The legend of the Headless Horseman, as told by Tim Burton, is an incredibly more gruesome tale than the Disney version we are accustomed to, and really it only bears a passing resemblance to Washington Irving's original story. But while some might find fault in Sleepy Hollow for straying from the original source, Burton's take on the tale is fresh and invigorating, more in the spirit of the grim era in which the story took place.
As with most of Tim Burton's work, Sleepy Hollow is slightly grotesque but it is still aimed at children. Some parents might find the nature of the film just too gory for their kids--It's a movie about a ghoul that decapitates its victims, so of course there's going to be some blood--and I would agree that you should probably avoid this movie if you have young children. But the entire movie is obviously fantasy, a fairy tale, and although there are some truly frightening moments in the film, they are hardly scary enough to give older, more mature children nightmares.
Throughout the film Burton creates an atmosphere wraught with fear rather than actually showing us anything truly horrifying. The physical location, a small village in New England shortly after the Revolutionary War, easily lends itself to dark moods, and the autumnal setting of the film only layers more grim imagery on top of the feelings of terror already latent in the air. Burton's Sleepy Hollow is a far cry from the sing-songy town in the Disney version.
The Ichabod Crane of Sleepy Hollow isn't quite the character we're used to either. As played by Johnny Depp, Ichabod is still sort of squeamish (he faints a number of times throughout the course of the movie). But Depp's Ichabod is also more intelligent and eventually is strong enough to put aside the fear that seems to be inherent in him to face down the Horseman.
Gone is Ichabod Crane, the rail-thin schoolteacher of the original story, replaced by a driven young forensic scientist from New York. The police of New York cannot be bothered by Ichabod's suggestions of fingerprinting suspects and performing autopsies, so they take it upon themselves to teach him a lessonabout what real police work is. Ichabod is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of murders that are supposedly being committed by a long-dead German mercenary, known in local legend as the Headless Horseman.
Ichabod is in the town of Sleepy Hollow for only a short time before his science is put to the test in the face (or lack thereof) of a headless corpse. Ichabod uses equipment, mostly of his own design, to investigate the corpse, and so begins, early in the film, the greater conflict, driving the film more strongly than the actual mystery itself: the age-old debate between science and religion, or, in this case, witchcraft. Ichabod performs autopsies on the bodies of the first victims and comes no closer to discovering the cause of their deaths. But when all signs point to supernatural forces, Ichabod displays a level of skepticism that would make Dana Scully proud, denying the existence of forces from beyond our realm even when there is no other possible answer.
Eventually Ichabod must come to terms with his belief in science and the unholy forces he's dealing with, the impetus for this transition coming in the form of Ichabod's dreamed memories of his mother. These interludes come at various times in the film and allow a deep insight into the nature of Ichabod's character, why he plays the skeptic and what causes him to change. Plus these dreams contain the most grotesque, but also the most beautiful, visual imagery in the film.
Perhaps the only other work in this film that can compare to the sheer beauty of these dream sequences is the construction of the town of Sleepy Hollow itself. The set crew for this film actually built this city from the ground up, and the effort they put forth in their craftsmanship clearly shows. Charmingly rustic while still frighteningly intimidating, the town itself captures the mood of this film simply in its presence.
The well-chosen ensemble cast rounds out the film with their performances, truly elevating the movie beyond a simple label of quirky horror. While Christopher Walken's scowling visage seems to have been forged in hell itself just to play the role of the Horseman, Ray Park turns the tables by portraying the physical side of the Horseman while headless. Christina Ricci proves that she can go beyond the gritty roles she has become known for, playing Ichabod's love interest Katrina with a seeming innocence that hides the true strength and intelligence of her character. But the standout role is that of Young Masbath, Ichabod's apprentice played by Marc Pickering. Pickering portrays Masbath's rage and grief at his father's death with such grace that he clearly is more deserving of a supporting actor nomination than any other child actor this year.
This stunning adaptation of Irving's story pulls together subplots of conspiracy and greed, deftly employing a strong ensemble of actors and remarkable visuals to pit witchcraft against science in their eternal struggle for dominance. Sleepy Hollow is easily Tim Burton's best work yet as a filmmaker, proving that he is a true visionary in every sense of the word.
