Sleepy Hollow

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source: Sleepy Hollow

"Sleepy Hollow" has to be one of the best horror movies that I've seen for a long time. The story has been brought to life by excellent camera work and mind blowing cinematography. Tim Burton does another brilliant work directing this movie, securing his spot as one of the best directors in present day Hollywood. Also the veteran Francis Ford Coppola comes back from 'retirement' by being the executive producer for this big budgeted movie. The visual effects are stunning, and the dolby surround sound makes the regular cinema goer feel like he is back to the mysterious village of Sleepy Hollow. The background music is also very soothing, and it sets the tone for the movie. The movie could have turned into "The Exorcist" fame of horror but Johnny Depp uncanny knack of being creative in front of the camera has turned Detective Ichabod Crane into some sort of Comic Relief. But this relieves the tension greatly as the dark and foggy village creates a sense of utmost mystery and drama and makes the viewer believe that something terrible is about to happen....... Christopher Walken, though barely has any lines to say in the entire movie he is concrete and is superb through his body actions, re creating the terrifying Headless Horse man a.k.a. "The Hessian Horseman" Michael Gambon is also very good as the Landlord Van Tassel, and young Christina Ricci portraying the young witch, the love interest of Johnny Depp steals the show away from Miranda Richardson, the evil witch plotting to take away all the gold of old Baltus Van Tassel, even at the expense of her rich husband, step daughter and her own flesh and blood, her sister. The movie can be a bit graphic at certain stages especially during the murders but overall, if you watch this in a movie theatre it is bound to give you the creeps, and it will make you feel jittery for a loong time. Overall 10/10..........

I found this a little hard to pin down but if there is a problem with Sleepy Hollow then it probably lies with Johnny Depp and the depiction of supernatural fantasy here without ever making it convincing. Depp is all over the place in this one, adopting a comic tone in a movie that really shouldn't have one, and coming across like a poor man's Bob Hope than anything else. His frequent fainting is ridiculous. To make the supernatural convincing in movies you need to build up to it and handle it carefully; but Tim Burton just throws it at the viewer, making it far less believable (and effective) than it could have been. The main compensations in the film are how jaw-droppingly Gothic-gorgeous it looks (almost taken for granted when Tim Burton's the director), and the chance to see some great old actors do their stuff. Christopher Lee, Michael Gambon, Michael Gough (yayy the star of Konga is back!) etc give it an air of class, and Christopher Walken is genuinely creepy as the horseman. Burton's main weakness is that he struggles to tell his story as well as he might - probably only in Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood (maybe he should film MR. ED next!) does he keep the narrative on an even keel. And yet his love of horror films is so genuine it comes through in every frame. The windmill used at the film's climax is surely an homage to both Frankenstein and The Brides of Dracula. If only Depp had played it straight the movie might have worked much better.

Having seen Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands, as well as knowing about other Tim Burton films (Nightmare Before Christmas, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Mars Attacks, etc.), you'd think going into a film such as this that not much could really put you off. Wrong. Despite how I rate it, this film is entirely watchable...maybe even two or three times compared to some other films out there. But, to me, it falls short on several fronts. First, I'm a big-time reader and I thoroughly enjoyed Washington Irving's short story, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." So I was disappointed in that this film made more or less no attempt whatsoever to follow that story. In Irving's story, Ichabod Crane moves to the area and is a school teacher. In this movie, he is a constable sent from New York to investigate three murders by decapitation. Second, part of the allure of the short story is Crane's infatuation with Katrina Van Tassel and the friction this causes between him and Katrina's would-be lover "Brom Bones" (Abraham van Brunt). The story alludes to the fact that perhaps the headless horseman is indeed Brom Bones scaring Crane (the Disney cartoon actually hints at this as well); the movie allows no such character interplay. Third, the whole point of this movie seems to be the mindless decapitation of people. And there is a lot of it. A LOT. Men, women, and one child (though the child's decapitation takes place, thankfully, off-screen). And it is gory. Not a whole lot of blood, but plenty of flesh. If you're squeamish at all, that's a good enough reason to avoid this film. Fourth, the evil character's recitation of motivation (a staple among Saturday morning cartoons from 20 years ago, but grossly out of place in a 21st Century movie) at the film's end is drivel. It could have been shortened, "figured out," and almost entirely left out -- although it did allow for one more beheading on camera. Whopee. Fifth, the script (and acting) is pretty poor. Now, I like Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc.) and I think the guy is great at playing unusual characters, but his performance here reminds me of an Al Gore speech. Because he's done so much so well, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and just blame the script. In fact, you can pretty much blame the script for the whole movie. Not all is bad in this film. The swordplay by the horseman is excellent. The special effects are pretty well done (some are meant to make you laugh, but just come across as cheesy). And there is the neat bow-tie at the end as the villain gets it and the good guy goes home happy. Again, it's entirely watchable, just not that good.

The original review I had planned for this movie was perhaps a little over-harsh, so I'll preface with the good: Sleepy Hollow is a perfectly acceptable beer-and-pizza or sleepover movie, the kind you watch with a good group of people when the mood is light and no-one's really focusing on the movie. The visual elements are beautiful, and it is kinda fun, in parts. But horror, my friends, it is not. I made the mistake of watching it expecting something to shiver at with all the lights off. If this is your intention, send me a personal message and I'll offer you a list of alternate recommendations. (That's a serious offer, by the way. True horror fans deserve better.) Now my complaints, complete with SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS Why bother even making a movie "based" on a classic story if you're not even going to attempt to stay true to the sense, feel, tone, or theme of the original? Listen carefully between the lines of ill-written dialogue and you'll hear the slow churn of Washington Irving rolling over in his grave. I will even accept the Big-City Detective bit, but... Ricci drawing warding-hexes around the bed? Come, now. Not only is there nothing even vaguely like this in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", but it's historical BUNK. I don't care what neo-pagan axe you have to grind, but in the 18th century, "witchcraft" meant selling your soul to the Devil in exchange for diabolical powers; this whole fluffy white-witch goddess-worship "an'-it-harm-none" approach to witchcraft dates back, historically, about as far as the British Invasion. (Parties interested in real old-school pagan practices are referred to James Frazer's "The Golden Bough", if you don't believe me.) This creates such a discordant element thrown into the context of the film that the very framework of the Sleepy Hollow legend is shattered. So we wind up with a totally different story altogether. If that was Burton's idea, I wish he'd warned us in advance. Also, I wish he'd come up with a better story than the rather pedestrian one witnessed here. And he might as well have dropped the Irving pretensions altogether. And, at any rate, the movie isn't scary. Not once. Not at all. The warped tree came close, but was more than counterbalanced by the laughable effect of the Hessian's farce-comedy bellowing. And finally, yes, I too wanted Christina Ricci for Christmas, but God clearly never meant her to be a blonde.

I just saw Sleepy Hollow in an advanced Preview show in the UK. I went with a couple of mates, all of whom had seen some Tim Burton before but only I was a big fan. I simply love Tim Burton's surreal style of directing and of all the films I've seen of his (Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissor Hands, Ed Wood, Mars Attacks!, etc.) I thought only Mars Attacks! Was less than superb. ESH for example has a superbly innocent atmosphere to it but it extremely dark at times. So now, with the release of a new Tim Burton film (of a story I remember fondly from the old Disney Cartoon of the 50's) I was rather excited to see it! And so, I sat in the darkened cinema at my local Multiplex and was amazed. From the dark and mysterious opening to the more humour-spiked yet no less horrific end this is one of my favourite films ever! I'm a big horror film fan and was so looking forward to seeing what take Tim Burton would have a true horror film. My god, he did well. The look of the piece is both extremely dark and evil (the Horseman kills men, women and children with equal relish) but it retains scenes of beautiful, dreamlike states once again making good use of Mr. Burton's own thoughts and visions. It's a very funny film too. Depp is great as an Englishman (only slipping into American twang in one syllable early on in the movie) who will battle the horseman and inspect headless, beetle filled corpses with gusto but then leap onto a chair, screaming when he sees a spider! Christina Ricci was also very good. Usually, her parts are beautiful yet rather evil characters that look innocent and pure until you look into her eyes…not this time though. She just looks, well, sweet! She's softly spoken, and very caring and that's it, no daggers in the pupils, no sly frowns to the camera. Christopher Walken made the small role he had in the headless horseman (he played him on the few occasions he actually had a head) his own with his usual evil visage and a load of screaming! Plus nastily shaved down teeth. The real masterstroke of this film though, or at least its main bad guy is the use of Ray Park. For those of you who saw Episode One and enjoyed the lightsabre battle at the end, Ray Park was Darth Maul! He brings a very modern look to the fighting, most scenes are fought with a sword in one hand and an axe in the other! Its like a medieval John Woo! But almost every time that he gets hold of a weapon he does some kind of stylish one-handed flip to the sound of wonderfully over-the-top swish sounds! The deaths, most of which decapitations of course, are all seen onscreen in their full, gory glory. Not a single piece of blood escapes the cameras here! The film really does have a lot of blood in it but it's a kind of comic book redder than red blood, which adds to the whole films not quite real feel. The cinematography is once again, from Burton, superb. The vile smog0filled 18th century New York and the Scarecrow at the beginning. My god, the scarecrow, its so evil! Onscreen for a second but its image lasts… But anyway, in short, this is a fantastic film. Burton has never done anything this visually eye-popping before (take a bow Industrial Light & Magic). The plot is both intriguing and whimsical, the acting excellent, it has a cameo from Hammer Horror master Christopher Lee and it boasts one of the most evil, most frightening, most superbly realized supernatural baddies I've ever seen…and I've seen plenty! Go see this film if you like horror or you just want some fast-paced fun… 9 out of 10

Drawing from his Gothic roots (Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas) Burton has created a truly chilling horrific fantasy that keeps you guessing at every turn. The use of special effects is seemless and yet again, as in his other films, Burton excels at creating a whole look and feeling for the piece. He has managed to re-work the classic horror genre staying true to his own highly personal style and catering to post- Wes Craven cinema audiences' cynicism without taking itself too seriously a la Blair Witch. It is so refreshing to see the work of an art-house genius who hasn't let a big hollywood budget get to his head. Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci give charming performances as ever, as do rest of the assembled anglo-Brit. star-studded cast. They all look like they had a ball, as will you!

surely this film was hacked up by the studio? perhaps not but i feel there were serious flaws in the storytelling that if not attributed to the editing process could only be caused by grievously bad, criminal indeed, writing and directing. i understand the effect burton wished to achieve with the stylised acting similar to the gothic fairytale atmosphere of edward scissorhands, but here unfortunately it falls flat and achieves no mythical depth of tropes but only the offensive tripe of affectation. ie bad acting and shallow characterisation even for a fairytale. finally not that scary, indeed only mildly amusing in its attempts. the use of dialogue as a vehicle for plot background was clumsy and unnecessary. the mystery of who is the headless horseman would suffice, no need for the myth about a german mercenary, although christopher walken did cut a dashing figure but not that menacing - seeing the horsemans head makes him seem far friendlier that a decapitated inhuman nine foot tall spirit as in the original legend. no real rhythm or universal tone was ever established and not a classic in burtons oevure. stilted and clipped as my parting shot...

Tim Burton has brought this timeless classic to life! "Sleepy Hollow" is a very fine film, with horrific delights, a touch of romance, and witty humor. I was very impressed with the cinematography and the elaborate costumes in this film. Also, the music and sound effects complimented this frightening and legendary story of the murderous Headless Horseman. Overall, I believe this is an excellent film and will definitely be remembered as a landmark in the thriller/horror genre of film.