Review of Sleepy Hollow (1999) by D. P — 15 Sep 2011

I have always enjoyed the work of Tim Burton, and this film is definitely one of his best. The thing about it that stood out to me was the brilliant art direction. The whole movie give you the feeling your lost in a darkly surreal, twisted fantasy land. Just the look of the village Sleepy Hollow and the misty woodland surrounding it send chills down my spine. It gives you the feeling that something evil resides in the land. Just the setting of the film is able to set the tone for the story, and that shows Tim Burton defiantly knew what he was doing.

As for the acting, Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci do a fascinating job as the title characters. I know many people always joke about how Depp and Burton seem to always be working together, its because the two have amazing chemistry. They get along so well and create great movies together, I mean, if something works don't fix it, right. But as I was saying, Depp did a masterful job of creating the timid,and very socially awkward, Crane through mannerisms instead of looks. Christina Ricci does great as Cranes love interest. All this plus a supporting cast of well known actors and actresses, namely Christopher Lee, makes the acting one of the best thing about the film.

On the subject of plot, all I can say is Kevin Vagher and Andrew Kevin Walker are no slouches. They have written a great supernatural/mystery fantasy story that is very cleverly done, and does Washington Iverings classic american fairy tale a good deal of justice.

So a clever plot + great acting + beautifully done directing + a setting that does its job and then some = one of Tim Burtons greatest films, that is a beautifully made fright feast to boot. You would be hard pressed to find a scarier, more entertaining, "feast for the eyes" king of horror film that also comes with an ending that leaves the viewer feeling very satisfied.