# Sleepy Hollow (1999)

### reviewed by
Lars Lindahl

    By Lars Lindahl. High School Student
    © 1999 Lars Lindahl

    Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Directed by Tim Burton Written by Kevin Yagher Starring Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Michael Gambon, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gough, Jeffrey Jones, Lisa Marie, Christopher Lee

    Grade: B+

Tim Burton has quite a talent of finding a multitude of creepy, dreadful looking actors to fill roles in his creepy, dreadful films. These actors are so perfect for roles in Burton's normal dark, bleak style of telling a story that they rightfully so appear in a number of his movies. Their mannerisms could scare a child or even an adult, for that matter. Without these actors, Burton could only complete half of what he is trying to accomplish. Jeffrey Jones, one of America's greatest character actors, is a member of this unique entourage of frightening thespians. He holds such odd characteristics with his facial movements, especially the wicked glare that always seems to be on his face. His disturbed look is perfect for Burton's disturbed movies and that is why Jones has appeared in "Beetlejuice", "Ed Wood", and now "Sleepy Hollow" Burton especially uses Jones' distinct glare in "Sleepy Hollow". Every time powerful figures of the upstate New York town discuss the gruesome murders by the headless horseman, there is a certain uneasiness among these men. Jones' glare shows they are up to no good. Along with Jones, the posse of frighteners includes Christopher Walken, Michael Gough, Martin Landau, Lisa Marie, and Johnny Depp.

Depp, in his third Tim Burton film ("Ed Wood" and "Edward Scissorhands" were the first two), always plays a guy who is over the edge but seems normal to the audience when compared to the other characters in the film. "Sleepy Hollow" is no exception to this description Depp does a wonderful job playing Icabod Crane, a constable from New York City sent to investigate mysterious murders in Sleepy Hollow in which the murdered victims are found decapitated, their heads nowhere to be found. The townspeople think it is a headless horseman who has come back to haunt the area where he was killed. Crane refuses to believe this and tries to solve the case with logic and common sense. Depp portrays the main character with excellent acting. We know Crane is haunted by something in the past the first time we seem him, thanks to the cautious, frightened look eternally plastered on his face. We know Crane is different from everyone else because of past experiences. Due to this difference, Crane never seems to fit in with the people or the environment. A great distinction between the heroic Crane and the heroic action star is that Crane is actually afraid of things worthy of fear. Depp shows this fear by fainting after every action sequence, constantly babbling when he wakes, and even jumping on a chair to avoid a harmless tarantula. However, Burton could have gone farther with the phobia stricken protagonist. A number of times Crane tells his helpers to "wait here" or "I'll go ahead" while he enters the mysterious region. If Crane is so frightened of a tarantula, why does he suddenly gain enough courage to face the headless horseman? That miniscule portion of the film was not too believable.

The action scenes "Sleepy Hollow" were first rate. The powerful Headless Horseman was like an ancient Michael Myers. No matter how hard you hit him or shot him or burned him, he'd get up and keep chasing you. This invincibility made scenes unpredictable and entertaining. The film was suspenseful, scary, and gory. Innumerable characters lost their heads in bloody, loud, and disturbing ways. Burton did an outstanding job of showing characters with heads one moment and no heads the next. The way he completed some of these murder scenes were ingenious works of art. The sounds alone of the sword cutting off the head could run a chill down the spine. Danny Elfman's score also helped create an eerie background to the already eerie environment.

The only major problem with "Sleepy Hollow" was the romantic side story between Crane and Katrina Van Tassel (Christina Ricci), the daughter of a wealthy resident of Sleepy Hollow. The relationship was rushed and unbelievable. The speed of the two characters falling in love made absolutely no sense. There was no surprise of what would happen later on concerning these two in the end of the film. The performances by the two actors was still fine work. Ricci, who was perfect in "The Addams Family" films, seemed destined to appear in a Burton film. It would not be surprising if she appeared in another in the future.

"Sleepy Hollow" is another fine Burton film. Although it contained a few imperfections, like most of Burton's repertoire, the positives greatly outweighed the negatives. The visuals I the film were breathtaking and vividly accurate. The woods were more frightening in this picture than in "The Blair Witch Project". Are recent films trying to tell viewers to stay out of the woods and stay in the movie theaters?

    © 1999 Lars Lindahl

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