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Sleepy Hollow on DVD (1999)

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Average rating: 72%
1112212152048
3.5
from 8,266 members
 
Starring: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Michael Gambon, Christopher Lee, Ian McDiarmid, Casper Van Dien, Jeffrey Jones, Michael Gough, Marc Pickering, Richard Griffiths, Martin Landau, Miranda Richardson, Christopher Walken, Christ
Director: Tim Burton
Studio: PATHE DISTRIBUTION
Run time: 101 mins
Certificate: 15
User collections: Depp-Mania!, Films in my Collection, My Favourite Films, Mixed favourites, favourite films, Toms Top Ten, The top 100 from my Collection, old bones' favorites, Fave Flicks, In my opinion the best films ever
Genres: Horror
Languages: English
Hearing-impaired: English
Subtitles: None
Released: 24/07/2000

Brief synopsis of Sleepy Hollow

In Tim Burton's stylish, creepy retelling of the classic Washington Irving story, SLEEPY HOLLOW, Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) is a squeamish, bookish 18th century New York City investigator sent to a small town in lower Westchester county to look into three mysterious decapitations. When the always rational Crane arrives at the little Dutch village, he finds that most of the townsfolk believe the culprit to be the Headless Horseman, the ghost of a monstrous Hessian soldier (Christopher Walken), who seems to be mysteriously tied in to one of the town's most prominent families. Burton's natural instincts for campy humor, combined with the hauntingly gorgeous technical work (Emmanuel Lubezki's cinematography and Danny Elfman's score included), collide to create a work of exhilarating entertainment and poetic storytelling. Miranda Richardson, Casper Van Dien and Christina Ricci help make up an ensemble cast that, combined with the historically accurate village sets and dreamlike magic of the haunted Western Woods--created on the largest sound stage in film history--makes SLEEPY HOLLOW a visually stunning, gripping, and, at times, chilling film.

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Critics Reviews

Rating of 4 stars out of 5 Radio Times

This supernatural gothic whodunnit is another beautifully crafted offering from eccentric maestro Tim Burton. With a perfect cast milking every sinister nuance, Burton's clever take on Washington Irving's timeless tale of terror uses the classic look of Hammer's golden horror era to stunning effect. Johnny Depp, sporting a clipped English accent, is brilliant as maverick police constable Ichabod Crane, sent to the small New England community of Sleepy Hollow to investigate three mysterious beheadings, which the locals are blaming on the ghost of the legendary Headless Horseman. Cruel shocks and subversive thrills combine with sly humour in a stunning movie that's steeped in Burton's Grimm fairy-tale sensibilities and unrestrained love of the fantasy genre.

Rating of 1 stars out of 4 Halliwell's Film Guide

This is yet another 'B' movie with pretensions, a big-budget Hammer-styled horror. It succeeds only on the level of design and atmosphere; the narrative creaks, and the performances tend to eccentricity for no good purpose.

Time Out

1799: New York police inspector Ichabod Crane (Depp) is sent to investigate a murder case in the provinces, in the hope... Read more on www.timeout.com

See all 6 Critics Reviews »

Members Reviews

Reviews Voted Most Helpful

Rated - 5 starssuperb

williamsgwynfa [Highly rated reviewer] , 08/05/2007

this film is superb. we are massive Johnny Depp fans, and love every film that he is in.

The look and feel of the film are great. You are taken back to the late 1790s, to a very convincing Sleepy Hollow, that has lots of fog and smoke, distant lightning, scary jack-o-lanterns, and twisted trees.

The movie has a great deal of suspense built into it, and you are treated to lots of tense moments, when the horseman is near, along with some fairly short, but sometimes very intense scenes of decapitation. The film is much more of a drama than a horror film -- the plot is quite complex, and carries itself well.

Johnny Depp shows an incredible depth to his acting skills, portraying a nice range of emotions, as the somewhat nervous and bumbling, Ichabod Crane who investigates the horseman's murders.

he holds a tremendous faith in science over mysticism, and he comes up against town secrets, bewitching women, and a number of bodies missing heads, in the course of his investigation.

Christina Ricci plays Katrina Van Tassel, the offbeat love interest, who alternately charms and frightens Ichabod Crane.

A particular favourite for me, was Christopher Lee in a small but powerful role, as a judge who sends constable Crane off to Sleepy Hollow.

this film is visually stunning, Sleepy Hollow has some elements from the horror genre. A demonic villain that terrorizes a town. But it is also a gothic adventure, with a pale hero running through skeletal trees, to rescue his damsel in distress. The fun part, is that the hero is in more danger than the damsel, this is one of the great twists in this film.

As Ichabod Crane, Johnny Depp is an exquisite mix of neurosis, extravagances, manias and quirkiness. He's the antithesis of the classical hero, a coward with a brilliant mind, but with no experience in how to defeat an evil ghost. He is very funny, but not in a clowning sort of way.

If you want to see an exciting and visually stunning film, then watch this movie.

  48 out of 51 people found this review helpful
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Rated - 5 starsMy all time favourite movie!

Sarah C from Newcastle, UK , 20/05/2005

What more can I say? This movie has it all for me and I've loved it since the day I first saw it. Obviously I am a massive Johnny Depp fan so it goes without saying that I'd like this film. But Tim Burton has done so much good work in this movie that I am captivated from the very beginning. Superb set design makes the world of Sleepy Hollow perfectly devine. It's not one for those looking for a good scare, but if you like Tim Burton and his fantasy worlds, you definately don't want to miss this.

  7 out of 8 people found this review helpful
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Rated - 4 starsComedy, horror and romance all in one film!

Sam from Midlands, UK , 01/01/2005

Comedy, horror and romance all in one film! Johnny Depp gives a great comic performance on par with his turn in Pirates of the Caribbean as the scientist sent to investigate the legend of the headless horseman in Sleepy Hollow who faints comically when it appears the ghost may actually be real. The gothic set looks wonderful, just as you would expect from Tim Burton, and the story develops in a largely satisfactory way, although it does get a little bit silly by the end. One to avoid if you don't like gore, but it is always fun and never really nasty.

  4 out of 5 people found this review helpful
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Rated - 3 starsWell I liked it....

salsamambo from CHESHIRE , 27/10/2004

I really like this film- it's funny, dramatic, romantic and lets just say you never get bored of the look on Johnny Depps face as he faints for like, the sixth time in 2 hours!

The only problem is theres a bit too much slicing and dicing that kind of takes the edge of mystery off the entire thing- it's like "hey, another person just lost his head. Oh well." but all in all a pretty good film!

  4 out of 5 people found this review helpful
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Most Recent Reviews

Rated - 3 starsOld-fashioned horror

A customer from Peterborough , 11/12/2004

Reasonably good old-fashioned horror/costume drama, a bit of gore, storyline not too bad, worth a watch.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
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Rated - 4 stars

Andrew#45 from LONDON , 06/03/2004

Excellent movie, good storyline, good special effects and a bit of everything from humour to horror this movie keeps you at the dge of your seat waiting to find out who the murderer of Sleepy Hollow actually is.

  2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
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