Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Director: Tim Burton

Starring: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Natasha Richardson, Michael Gabon

Primary genre: Supernatural

Secondary genre: Horror

Nominated for: Best cinematography, art direction-set decoration, costume design

Won: Best art direction-set decoration

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Perhaps the most beautiful horror film ever made, Tim Burton’s “Sleepy Hollow”, an adaptation of John Irving’s book “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” takes a remarkably elevated approach to the supernatural tale of the headless horseman.

Courtesy of Andrew Kevin Walker’s polished script (of the “Seven” (1995) fame), it includes a lovely spin on a whodunnit plot which involves demonic creatures chopping off heads in a remote village. What could have been easily denigrated as another entry in the creature feature genre becomes an engaging story of witchcraft and betrayal. Populated with several gasp! moments, Walker never loses focus of the narrative even when he adds efficient doses of black humor separating “Sleepy Hollow” from your typical bombastic and overly serious horror films that plague the audience with Satanic paranoia and banal slasher tropes.

Depp relishes his role as the eccentric Constable Ichabod Crane - an alter ego for the director himself - who believes in up-to-date scientific methods and deductive reasoning, expanding his already wide roster of peculiar characters whose actions range from heroic to flat out embarrassing but nonetheless are genuine when they found themselves neck deep in such extraordinary circumstances. Surrounded by a number of dignified British theatre thespians (e.g., Ian McDiarmid, Michael Gabon), he shares excellent verbal counterpoints and a great chemistry with an appropriately elusive Christina Ricci.

“Sleepy Hollow” finds the wacky filmmaker at his creative peak, an exercise in high style delivering his own personal (expensive) homage to the Hammer horror classics by employing a monochromatic palette of black, grey and earthly tones to emphasize crimson color. As a director with a unique visual sense, Burton and the creative minds behind the costume and production design and Emmanuel Lubezki’s otherworldly cinematography managed to capture some of the best atmosphere ever put on celluloid and the 19th Century setting helps a lot too; Sleepy Hollow is not a place you would like to visit filled with fog, Halloween pumpkins, misty clouds, witch lairs and gigantic dead trees that drip blood. The rightfully Oscar winning art direction makes it clear even during the opening credits; the sun does not seem to exist replaced by a sense of dread and decay.

Speaking of the devil himself, he is a marvel of special effects and an eerie presence showcasing that you do not need a face (or a head for that matter) to provide characterization! As the primary (and unstoppable) source for decapitation, his wide range of skills offer plenty of action and suspense across several locations (e.g., a windmill, a carriage, a bridge) guaranteeing a grand guignol spectacle that fits nicely in the R-rating department slashing through the more slow but ultimately rewarding horror aspects.

“Sleepy Hollow” has the right balance of horror, action, intrigue and why not? humor which make it so effective and downright entertaining. Under a keen eye for twisted visuals and the orchestration of unique Gothic landscapes, someone might wonder why Burton never returned to this genre (“Sweeney Todd“ (2007) excluded)? After all, he did craft the most beautiful horror film ever.

+Spectacular production and costume design

+Incredible cinematography

+Depp is on fire

+Excellent supporting cast

+Outstanding atmosphere

+Nuanced black humor

+Engaging story