Sleepy Hollow

I've had a fascination with the headless horseman story since I was a kid, growing up with countless viewings of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad animated movie. And he was featured in one of my favorite Are You Afraid of the Dark episodes. Now Tim Burton has given it his signature touch, broadening the story and creating delightfully murky atmosphere.

This is definitely one of Burton's bloodiest affairs. Plenty of decapitations, that's for sure. Which isn't hard to believe considering how the movie was originally conceived as a low-budget slasher movie. Though much of the script was reworked, the horror element remained as Burton turned it into his own tribute the old Hammer flicks, which I can certainly appreciate.

Depp serves up another grand performance as the clever but cowardly detective, and was a joy to watch. I love how he wasn't some fearless tough-ass or too overly cocky. Instead he's pretty jumpy, sometimes to a silly degree, but has a lovable kind of vulnerability about him. Even though Christina Ricci seemed to have trouble keeping her accent in line, she did look stunning as usual.

And what better choice for the Headless Horseman than Christopher Walken? He looked fucking crazy with those crystal bright eyes and the shark-like chompers. Good choice not to have him speak, but it's still funny to hear him screaming "Haa!" to the horse. But it was weird to see cheesedick Casper Van Dien show up. haha And yeah, he looked like a dumbass.

BOTTOM LINE: Another perfect pick for Halloween time. Burton is at his darkest with this blood spilling adaptation of the classic headless horseman tale, sending heads rolling left and right and offering up a little murder mystery. It's Tim Burton's slasher movie, and I loved it. Highly recommended!