My Favourite Movies: Sleepy Hollow

At the turn of the 18th-19th century police constable Ichobod Crane (played by Johnny Depp as only Depp can do) is making a nuisance of himself in New York. To get him from underfoot he is sent to the small hamlet of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of gruesome murders where a number of citizens have had their heads cut off and stolen by a mysterious horseman. As soon as he arrives he is plunged into the middle of a strange and complex conspiracy apparently involving all of the town’s notable citizens. When Crane is informed of the origins of the fabled horseman deemed responsible for the crimes he scoffs at the fears of supposedly educated men. Crane holds reason and logic paramount and will have no truck with the supernatural. Until that is he sees the horseman for himself, sees that he is impervious to bullets and sees, above all else, that he rides without a head. What he must decide is what the horseman’s mission is and who exactly called him back from Hell. Who, amongst the cast of possible suspects has the will, the power and the motive to kill so many and in such a gruesome way.

This was, I think, probably the best of the Tim Burton-Johnny Depp collaborations. Depp was as he often is – ever so slightly off centre and possibly mad – and Burton created a slightly off centre world for him to act mad in. The overall look of the film is superb with its brooding darkness and menace reflected in the use of a very subdued colour palette. The only bright colours seen in most of the movie are splashes of vivid red blood either from the horseman’s axe or sword or from Crane’s surgical instruments. The leading townsfolk are suitably shabby and played largely by the crème of British character actors. The love interest is suitably lovely (played by Christina Ricci) and the evil protagonist (without giving too much away) is suitably evil. The horseman himself – both with and without his head – is quite superb too (‘with head’ played by the ever interesting Christopher Walken). The fight scenes are very well choreographed and the death scenes both cartoonish (and unreal) and yet bloody at the same time. In fact the whole feel of the movie – apart from the last 5-10 minutes – has a deep feeling of unreality about it apparently reflecting the tone of the original work by Washington Irving (I’ll confirm that once I’ve read it).

It is, I think, highly entertaining even after multiple viewings. Whilst not exactly being child friendly (my DVD has a 15 certificate) it’s not too gory or too scary for most people to enjoy the thrills. As I say the violence has a cartoon quality about it enhanced by the overuse of bright blood and there’s nothing else to raise much of an eyebrow. I did find the acceptance of magic or witchcraft and the intolerance of the churches reaction – or one churchman’s reaction at least – very interesting and wonder if that was from Irving or from Burton but that’s another thing I can find out from the original text. Recommended as one of the best of Depp’s somewhat haphazard output.