Sleepy Hollow

--Reviewed by Lindy Loo

Plotline: Icabod Crane is sent to a remote village to investigate the beheadings of a handful of victims. In his attempts to uncover the mystery behind the Headless Horseman and figure out why he has returned from the dead, he falls in love, battles with townsfolk and imposter Headless Horsemen, and faints too many times to count.

Scariness factor: The first time I saw this movie, I was not impressed. In fact, I was kinda bored. I think I am one of the rare few who is not totally blown away by every single one of Tim Burton's films. And maybe I just wasn't into it that night. But watching it this time around, I was impressed that it offered up such a good variety of spooky moments. Christopher Walken has the creepiest teeth ever. Thankfully he never speaks, so he maintains his freakiness throughout the whole film. It probably won't knock your socks off in that gut-punching way that The Exorcist or something does. But it is a good ride--the Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the idea of the Headless Horseman is a creepy one, and Burton definitely does it justice. (See creepy teeth below)



Originality: It is an adaptation of the Washing Irving story, and it HAS been done before. So while not original in its efforts perhaps, the tale itself is an original and classically spooky one, and the high-quality moments of classic horror from the book are nicely dealt with here.

Complaints: I think there were some moments of crappy logic that plagued me while I was watching the film, but they were not disastrous enough for me to even remember now while I write this. So I can't really think of anything too major to complain about here.

High Points: Johnny Depp cracks me up in this movie. His portrayal of Icabod Crane is a delight (if I can take a moment to sound old ladyish). I was smitten with him back in his 21 Jump Street days, and I must say--I'm proud of my taste, even as far back as primary school, because Depp has done good with himself. He never turns down a weird character and has been favored by some damn good directors, appearing often in their films (Jim Jarmusch, Tim Burton, etc.). And he keeps up this trend in Sleepy Hollow as well. This movie is also fantastic visually. There were hordes of times that I found myself thinking it looked like an old painting--both the characters and the scenery. I actually think this might be one of my visually favorite Tim Burton movies simply because he does such a nice job capturing the atmosphere and time period of the tale.

Overall: This was an enjoyable movie. Perhaps it won't scare you to your core, but it *will* give you the creeps, in that classic horror kind of way. Check it out.

Grade: A-