Sleepy Hollow (1999)

reviewed by
Sebastien Smith


Sleepy Hollow (PG-13)

Running time: 105 minutes Directed by Tim Burton Starring: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Casper Van Dien, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Marc Pickering, Christopher Walken, Michael Gough, Christopher Lee.

I've always loved Tim's work. With Ed Wood and Edward Sissorhands, he has shown an ability to conquer some emotions and aspects of life that hardly anyone has. Blending humor, drama, and horror in some superb workings that have elevated him to the ranks of top directors.

In this film, he explorers the human spirit and it's fears in a very raw and unusual presentation of the classic tale of Ichabod Crane and the headless horseman.

It is a well made film with some superb sequences and brilliant costumes. They actually built a whole town for this film, with a sombre and dark ambiance. The opening sequence is a dark field with some very well made effect that expresses the unknown, produced by the fog.

The cast give to this sexy and spooky film a magnificant performance. Probably, Johnny Depps best work so far. There is a lot of subtle humour in this movie that let loose of some of the tension of the movie. It makes the movie not as scary as most people expect it to be. But, it is unique and has an incredible storyline. Many will say, "it's been done", but personally I don't think it's been done this way. A tale of horror presented with a light humor, I don't think anyone besides Tim Burton, or maybe Alfred Hitchcock could have brought this blend of subtle and "humour noir" to a film like this. We can't help but laugh at the way death is brought to us.....

I would recommend it to everyone who does not just looking to be scare off by some stupid horror movie without a story, such as the House on Haunted Hills or Final Destination.


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