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We have taken some photos of "Sleepy Hollow". They represent actual movie quality.

• Amazing posted on 29 Aug 2009

  A true masterpiece of film making. Only Tim Burton could do this classic tale justice. Christopher Walken's performance as the Hessian Horseman is terrifying. The weak-of-stomach should beware, this film contains 18 graphic decapitations, an impalement, the slaughtering of an entire family, among other sick and twisted themes. But the gore is necessary to prove just how terrifying the Headless Horseman is. Recomended to all!

• Sleepy Hollow posted on 29 Aug 2009

  I was actually very pleased with this movie, it had a little bit of everything for everyone. The backgrounds and foggy, rain soacked, atmosphere that Tim Burton portyras are dazzaling. All the characters are perfect and near the end you dont know who to blame for the murders. All in all this movie was very well done and i would definatley recconmend it for anyone.

• Tim Burton has lost his edge posted on 24 Aug 2009

  As the first Tim Burton film since MARS ATTACKS!, I was hoping that Mr. Burton would redeem himself for that aforementioned mess. Sadly, SLEEPY HOLLOW is not that redemption. Mr. Burton seems to be following the Hollywood Summer Blockbuster formula now: too much gore, shallow characters, flashy effects, and a cutesy happy ending. Burton needs to learn subtlety again and actually produce films that are cunning, intriguing, and LESS GORY!!!!! Burton must have used several BARRELS of fake blood to make this movie, and worst of all, he uses it for COMEDIC EFFECT!!! Folks, violence and death should not be funny; they should be horrifying and shocking. I found it ironic that the trailer for SCREAM 3 was shown before SLEEPY HOLLOW; in many ways, SLEEPY HOLLOW is just another SCREAM dressed up in 18th century trappings.

• Tim Burton Throws in Everything, Plus the Kitchen Sink posted on 24 Aug 2009

  When I saw "Sleepy Hollow" I wasn't sure what to expect since I've never been a big fan of horror films, or Tim Burton for that matter. But with this film he has totally won me over. He uses all his usual techniques to create a thrilling film. Definitely not for the squeamish, "Sleepy Hollow" uses some dazzling supernatural special effects as well as Burton's trademark creepy atmosphere to create a memorable film. There are also moments of levity, provided by Burton veteran Johnny Depp. Overall, I would give it an 8 out of 10.

• Vastly disappointing posted on 24 Aug 2009

  For several months I had been looking forward to this movie more than any other film this year. I was so excited to see it. When the time came, I sat in the theater with a friend of mine staring at the screen in disbelief. A fantastic story was taken and basically raped. How did a movie with such amazing talent attached to it turn out to be so horrible. Even Tim Burton's flawless visual asthetics can not save the awful script. Seeing how bad this movie was almost ruined my weekend.

• The Best Film of 1999 - No Kidding. posted on 23 Aug 2009

  I love this movie, it is totally the best film of 1999. The most stylish and best horror in a long time. You'll love it.

  Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp - marvellous in this one) has just been sent to discover the Headless Horseman in a town called Sleepy Hollow. The Horseman is continously decapitating residents of the small town, and Crane does not yet know he is next in line.

  You'll scream, you'll laugh - this movie has it all! Should of won over American Beauty at the Oscars....

• Fun pastiche of Hammer horror, Poe, Irving and others posted on 22 Aug 2009

  I used to love Tim Burton. Being a sf/fantasy/comics freak from childhood on, Burton was one of the few Hollywood filmmakers separate from the Lucas/Spielberg axis who was making stuff that I could always count on seeing with my non-film buff friends who were into the same sort of genre stuff I was. Loved "Edward Scissorhands", "Beetlejuice", and "Ed Wood", and always looked forward to what came next.But in the past decade or so he's disappointed more often than not. His "Planet of the Apes" remake was an abortion, and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", while not terrible, didn't seem necessary or particularly necessary either. "Sweeney Todd" was a little bit better, but still didn't make me particular worry about having missed a couple of his more recent works. I caught up to one of those the other night though, and I'm happy to say that my fears were not (mostly) justified."Sleepy Hollow", first of all, has very little to do with the Washington Irving story which it is "based on" according to the credits. "Inspired by" might be more accurate, and the film takes equal inspiration from the works of Edgar Allan Poe (specifically his prototypical detective character, Dupin) and Hammer horror films from the late 50s and early 60s - going so far as to cast Christopher Lee in a small role at the beginning of the film.The cast is certainly a big, big part of the fun here, with such wonderful character veterans as Michael Gambon, Miranda Richardson, Ian McDiarmid, Michael Gough, Martin Landau and Christopher Walken all getting juicy (if generally small) turns in this story of a New York police constable, Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp), with "advanced" ideas being sent (more or less as punishment) to the small Hudson valley town of Sleepy Hollow to deal with a series of gruesome beheadings, in 1799. As the film develops, Ichabod believes there's a perfectly rational explanation for the murders, and it's to the film's credit and Depp's that as he gradually learns that in fact there is a fantastic, mystical presence behind them (Christopher Walken as the silent but deadly Headless Horseman), he continues to probe the secrets, never entirely giving up his rational belief system but also finding the ability to accept some of the religious/magical possibilities behind the horseman - while also coming under the spell of a young woman at the center of the horror (Christina Ricci).It's all quite beautifully shot, excellently acted with perhaps the exception of Ricci (one of those actors I can never really accept in period roles), who isn't really bad, and it's a wonderful mixture of comedy, scares and thrills, and a bit of the mystic. My only real problem with it comes in the ending, which is too much like a Scooby Doo "aha, I've got you now" episode; most of the film managed to keep me guessing at least a little bit but the finale is all too typical. Oh well; this is certainly one of the most pleasant surprises I've had in a while, and there's even some interesting stuff below the surface - the whole colonial/witch-haunted/Protestant New England of the 17th-18th centuries brushing up against the coming of modern science and the Industrial Revolution and secularism is quite expertly handled, though it never gets in the way of a good old-fashioned story. Really, loads and loads of fun and probably my 2nd-favorite Burton film at the moment after "Ed Wood".

• Stick to one story and tell it. posted on 16 Aug 2009

  First off, I want to say I've been a Tom Burton fan as long as I can remember and his films are great but I find "Sleepy Hollow" less then I had expected from him. Now, I never really read Washington Irving's story and what I saw could be the actual story told by him but I did saw some major changes in the plot. According to this, Ichabod Crane wasn't a school master but someone in the C.S.I. or somewhere and the Headless Horseman's head was cut off rather then blown off by a cannon ball. I have seen too much of this over the years and I feel people should stick to one story and tell it, not only changing the overall story makes people mad at times it confuses the younger audiences. I also find the witch that was thrown in the plot was a bit much and in my personal opinion, she shouldn't be in there unless of course she was in Irving's story. I will have to read the book to find out the real story before giving it a final rating though, I'll get back to you when I do.

• Tim Burtons Best! posted on 13 Aug 2009

  Watching sleepy hollow was so fun. It keeps you hanging on an action-packed thrill ride.Itis well worth buying.You will watch it over and over. I believe it is one of tim burton best.But be sure to avoid the video tape,it is much better on DVD.

• Awesome! posted on 10 Aug 2009

  This movie was very cool! Johnny Depp is very funny, as well as convincing, Christina Ricci is stunning, and played her part very well, and Christopher Walken was creepy, but in a sense funny, because all he said was "HAH!"
  The town was very bleak and dark, and the beheadings were done just tasteful enough to where you got a peak but not a long stare, unlike many driller-killer movies. The special effects were nothing short of magnificent, and the web of lies, deceit, and murder make the film all the more better. 10/10

• Incredible visuals, shame about the acting and script posted on 06 Aug 2009

  Tim Burton is incapable of making a boring film. There is always something on screen to enthrall the eye, regardless of the quality of the script. Sleepy Hollow has one magnificent image after another and it is worth paying your 7 or 8 bucks just to enjoy the never-ending stream of misty landscapes, haunted woods, candlelit interiors and New York cityscapes from 200 years ago. Plainly the wonderful crew, from cinematographer to costume designer to art director to special effects, had a whale of a time and delivered every ounce of talent of which they are capable.I was salivating over the opening credits as so many of my favourite actors' names rolled across the screen. Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Jeffrey Jones, Miranda Richardson - I had seen them all create numerous unforgettable characters in very different films. So what went wrong here? There were so many scenes which ought to have been scary and yet the actors somehow did not look particularly scared, even when in mortal danger. Perhaps it was the oddly inconsistent treatment of the horrible headless horseman, who was apparently immortal and indestructible - he survives a Terminator-type conflagration unscathed, yet he can be temporarily knocked down by bullets and fought off in a traditional style sword fight. He is apparently tangible but his original mortal skeleton is lying in the grave and he can materialise out of a twisted tree. The lack of an internally consistent magical or fantastical environment is deadly for this type of story. Even if the audience does not consciously reason out the logical gaps, they can sense something in the story is incoherent. "The Matrix" was stuffed with end-to-end idiocies and contradictions, but it bombarded the audience with continuous rapid-fire stunning effects and science-fiction scenes which distracted attention from the imbecilities. The lovingly recreated 18th century setting of Sleepy Hollow is too concrete and the action not fast enough to provide similar distraction.Also the plot bears hardly any relation to the original short story. It is 30 years since I read the original, but Ichabod was then the local schoolteacher - in the film he is a constable sent up from New York to this rural backwater. As I recall, the Headless Horseman was a flesh-and-blood prankster scaring Ichabod away from the lady they both loved - Ichabod hilariously became the victim of his own superstitious belief in ghosts and demons. In the film he is presented as the modern, rational, scientific investigator of murders and he initially dismisses the locals' beliefs in demons. In the film, the Headless Horseman is a real demon crassly manipulated as a useful hitman by a local vengeful witch.Thus the delightful short story has been utterly coarsened and made oddly less compelling - we are so blase about special effects,synthetic blood and gore etc that this effects-heavy spectacle is much less scary and fascinating than more subtle masterpieces such as "The Haunting" (1963 version) or "Night of the Demon". A pity, but see it for the marvellous images alone.

• Well-made old-fashioned "horror" posted on 05 Aug 2009

  Finally, a "horror" movie with properly done effects and scenes, and with a quite good story which, unlike most movies in the genre, is not just an excuse for making a movie.

  I put "horror" between inverted commas because it is not really that chilly.

  And it takes on some of the clichés of the genre as well.

  But the effects are perfect and nearly credible, the acting is brilliant, and the story is OK. So, compared to the standards of this kind of movie, »Sleepy Hollow« is the best one in several years!

• Imaginative and beautiful, but lacking in story. posted on 03 Aug 2009

  I love the idea of the headless horseman, and this movie gives it a so-so treatment. The filming is beautifully gothic - and definitely Burtinesque, but is not as good as some of his others.

  Maybe I'm stuck on the Disney cartoon version, but I would have rather seen a bumbling Ichabod than Johnny Depp's scientific policeman approach. He did OK, and so did Christina Ricci.

  There is little violence (that you see on camera) but I still wouldn't show this movie to anyone under 7 years old...

• very creepy posted on 01 Aug 2009

  did not think this would be my type of movie...boy was i wrong. excellent directing by the ever creepy tim burton. johnny depp is magnificent as is christina ricci. christopher walken makes the perfect headless horseman......great great great movie an absolute must see. especially for those who are expecting it to be just another movie about ichabod crane and the headless horseman like i was....you will be pleasantly surprised.

• Great Effects, Bad Story posted on 31 Jul 2009

  I think many people who have seen this movie would agree with me... this movie has excellent effects, but the story? blah... But i certainly enjoy the visual effects, sound, and the intensity in this film (i was in one of those big screen big sound theatres). I hated the part where the horseman actually killed the little kid... that was not necessary, i think. The actors did a great job acting 'cool'.... i do not have much to say about this film, but overall, its an above-average film!Rating: 6/10

• A Twisted Tale of Horror and Romance... Sleepy Hollow posted on 26 Jul 2009

  Yes, it was not as scary as many people would think, due to the fact that it was directed by Tim Burton and had to do with gruesome murders, but the lost scares are made up for with superb acting and excellent storytelling. "Sleepy Hollow," I feel, is one of the greatest movies I have seen in years, tied with "Aliens" and "Predator." Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, and Christopher Walken (who doesn't get enough credit for this movie) play wonderfully and captivate your sould with marvelous acting.

• Shannon's Review posted on 24 Jul 2009

  This Is A Great Film!

  Johnny Depp as usual plays a unusual role in this movie and did a Great Job. This Movie gives you a dash of everything Gorr, Horror, Laghter, Romance. I think this is one of the best movies i have seen in a long time and urg every one to see it.

• Pretentious, expensive twaddle posted on 17 Jul 2009

  The horror genre relies on atmosphere and a certain amount of shock. Sadly, many directors rely on gore to get their popcorn guzzling audience to sit through their work. Tim Burton is an interesting director but he relies also on visual excess to cover up that his films often lack a plot. Sleepy Hollow is as its title suggests - a yawn. Granted, the production design is spectacular, a delight to the eye, there is cleavage to delight the soul and lots of British thespians to delight the brain, but there is little else. I was not chilled or thrilled by this pretentious, expensive twaddle. Loosely based on the Washington Irving story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", the film is badly miscast with Johnny Depp in the role of Ichabod Crane (one wonders what Jeff Goldblum - closer to Irving's idea of Crane - would have done with the role). Depp puts on some sort of accent while everone around him is touring the British Isles with theirs and Miranda Richardson has an inexplicably American twang which disappears from time to time. Christina Ricci is wasted - she does not even get good frocks, only a billowing cape, the frocks are left to Miranda Richardson who gets several costume changes, some mad-woman histrionics and a bit of rumpy in the forest (why - don't ask). Burton and his plotters play around with the original story and add some modern bits because hip, hop and happening audiences like their costume dramas with current references so they do not get lost. An uncredited Martin Landau gets his noggin lopped off at the start and then it's on, for young and old - axes fly, heads roll, Miranda glares, push up bras strain, Danny Elfman's score goes over the top, the British thesps think of the money they're making, swallow their pride and the whole thing ends with a blatant rip-off from "The Moonspinners" and "Terminator". This movie goes on and on and on - I can tell you there are few words you can make from the letters in the Exit sign. I cannot spoil the plot for you because there isn't one and the revelation about the Van Tassells cheating the Van Dammes because of the Van Halens by stealing from the Van Goghs is so convoluted and uninteresting that I concentrated on the cleavage. Incidentally, there is some sub-plot about Ichabod Crane's mum floating in a forest (dream sequence) which is a hoot - primarily because the actor playing Depp as a child is the weirdest looking kid (think Uncle Fester's love child with Monica Lewinsky) and an obscure symbol involving a red cardinal (bird). My bottom went numb watching this and the entire cast and crew should be spanked for their crimes against intelligence.

• *** out of ****. posted on 15 Jul 2009

  This is, by-far, Tim Burton's most violent film to-date. I was surprised to hear that he was upset by the R-rating. It hasn't been that long since he's made a film. What did he expect?The movie is good, although not great, nor VERY good for that matter. I thought it would be better. The film is loaded with so many twists and turns, I got lost in the confusion. It falls apart, somewhat. I still liked it though. It's surprising how distant the "headless horseman" was from the movie as a whole. I almost got tired of him and his continuous entrances, because he always enters the scene the same way. The film is fun to watch, and the decapitations are cool, although gory and repetitive.

• Not your classic horror movie... posted on 14 Jul 2009

  I'm not a huge horror movie fan. I'm not even a fan of movies satirizing horror movies (i.e. The Scream series was probably one of the biggest wastes of film resources), but I must say, Sleepy Hollow was scary in a funny way. This movie isn't SUPPOSED to be scary at all. Yes, the idea of a "horseman...without a head" is supposed to be a little spooky, but that is not the intended purpose of the film. IF you want the scary version, watch the animated Sleepy Hollow by Disney. Burton does an AMAZING job with the visual and sound effects. Johnny has come a long way since 21 Jumpstreet (not that he was bad then, either). I think he did a superb job interpreting Ichabod Crane (a regular wimp trying to impress a girl is always one of the funniest things to observe. I know because people tell me I look funny when I try to impress the ladies...) Don't get me wrong, the movie has it's points that will make you jump and cringe, but not enough to earn--and I'm glad it didn't--a seat in the horror movie section. I'd love to see it either in the suspense or comedy sections. The movie is one of the best movies Burton has come out with since Beatlejuice and Batman. Burton is back, and he's kicking some butt and "taking some heads!" Now if he would come back to Batman and fix the mess Schumacher created...