HALLOWEEN HORROR DAYS ~ DAY 17: SLEEPY HOLLOW

Director Tim Burton has helped shape my young cinematic life in so many ways. When I was a child I was introduced to many films such as Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice (a personal favorite), Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Batman, and Batman Returns. If you know Tim Burton then you know he has a love of the creepy and scary that seems to seep into just about all his films in one way or another. Most of the time it's done with a mix of humor, a very palatable approach to a squeamish audience. In a way his early films helped groom me for the more intense terrifying experiences of the horror genre. He is the one whom I either blame or thank for my current malady.

When I saw his 1999 film SLEEPY HOLLOW I realized just how much I had grown to love the genre and how much I enjoyed Mr. Burton's films. I hadn't yet seen his film Ed Wood so Sleepy Hollow was the first rated R film of his I'd seen and it was glorious! I was seeing one of my favorite directors take that one step further showing an intensity and power I had never seen in a Burton film before. I was well aware of the story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a child's ghost story with a grim dark end for school teacher protagonist Ichabod Crane. The image of the Headless Horseman holding the blazing Jack'O Lantern burned itself into my memory, perhaps my favorite frightful image. Tim Burton's film took the story to a whole new level.

The year is 1899. Ichabod Crane is a criminal investigator and forensics/pathology enthusiast. His insistence on using science to meet out the criminals and cause of death of the victims has invoked the ire of his less sophisticated superiors. As a reward he is sent to a little town in the country called Sleepy Hollow where the residents are beset by a serial killer. A ghost come back from the grave to take heads. Surely there's a scientific explanation for all of this, right?

The film is filled with gore and humor, a signature of Tim Burton's directing. Johnny Depp does a wonderful job of playing the squeamish constable Ichabod Crane, reflecting the audience's own feelings. Michael Gambon, Christina Ricci, Jeffrey Jones, Richard Griffiths, and Casper Van Dien play the townsfolk. The incredible Christopher Lee and Christopher Walken also lend their talents. Blood splatters, decapitations, and horrific bleeding trees of the dead compose the sights and horrors within.

I love this movie. When I saw it I was so entertained and engrossed in the film I had to buy it as soon at it became available on DVD. It was one of the first DVD's I'd ever purchased too. My mother and I both enjoy this film, showing the great skill of Tim Burton to draw both fans of the genre and those who enjoy quality movies. This is one of those films which is a great bridge for new people who are unsure of horror films to dive in and enjoy, but also a film that will satisfy hardcore fans.

Overall Ranking: 7 out of 10
Nude-O-Meter: 0 out of 10