You can lock the doors. You can bolt the windows. But can you survive the night? Heads will roll in Tim Burton’s 1999 Sleepy Hollow! [Neeeiiiiggghhh]
I love this movie and it’s perfect for early October viewings to get you in the Halloween mood. For me, it’s Tim Burton at his best with the bleak, eerie atmosphere while having plenty of charm throughout. It’s classic Halloween imagery is only broken during Crane’s brief flashback sequences which feel very “Burton” while never removing the watcher from the world he created. My only gripe is the romantic plot line which seems unnecessary to the actual story. But that’s definitely not enough to deter a viewing year after year.
-Christopher Patterson
I think this is one of Tim Burton’s best films. It has a really good storyline and that keeps you interested from the very beginning and has a mystery that needs to be solved. The special effects are really good and the movie has a dark feel to it without it feeling like a typical horror movie. It has comedy elements to it that also help to keep it light. I think the movie was trying to make a point by being so dark in the beginning and bright white at the end, but I’m not sure I know what the point is.
-Charlie-
A lighter, more tongues-in-cheeks adaptation of the original lore, taking its own creative and inventive liberties, goofballing here and there. The created atmosphere is phenomenal, all actors are stupendous at their crafts, but perhaps my sole qualm is with its detraction from the once was terror of the story. Aside from that, this is a great, fun film that’s not too spooky for the little ones, but just enough scares that’ll keep the haunting breezes through the trees.
-David Burchell
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving was one of America’s own first popular Ghost Stories. Tim Burton’s version was most definitely a darker, witchier, bloodier and more “real” take on Irving’s original, and that’s never something I’ll complain about. This movie has received a lot of hate from the horror community and I can see why to some extent, but the visual aspect alone is enough to draw me in and make me a fan for life. The muted colors and overall dark aesthetic of the film from the pumpkin king scarecrow and tombstones, to the architecture of the town and homes drives me wild! Is it really too much to ask to live in a similar, secluded New England town with a horrifying backstory and a ghost bent on revenge? I believe that I’ll always be on the pro side of this movie. Go watch it and enjoy it for what it is!
-Josh T. Romero
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