One of the better horror films to emerge from the late 90s, was this highly enjoyable adaptation
of Washington Irvine's classic headless horseman story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by gothic director Tim Burton.
Set in the late 1700's, Johnny Depp stars in the role of Ichabod Crane, the New York police constable who is sent to the small town to investigate a series of grisly murders that have been occurring there. The locals believe it to be the work of the legendary "headless horseman", who supposedly haunts the nearby woods. Of course, being a man of science, Crane doesn't believe this and sets about with these new scientific gadgets trying to try and discover who the real killer is.
However, one town member Katrina Anne Van Tassel (played by Christina Ricci, looking quite different to how she appeared in "The Addams Family") is certain that the local legends are all too real, and as his investigation progresses, and the bodies of more decapitated townsfolk begin to pile up, Crane begins to fear that she could be right.
Produced by Francis Ford Coppola, this is arguably one of Tim Burton's best films and is arguably the finest adaptation of the Headless Horseman story to date. As with many of Burton's movies, the film is very dark and atmospheric, and boasts a plethora of visually stunning sets. There are some great scenes of action, particularly where the horseman lays siege to the townsfolk who are holed up in the local church, and horror fans will not be disappointed with the scenes where the horseman goes on the rampage decapitating the townsfolk.
The mixing of both English and American actors, including Martin Landau (in an uncredited role), Casper Van Dien, Christopher Lee (ol Dracula himself), Richard Griffiths and Miranda Richardson (Queenie from "Blackadder") in my view worked very well. If you haven't seen this film, I would recommend doing so at once!
