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Review by Susan Granger
2½ stars out of 4
Tim Burton fans are gonna relish this fantasy horror story,
especially the creepy beginning. It's 1799 on a misty road near the
small village of Sleepy Hollow in New York's Hudson River Valley when
a coach carrying the region's richest man (Martin Landau) is attacked
by a mysterious Headless Horseman wielding a deadly sword. Whoosh! Off
goes his head! Then the killer strikes again. Each time, the victim
is decapitated. Understandably, the insular Dutch locals are upset,
many convinced that they're being haunted by the demonic spirit of a
Revolutionary War mercenary (Christopher Walken) who died in the West
Woods, a place where no one dares go. Then an inquisitive, if
squeamish, new constable, Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) appears, sent to
track down the murderer. He scoffs at the idea of a supernatural
being, focusing his forensic attention on hunky Brom Van Brunt (Casper
Van Dien) but soon learns that, perhaps, there are vengeful
supernatural forces at work. In the meantime, he falls in love with
Katrina Van Tassel (Christina Ricci - in a blonde wig), the bewitching
daughter of his landlords (Michael Gambon, Miranda Richardson). While
the first few Horseman attacks are scary - thanks to stuntman Ray Park
- it soon becomes evident that all the women are witches and a crazed
serial killer is on the loose. Seven screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker
revises Washington Irving's classic ghost story, concluding with a
millennial flourish, and Emmanuel Lubezki's sepia-toned cinematography
is impressive. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, Sleepy Hollow is
a grim, gruesome 6 - a belated Halloween treat with more style than
substance. Be warned: nearly everyone's head rolls and the brutal
beheadings are graphic and violent - not suitable for young children.
Copyright © 2000 Susan Granger
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