masculine and strong, yet on the inside he was like a pubescent girl'. We get to see him many times act like a girl would, fainting, and covering up in a bed, being really scared. I also like how this character makes himself look like such a fool at many intervals, which he does only because he wants to get the job he is working on done.
Under Depp is a fine amount of talented actors. These include Katrina (Christina Ricci) who was a fine looking woman in the film. The evil Lady Van Tassel (Miranda Richardson) is one character that I was not expecting to be who she was. You have also got to be impressed with how dastardly a character that Hessian Horseman' (Christopher Walken) was. It is ironic that Walken plays a character in this movie, considering that his character in the 1983 movie, The Dead Zone', refers to the Sleepy Hollow story. He looked so evil when had his head attached to his body, a true credit to the make-up department. There are many other fine actors in supporting roles in the film that I really liked, but unfortunately cannot talk about.

There many parts to this movie that I liked. All the scenes which involve the de-heading' of many of Sleepy Hollow's town-folk are gory kind of events, but done in such a way that you just have to like. (The effort behind-the-scenes to make this part of the film is truly amazing!) To start the movie the way Burton did was a nice touch. Yet seeing the Headless Horseman go around on his horse was another part of the film that I find incredibly refreshing, as he is different to what we would normally see in the movies. The Horseman's resting place is another creation I find so original, and makes the movie even more surreal and horrific. Then top the movie off, you have the exciting action sequences which left me breathless. The musical side of Sleepy Hollow was also a highlight and had Tim Burton being reunited with composer Danny Elfman from Batman. He did a fine job in bringing out the movies more thrilling moments, with his orchestral cast which he assembled just wonderful.
Sleep hollow has a lot to offer to its viewing audience, as it has something for every kind of taste. Themes such as action, horror, humour (comedy), thriller and drama are all within this movie and are used to great affect. One quote I can remember hearing about the film I feel suits it, that being: `it's really brutal, really physical, a really intense movie.' As you will see I was close to giving this movie 5 on my movie rating system (the CMRS), but there is only one downfall to it, and that is the disturbing references to the supernatural and witchcraft. I found them a bit hard to take, but I guess having a headless horseman' in one of the lead roles, it was inevitable that those themes would be in the movie. Nevertheless, I still find myself in true admiration for a movie that was game enough to do many things, that even I had thought were not possible.
CMRS gives Sleepy Hollow': 4.5 (Very Good  Brilliant Film)