As a hardcore horror fan, I completely missed Sleepy Hollow’s (Tim Burton) 20-year anniversary, one of my favorite movies. Now that I start writing, it makes me question: why, after all these years, do I still love it so much?
And as it starts to roll, the first thing that jumps out at me is something red whether it is wax or blood, is any viewer’s guess. Sleepy Hollow is lurid; an illustrative example of the horrid fairy tales and ghost stories we grew up listening to. This, in my view, is Tim Burton at his finest. (He does not stray far from this style in The Nightmare Before Christmas, which is only 6 years his junior. To me, these two films mark an incredible period for Burton in the ’90s.)
The movie, which is based on Washington’s Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, follows the story of a New York constable Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) traveling to the sleepy town that has been enduring serial murders. While Crane claims that the murderer is indeed a man, he is in for a surprise.
Sleepy Hollow weaves horror with fantasy romance, bolstered by Burton’s trademark aesthetic. A blend for an experience that captivates viewers to this day.
The film sets and locations appear to be inspired from the old Universal monster movies. This takes warming and drama to a whole new level. It feels more nostalgic and decorative as opposed to the time it’s set in. The way the actors performed followed a similar cue, providing a level of drama unmatched that makes the viewer feel as if they are listening to a story told around a campfire.
In my rewatch, there are a few touches that stand out to me the most, now: the opening scene with Ichabod Crane where he rides into the village. A cemetery on one hand, a penned-in herd of sheep on the other. Fog with a mind of its own snuffing out torches seemed to set an ethereal vibe. While the townspeople appear far better off and more cultivated than their predecessors, the battle in Sleepy Hollow towards the close of the 1700s is expositive of the struggle the residents faced. A world that is provoked by unchecked supernatural forces.
The separation of bodies particularly heads severed from their necks is distinctly defined and embellished by Burton’s career as an animator. And, looking back, this is one of the things that stands out for me with this movie: The blood that is spilled and the gore that accompanies it, is very direct but it is done in a manner that would terrify, but not permanently wound, youthful spectators.
It is movies like these that cast the longest shadow over my own childhood, for the film’s lexicon is softened for the younger audience, yet it meets them at their level. It is clear as day that Burton and the other people working on this film understood that the emotional complexity and intelligence of young people is not something that is taken for granted.
(Now let me point out this particular thing: for the past 20 years, I kept on thinking: why isn’t Christopher Walken’s name mentioned in the opening credits for The Headless Horseman? This makes me consider Boris Karloff in 1931’s Frankenstein, where the Monster is literally mentioned as?” on the part of the credits where the actors name should be.)
Yet, the question I have been grappling with is the question of the presentation of women. While Ichabod’s mother is rightfully blamed, some of the more influential woman in the later part of the movie are largely driven by greed and vindictiveness. I am purposefully leaving this vague to avoid spoilers. In opposition, the men’s belief in the Headless Horseman, although dismissed by Crane, is something that these men who hold a position of power in the village commander do their respect in. There is another, more vivid example which comes later, where the proverbial voice of truth is also distinctly masculine. And to be truthful, Crane starting from a nightmare about his mother and subsequently finding himself in bed with Katrina Van Tassel, Christina Ricci, is very shocking.
Still, in my judgement, Sleepless Hollow remains one of the strongest representing movies in the genre of folklore horror.
(This is completely different and apart from folk horror, although I am still trying to define for myself a working definition of it.) While Irvings Sleepy Hollow is not strictly folkore, the place which that story has taken in popular culture appears to reflect those kinds of tales. The Headless Horseman’s supposed gravesite is bleeding, suggesting the presence of a past that continues to torment the present.
In this case, I will be the first to admit that my love of the movie is colored by nostalgia. But then again, who isn’t like that about their cherished books, shows, and/or movies? Those who made Sleepy Hollow had a definite idea in what they wanted to achieve and they delivered it. This is something that I have come to cherish very much, considering many narratives that I had loved in the past are now infested with problems of continuously trying to one up themselves. I still love this movie because bluntly speaking, it is highly enjoyable, and despite my criticisms, has stood the test of time. As far as movie goes, I find Sleepy Hollow completely innocent and friendly for both children and older audiences ensuring the film’s long-lasting appeal.
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