Horrific Inquiry: SLEEPY HOLLOW (1999)

Welcome back to the newest, and at times goriest, column here at Film Inquiry: Horrific Inquiry. Twice a month, I will be tackling all things horror, bringing two films back into the spotlight to terrify and frighten once more. And occasionally looking at those that could have pushed the envelope further. Join us as we dive deep into the heart of horror, but warning, there will be spoilers.

Our Halloween countdown continues! This week, it seemed I would be remised if I did not include one the most prolific names of the season – Tim Burton. While for many, Alfred Hitchc*ck, Vincent Price and John Carpenter are staples of any Halloween countdown, I always find myself drawn back to the classic oddities of this unique director. While A Nightmare Before Christmas (yes, it’s a Halloween movie), Corpse Bride, Beetlejuice and Frankenweenie are the usual binges, Burton’s 1999 take on the Legend of Sleepy Hollow always stands as a must see.

While Sleepy Hollow may not be one of his best works, it is one of his creepiest. Gone are the lustrous colors and angular shapes inspired by German Expressionism. Rather, for Sleepy Hollow, the color is leeched, reserved for representations of the repressed memory and the life force that flows through all of us. Where the skewed and sharp angles of Alice in Wonderland, Beetlejuice and A Nightmare are synonymous with Burton’s style, Sleepy Hollow embraces the eerie feeling of twisting curves and rigid colonial life. Reuniting with Christopher Walker and Johnny Depp to bring this Halloween classic to life, Sleepy Hollow proves itself to be a Burton induction all its own.

The Legend

From the first few bars of the Sleepy Hollow’s opening score, you can hear the familiarity of its notes, a hint of Danny Burton previous scores in Beetlejuice and A Nightmare filling your ears. In an instant, with just the sounds of a few notes, there is already the familiarity of a Burton film. As the foreboding music takes full effect, viewers are presented with a montage, the first image of blood droplets one of the brightest colors of the film. As documents and an official seal transition through a presumed transaction, these little details are quickly forgotten as a man in a carriage makes his way through a desolate corn field. As the lightening builds, the fog filling in the crevices of the night, a scarecrow looks on, the only witness to the gruesome beheading both the carriage driver and its occupant endure.

Following the beheadings, viewers are taken to 1799 New York City as ambitious Constable Ichabod Crane (Depp) not only discovers a body in the Hudson, but is shown fighting for the advancement of justice. As he stands firm in front of the Magistrate (Christopher Lee), Crane declares the need for better investigative reporting. In response, Crane is tasked with traveling to the Hudson Valley to put his experimental investigative knowledge to the test in an attempt to uncover who is beheading the residents of Sleepy Hollow. As his carriage travels out of the city, viewers are introduced to the inquisitive mind of Crane as he studies his books, the scenery changing from city to farm – the village seemingly on edge.

It is a long montage, giving Elfman’s score a moment to shine and ominously forebode the dangers that lie ahead. Crane’s firm stand is instantly contrasted as he struggles to not only examine the body but hold fast to his wits as the lore and legend of Sleepy Hollow and the Headless Horseman is relayed to him. As his arrives with a firm belief in science and reason, his sensibilities are challenged as he is forced to embrace the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. According to the folklore, during the Revolutionary War, a German came to the country in aid of Britain – but mostly for the carnage he could deliver. While he would be known as Hessian (Walken) while alive, his death would birth the Headless Horseman. The village feared the Horseman, his appearance bringing death to those who encountered him. As science comes face to face with lore, Sleepy Hollow asks us to consider the possibility that both can exist.

Bringing the Legend to Life

As a kid, my familiarity with the Legend of Sleepy Hollow came from the 1949 Disney short film The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The love triangle of Katrina, Ichabod and Brom is brought to life in the lore of Sleepy Hollow, the flames of love and competition for the heart of Katrina Van Tassel snuffed out by the Headless Horseman. While I have not read the original source material the folklore derives from – though even that comes from actually history – I could not help but notice similarities between the Disney short and this Burton classic.

While the competitive nature surrounding Katrina’s heart (played by a Halloween Queen in her own right, Christina Ricci) is more subtle in nature with Burton’s classic, it still exists, the tension silently ruminating between Ichabod and Brom when on screen together. Even as they fight against the Headless Horseman together, there is a sense of superiority that exudes from Brom (Casper Van Dien).

As Ichabod leaves the party in the short, he is immediately surrounded by the wooded forest, the elements of nature signaling the Headless Horseman’s arrival – much as Burton, does for Sleepy Hollow, primarily with the wind and the lightening. As Ichabod makes his way, the trees surrounding him twist and bend, the curves almost forced from stretching fully to the sky. This is emulated in Burton’s dark take, elements of blood added to heighten not only the terror but the entrance to hell. Even the covered bridge appears, though for citizens of Sleepy Hollow, it provides no refuge.

Finding the Forgotten

But Sleepy Hollow is not a recreation of the Disney animated short. It is its own film, similar in select styles and elements, yet uniquely driven. This is not the fateful story of a young man meeting his untimely death at the hands of Headless Horseman. Rather, it is the story of a young man discovering his past, overcoming grief and facing his demons. It is not immediately obvious as these themes are carefully woven within the fabric of the narrative. But with each step closer to the truth Ichabod comes, he finds it is his truth he is really discovering.

As Ichabod is riding to the village of Sleepy Hollow, audiences are introduced to the peculiar markings on his hands. As the film continues, they are brought up again by Katrina, Crane confessing he has no recollection of how he received them. As he flows in an out of consciousness from sleep or injury, viewers experience the disjointed dreams – lost memories salvaged by the subconscious. As he explores the folklore, tangible reality begins to bring his repressed memories to the surface. Purple flowers on the hearth, small red cardinals and mysterious shapes drawn in the sand each bring back to him a memory of his mother.

And where fear always lived just below the surface, threatening to turn him from his pursuit of justice, Crane pushes forward in both his investigation and his own madness, the deeper he goes the more salvation he discovers along the way. And as terrifying as the memories become, they empower Crane to face the demon of the Headless Horseman – as well as his own.

Conclusion: Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow is a classic horror film fitting of the Halloween season. As the film concludes, there is a feeling of salvation that ruminates through the film’s final moments. As Ichabod and Katrina leave Sleepy Hollow behind them, there is a feeling that each has moved past their own demons, ready and able to embrace the future.

And the not-so-subtle Beetlejuice reference is also a plus.

If you haven’t had the chance to see this Burton classic, there isn’t a better time than now to embrace the folklore of Sleepy Hollow.

Join us next week as we continue the horrific Halloween countdown!

Watch Sleepy Hollow