November 17, 1999
Horror/Mystery
R
United States
Director: Tim Burton
“Besides, there is no encouragement for ghosts in most of our villages, for they have scarce had time to finish their first nap…”
Sleepy Hollow, New York, 1799
Constable Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) is a scientific man who longs to properly solve crimes and has a habit of disrespecting his superiors to get his point across. The burgomaster (Christopher Lee) gives Ichabod the opportunity to do so by leaving New York City to go to Sleepy Hollow so he might solve three murders – all decapitation.
Ichabod agrees to the task and arrives in Sleepy Hollow to meet Baltus Van Tassel (Michael Gambon), Reverend Steenwyck (Jeffrey Jones), Magistrate Phillipse (Richard Griffiths), and Notary Hardenbrook (Michael Gough). Each head of the town tells Ichabod about the legend of the Headless Horseman, which leaves Ichabod visibly afraid, though he ultimately scoffs at the idea.
Soon after Ichabod’s arrival, a man by the name of Jonathan Masbath (Mark Spalding) is killed via decapitation, leaving his son, known only as Young Masbath (Marc Pickering), an orphan. Young Masbath joins up with Ichabod to help solve the murders, of which Ichabod is convinced there is no vengeful spirit, but a living man.
That is, until he witnesses the death of Magistrate Phillipse. The shock of what he saw mixed with the disbelief that the Horseman actually exists sends him into a dead faint. He is aided by Baltus, his wife Lady Van Tassel (Miranda Richardson), the housemaid Sarah (Jessica Oyelowo), and Katrina Van Tassel (Christina Ricci). It’s Katrina that stays most by Ichabod’s side, as the two develop and romantic interest in each other.
Ichabod determines that there’s a conspiracy involving all the heads of the town, starting with the last will and testament of the first victim, Peter Van Garrett (Martin Landau). It is shown that he is incorrect in his assumption. There is a conspiracy, but it involves the Lady Van Tassel.
Mary Van Tassel was originally Mary Archer who lived in a cottage owned by Peter Van Garrett with her family. Her father died, and Peter evicted the family and sold the cottage to his kin, Baltus Van Tassel. As Mary’s mother was accused of witchcraft, no one in the town of Sleepy Hollow would take them in, so they were forced to live in the woods. Within a year, Mary’s mother died, leaving Mary and her sister to fend for themselves.
Mary witnessed the execution and burial of the Horseman out in the woods. Right then and there, she sold her soul to the devil in order to raise the Horseman to take revenge on the Van Garrett’s and Van Tassel’s. Her last target is Katrina, who is also a witch, but only practices in white magick.
Lady Van Tassel sends the Horseman after Katrina, but Ichabod and Young Masbath do what they can to protect her. As they’re running for their lives, they go to The Tree of the Dead, where the Horseman is buried – without his head. Lady Van Tassel had stolen it in order to control the Horseman. Ichabod steals it back, returns it to it’s rightful owner, and when the Horseman (Christopher Walken) is reunited with his head, he takes Lady Van Tassel and drags her back to hell with him.
The story ends with Ichabod returning to New York City with Katrina and Young Masbath to start life anew, and everyone (for the most part) lives happily ever after.
This is probably one of my favorite movies of all time. Johnny Depp portrays Ichcabod Crane wonderfully, even down to the cowardice, and as funny of a guy as Christopher Walken is, he plays the carnage-loving madman very well, even though he has no speaking lines. My biggest problem is with Katrina’s accent. I’m not sure if it was intentionally supposed to be a mix of American and English, or if Christina Ricci had difficulty maintaining the English accent. Nevertheless, the movie is still entertaining and has the dark atmosphere that Tim Burton fans know and love.
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