Review of Sleepy Hollow (1999) by Noah A — 08 Mar 2016

This is perhaps one of Tim Burton's more visually impressive films, but, like every film he puts out, it lacks an impressive story to work alongside it. Based on the famous Washington Irving short story, Sleepy Hollow has all the facets of a compelling horror mystery story, but the storytelling itself is muddled and fails to be truly engaging in the way that it could, and should, be.

The acting here is pretty good, however. This is one of Johnny Depp's better, and more subdued, collaborations with Burton, and he makes for a charming lead amidst the bland narrative. Christina Ricci is also engaging, and works as a strong supporting character to Depp's Ichabod Crane.

The rest of the cast is serviceable too. The $100 million price tag of this film is very evident, with beautiful production design and costumes that add to the late 18th century setting. The film is also beautifully shot by the always reliable Emmanuel Lubezki; Lubezki's haunting imagery definitely adds an extra layer of creepiness to the town of Sleepy Hollow.

These production values allow Sleepy Hollow to be creepy and frightening at times, but the script just isn't consistent enough to make it a truly worthwhile horror mystery film, which is ultimately rather disappointing.