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Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Starring Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, and Christopher Walken. Cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki. Edited by Chris Lebenzon and Joel Negron. Produced by Scott Rudin and Adam Schroeder. Written by Kevin Yagher and Andrew Kevin Walker. Directed by Tim Burton.
Sleepy Hollow is a loose adaptation of Washington Irving's story that has Ichabod Crane, now a New York City constable, investigating a string of decapitations in the small village of Sleepy Hollow. Local legend has it that Hessian soldier was killed in the woods surrounding the little town and his headless body lives on, reaping it’s vengeance on everyone it can find. Armed with a new and controversial style of murder investigation called “forensics”, and a complete disbelief in superstition and witchcraft, he diligently works to solve the mystery as the body count continues to pile up.
Andrew Kevin Walker, a screenwriter with a resume full of violent films, penned this macabre retelling of the classic tale. Tim Burton had reportedly been working on a project for over a year that had just fallen through when this script came along. He said that it reminded him of the old Hammer monster movies and that he was immediately taken with it.
He placed the town in the middle of a world that only his mind could create, and it is so well put together that you rarely question when reality starts to twist. Being a former Disney employee, Burton used the animated “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” to dictate the look and style of his film. The color scheme was so meticulously planned that it nearly comes off as a character.
But don’t let the praise of the art direction and set decoration fool you. It seems that only a budget separates this film from the Hammer pictures. If any of them had a sixty five million dollar budget you may have had something similar to Sleepy Hollow. Beyond Burton’s strength in visual effects, the film didn’t have much to offer. The characters are flat, the dialog is weak, and acting is nothing to get excited about. But eighteen decapitated bodies never looked so damn good.
Budget: $65,000,000
Total US Gross: $101,068,340
Genre: Horror
Runtime: 105 Minutes
US Release Date: 11/19/99
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (intended ratio)
Awards: Academy Awards: Won for art direction/set decoration. Nominated for cinematography and costume design.
Tagline: Heads Will Roll.
Quote: “The Horseman comes. And tonight he comes for you.”
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