Sleepy Hollow – Spoiler alert

November 17, 1999
Horror / Mystery
R
UNITED STATES
Director: Tim Burton

“In addition, there is no encouragement for ghosts in most of our villages, because they have rare time to finish their first nap …”

Sleepy Hollow, New York, 1799

The gendarme Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) is a scientific man who aspires to properly solve crimes and is used to lack respect for his superiors to pass his point of view. The Burgomaster (Christopher Lee) gives Ichabod the opportunity to do so by leaving New York to go to Sleepy Hollow so that he can resolve three murders – all beheading.

Ichabod accepts the task and arrives at Sleepy Hollow to meet Baltus Van Tassel (Michael Gambon), Reverend Steenwyck (Jeffrey Jones), the Magistrate Phillipse (Richard Griffiths) and Notary Hardenbrook (Michael Gough). Each leader of the city speaks to Ichabod of the legend of the headless rider, which leaves Ichabod visibly afraid, although he finally laughs at the idea.

Shortly after the arrival of Ichabod, a man by the name of Jonathan Masbath (Mark Spalding) was killed by beheading, leaving his son, known only as the young Masbath (Marc Pickering), an orphan. The young Masbath joins Ichabod to help resolve the murders, which Ichabod is convinced that there is no avenging spirit, but a living man.

In other words, until he witnessed the death of the Phillipse magistrate. The shock of what he saw mixed with the disbelief that the rider really exists send him to a weak evil. He is helped by Baltus, his wife Lady Van Tassel (Miranda Richardson), the cleaning lady Sarah (Jessica Oyelowo) and Katrina Van Tassel (Christina Ricci). It is Katrina who remains the most next to Ichabod, while the two develop and develop a romantic interest in each other.

Ichabod determines that there is a conspiracy involving all the chiefs of the city, starting with the last will and will of the first victim, Peter Van Garrett (Martin Landau). It is shown that he is incorrect in his hypothesis. There is a plot, but that involves Lady Van Tassel.

Mary Van Tassel was originally Mary Archer who lived in a chalet belonging to Peter Van Garrett with her family. His father died and Peter expelled the family and sold the chalet to his loved ones, Baltus Van Tassel. As Mary’s mother was accused of witchcraft, no one in the city of Sleepy Hollow took them, so they were forced to live in the woods. In less than a year, Mary’s mother died, letting Mary and her sister fend for herself alone.

Mary witnessed the execution and burial of the rider in the woods. At that time, she sold her soul to the devil in order to raise the rider to take revenge on the Van Garrett and Van Tassel. His last target is Katrina, who is also a witch, but only practices in white magic.

Lady Van Tassel sends the rider after Katrina, but Ichabod and the young Masbath do what they can to protect her. As they run for their lives, they go to the Tree of the Dead, where the rider is buried – without his head. Lady Van Tassel had stolen it to control the rider. Ichabod flies, sends him back to his legitimate owner, and when the rider (Christopher Walken) finds himself with his head, he takes Lady Van Tassel and brings her back to hell with him.

The story ends with Ichabod returning to New York with Katrina and Young Masbath to start life again, and everyone (mostly) lives happy forever.

This is probably one of my favorite films of all time. Johnny Depp wonderfully portrays Ichcabod Crane, even until cowardice, and as funny of a guy as Christopher Walken is, he plays the crazy carnage very well, even if he has no lines. My biggest problem is with Katrina’s accent. I do not know if it was intentionally supposed to be an American and English mixture, or if Christina Ricci had trouble maintaining the English accent. Nevertheless, the film is always entertaining and has the dark atmosphere that Tim Burton fans know and love.

If you have a film, you want me to review, leave a comment or send an e-mail to grenalererderglog@outlook.com with “Review Review” in the object line.