The delightfully gothic masterpiece ‘Sleepy Hollow’ by Tim Burton was recently shown on Film Four and after watching it I felt compelled to write this review. It is not very often that a film can really capture the dark and eerie nature of a story whilst managing to make it truly captivating to the viewer, but I believe that Tim Burton may have done just this. It contains just the right mix of chilling spooky scenes and dry understated humour and isn’t afraid to make the viewers laugh as well as intrigue them.
The story itself revolves around the legend of ‘The Headless Horseman’ a terrifying figure behind a series of ghoulish murders in which the victims quite literally lose their heads! Cue Ichabod Crane a rather naive young constable who is sent to the town of Sleepy Hollow to investigate these bizarre goings on and soon finds himself drawn deep into the mystery surrounding the legend of the headless horseman and trying desperately to unravel the truth behind his grisly crimes.
A fantastic cast and great directing make ‘Sleepy Hollow’ a brilliant film that is definitely worth watching. Johnny Depp plays Ichabod Crane with a brilliant innocence and naivety that I have not seen him portray since his starring role in Edward Scissorhands and the hauntingly beautiful Christina Ricci was equally good and perfectly cast as Katrina Van Tassel. The movie also benefited greatly from having mega star Christopher Walken play the role of the ‘Headless Horseman’ in all his glory with one scene in particular showing just how menacing he can look.
The visual effects in this movie were stunning and each scene was a joy to watch. Sleepy Hollow is a must see film for all Tim Burton fans or for anyone that likes a good gothic thriller. Highly Recommended!
Full cast list for Sleepy Hollow: Alun Armstrong, Bianca Nicholas, Casper Van Dien, Cassandra Farndale, Christina Ricci, Christopher Lee, Christopher Walken, Claire Skinner, Gabrielle Lloyd, Ian McDiarmid, Jamie Foreman, Jeffrey Jones, Jessica Oyelowo, Johnny Depp, Keeley O’Hara, Layla Alexander, Lily Phillips, Lisa Marie, Marc Pickering, Mark Spalding, Martin Landau, Michael Feast, Michael Gambon, Michael Gough, Miranda Richardson, Nic Main, Nicholas Hewetson, Orlando Seale, Paul Brightwell, Peter Guinness, Philip Martin Brown, Richard Griffiths, Robert Sella, Sam Fior, Sean Stephens, Steven Waddington, Tessa Allen-Ridge, Tony Maudsley.