A review by Brooks Rich
I love this film. I really do. Burton's visual eye and trademark look work so well in this film. But, this is the last fun Burton in my opinion. I wish he would go back to films like this. It’s like now he's trying too hard. Sweeney Todd is a great example of Burton trying and failing to capture what he had with Sleepy Hollow.
New York police constable Ichabod Crane, played by Johnny Depp, who, shock of all shocks, is starring in a Tim Burton movie, is sent to the tiny town of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of beheadings. There he finds a terrified population who attribute the killings to a headless horseman said to haunt the nearby woods.
Burton does what any director with a trademark visual look does here with Sleepy Hollow. He turns into the skid. He finds the perfect project that suits him and his vision. Sometimes Burton picks projects and his trademark style does not line up. It'd be like if Wes Anderson decided to try and make a techno thriller. It just wouldn't work. Burton adapting a famous folktale and turning it into a pseudo-slasher film however is a match made in heaven. Below you'll find some examples of the set and art direction of this film. It's gorgeous and they are the strongest part of this film.
Besides Sweeney Todd this is the most violent Burton movie. In Sleepy Hollow he finds a balance between horrific violence and, at times, slapstick violence. Some of the scenes with the horseman are terrifying, but then you'll get to watch Ichabod bumbling around and fleeing the horseman in a fairly comedic tone. The blood is extra bright in contrast with the gray and black color palette of the film. I might argue that Sleepy Hollow is one of the most visually gorgeous uses of violence in film.
Sleepy Hollow is a fun and spooky ride. It's a usual watch for me around Halloween and is my favorite Burton. Something good to screen while we are all sort of stuck inside right now.
I love this film. I really do. Burton's visual eye and trademark look work so well in this film. But, this is the last fun Burton in my opinion. I wish he would go back to films like this. It’s like now he's trying too hard. Sweeney Todd is a great example of Burton trying and failing to capture what he had with Sleepy Hollow.
New York police constable Ichabod Crane, played by Johnny Depp, who, shock of all shocks, is starring in a Tim Burton movie, is sent to the tiny town of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of beheadings. There he finds a terrified population who attribute the killings to a headless horseman said to haunt the nearby woods.
Burton does what any director with a trademark visual look does here with Sleepy Hollow. He turns into the skid. He finds the perfect project that suits him and his vision. Sometimes Burton picks projects and his trademark style does not line up. It'd be like if Wes Anderson decided to try and make a techno thriller. It just wouldn't work. Burton adapting a famous folktale and turning it into a pseudo-slasher film however is a match made in heaven. Below you'll find some examples of the set and art direction of this film. It's gorgeous and they are the strongest part of this film.
Besides Sweeney Todd this is the most violent Burton movie. In Sleepy Hollow he finds a balance between horrific violence and, at times, slapstick violence. Some of the scenes with the horseman are terrifying, but then you'll get to watch Ichabod bumbling around and fleeing the horseman in a fairly comedic tone. The blood is extra bright in contrast with the gray and black color palette of the film. I might argue that Sleepy Hollow is one of the most visually gorgeous uses of violence in film.
Sleepy Hollow is a fun and spooky ride. It's a usual watch for me around Halloween and is my favorite Burton. Something good to screen while we are all sort of stuck inside right now.
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