Sleepy Hollow

Awesome film a must have for Tim Burton fans

I've been a fan of the 90's Sleepy Hollow film since it came out. Great to see it in wonderfully clear Blu Ray with some BTS material. And while the supplier MusicMagpie notes the delivery is 'late' - it did in fact arrive promptly! So top marks and I wish more European films were available on Blu Ray for EU based fans.

In this 1999 supernatural detective mystery set at the turn of the 19th Century, New York pathologist Ichabod Crane (Depp) is sent from New York City to investigate a series of murders in the village of Sleepy Hollow believed to be carried out by a mysterious Headless Horseman. Spurning the supernatural beliefs of the locals, crane uses a modern forensic approach to investigate the murders, but is he right?One of the main strengths of this, besides the overall acting and widespread use of almost black and white photography to create a sinister atmosphere is the musical score which adds a menacing dimension to it all. Depp plays the jittery, nervous and contradictory Crane to perfection as he searches for the clues in order to find the murderer. But although It keeps your attention throughout and is packed full of suspense, and mystery. adding more twists and turns as the story unfolds, the romance between Ichabod and Katrina lacks chemistry and is unconvincing.The single disc open directly yo an atmospheric thunder and lightning main menu featuring play, scene selection, audio [2.0/5.1, directors commentary on/off] and trailer. Slow to get into its stride, it soon gains pace to reach an exciting and ever changing finale. As a 15 rating it’s undoubtedly a ***** but ‘modern’ hard core horror buffs will find it wanting in the ‘blood n gore’ stakes.

An excellent movie with a star studded cast - Johnny Depp, Christopher Walken, Christopher Lee and Ian McDiarmid (Senator Palpatine in all of the Star Wars films). The film is quite refreshing as it uses stop motion and isn't plastered in CGI effects and it has a real atmosphere to it, set in victorian New York and Sleepy Hollow (a village further down the Hudson). Crane, played by Depp, is sent to the village to investigate some murders there, all of which have been decapitated and their head taken by the villian. When the murderer reveals itself, it turns out to be a headless horseman, the ghost of a slayer (Christopher Walken) who was eventually caught and decapitated. The recent murders have been carried out by himself and his daughter who has been socially rejected from Sleepy Hollow. A great film, good acting and deep atmosphere. I recommend it.

Excellent

Jenny Depp is Ichabod Crane - a skeptical police investigator - sent to the superstitious village of 'Sleepy Hollow'.Crane dismisses all supernatural events as 'hokum' as he disproves things easily.But he is forced to rethink his beliefs when he encounters the headless horseman.

First of all, I’ve not had this on blu ray previously so I can’t compare it to that.When I have seen this film previously it’s been via dvd and on Sky Movies, so I’ve seen it in SD and HD. I can say this is a great upgrade from both of those formats.The film itself is as good as ever and you can really notice the pop in colour in certain scenes. This is a film that’s 25 years old so you’re not going to get absolute crystal clear imagery on every scene but it has cleaned up well.

I am probably biased toward this film from the start as I am both a fan of Tim Burtons work and Johnny Depp when he works for Burton (other roles are still good but Burton seems to pull something special out of him).The look and feel of the film are typical Burton: Slightly gothic and slightly surreal but this is perfect for the subject matter. (for those of you not familiar with the tale, either the original or any of the number of adaptatons, a small rural town / village is haunted by a ghostly headless horseman who decapitates those who have wronged him).Depp is very very good as the detective Crane sent from the metropolis to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the murders. He quickly beomes painfully aware of the local politics and forms an attatchment to Christina Ricci's character. As the film progresses more of these characters back stories are revealed but I shall say no more to avoid putting down some spoilers.So as ever with this combination, an excellent film all round.

„Sleepy Hollow“ zählt zweifelsohne zu einem meiner persönlichen Favoriten von Tim Burton. Dieser Film hat alles was mich anspricht: Tolle Schauspieler, eine fantastische Ausstattung, eine gruselig-düstere Atmosphäre, eine sowohl ästhetisch ansprechende wie auch fantasievolle Bildgewalt, ein famoser Score und eine interessante Balance zwischen Horror und Humor. Dass es sich hierbei um eine nicht wirklich werkgetreue Fassung von Washington Irvings „The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow“ handelt, stößt zumindest mir persönlich nicht übel auf. Der Film ist eben Tim Burton-Madness at it`s best!Story:Der verschrobene Constable Ichabod Crane wird in das abgelegene Dorf Sleepy Hollow entsandt um dort einer unheimlichen Mordserie auf den Grund zu gehen. Ein kopfloser Reiter soll einige der namhaftesten Einwohner des Dorfes enthauptet und deren Köpfe mitgenommen haben. Der eher rational denkende Crane tut diese Geschichte zunächst als kollektives Hirngespinst der abergläubischen Gemeinde ab. Er möchte den verängstigten Einwohnern beweisen dass kein Geist, sondern ein Mensch aus Fleisch und Blut die grausigen Morde begeht. Jedoch begegnen ihm die meisten Dorfbewohner eher missgünstig und argwöhnisch und sind ihm bei seinen Ermittlungen eher selten eine Hilfe. Doch dauert es nicht allzu lange und es rollen erneut Köpfe…Meine Meinung:Ich habe eine Schwäche für düster-skurrile Filme. Gerade Tim Burton bietet mir dies mit seinen Filmen oft. Doch Sleepy Hollow ist in der Hinsicht einer seiner gelungensten Streifen. Es ist jedenfalls einer der mit Abstand blutigsten Burton-Filme welchen ich bislang gesehen habe (in einer Reihe mit „Sweeny Todd“)- und dennoch passt der Film von seiner Skurrilität her perfekt zu Burtons anderen Gruselmärchen. Dabei soll der Film auch eine Anlehnung an die alten Hammer-Filme sein (welche bekannt sind für einige, steinalte Horror -und Sci-Fi-Schinken). So hat auch Hammer-Legende Christopher Lee ein kurzes Cameo. Ich bin allgemein kein sonderlich großer Splatter -oder Gore-Fan. Doch beim Kopflosen Reiter macht es mir ungewöhnlich Spaß seinem blutrünstigen Treiben zuzuschauen, da dies effektvoll und stellenweise auch völlig übertrieben von statten geht. Zumal das gezeigte Blut ebenso überspitzt künstlich aussieht und manch grausige Szene eher abschwächt. Einher geht damit der oft morbide und skurrile Humor. Manchen könnte die Ernsthaftigkeit dadurch zu kurz kommen. Ich finde es lockert den Film auf. Im Kern ist „Sleepy Hollow“ aber vor allem eine Detektiv-Story. Und es macht durchaus Spaß mitzurätseln wer hinter all dem Treiben steckt.Passend zur Geschichte sind auch die Charaktere eher verschroben und stellenweise komplett abgedreht. Alle Figuren wurden zudem ideal besetzt: Johnny Depp (hier noch in der Prä-Captain Jack Sparrow-Ära) darf einen leicht gestörten Hauptcharakter mimen. Der Film zehrt viel von Depp`s komödiantischem Talent. Seine Love-Interest wird von Christina Ricci dargestellt, welche als einzige etwas fade wirkt. Der kopflose Reiter selbst wird von keinem geringeren als Christopher FAAAAAAKKKKKIIIIINNNNGGGGG Walken dargestellt. Und auch wenn er nicht wirklich viel an Screentime, geschweige denn an Text hat- dem Mann beim crazy sein zu beobachten macht einen Heidenspaß. In den Nebenrollen sieht man zudem den großen Michael „Dumbledore (den Zweiten)“ Gambon, sowie Ian „Palpatine“ McDiarmid, Michael Gough, Jeffrey Jones und Miranda Richardson.Das Setdesign und die Ausstattung sind famos und man merkt dass hier viel Liebe und Zeit in Details investiert wurden. Top-Notch! Neben den überwiegend grandiosen, oft von Hand gemachten Effekten, gefiel mir aber auch der beklemmend düstere Score von Danny Elfman. Wer auf klassische Horror-Scores steht wird auch Elfmans Filmmusik zu „Sleepy Hollow“ lieben.Was ich kritisieren könnte ist so mancher in die Jahre gekommener CG-Trick. Manche sind gut genug um auch heute noch zu gefallen (oder sogar nicht weiter aufzufallen). Jedoch sticht manche Szene eher albern hervor, was ein wenig Schade ist. Aber insgesamt gibt es nur wenig meinerseits zu bemängeln.Daher mein Fazit:Wie mit allem ist es auch bei diesem Film Geschmackssache. Denn er ist nicht unbedingt straight dem Horror-Genre angehörig und lässt manchmal den nötigen Ernst vermissen. Beachtet man aber das Burton hier das Steuer in der Hand hatte (und eine Hommage an alte Horror-Trash-Filme abliefern wollte), so kann man vieles eher hinnehmen. Ich mag eben die Skurrilität und feier auch die stellenweise abstrusen Metzelszenen. Für zartbesaitete Burton-Fans ist der Film eher weniger geeignet. Denn auch wenn alles überspitzt dargestellt ist, eine Szene ist doch etwas grausiger und sticht hervor. Im Grunde handelt es sich hier um ein typisches Burton-Märchen: von den schaurig-schönen Bildern, der Story, den Charakteren und auch der Musik… nur eben mit viel Mord und Totschlag und literweise Kunstblut.Ich liebe den Film, daher eine unbedingte Empfehlung von mir!

Yes, this is clearly a somewhat toned-down horror flick but, WOW! I haven't seen much to compare with this outstanding film, in any movie genre, for ages. While it's much shorter and a different sort of story, I think that this production stands equal in quality to The Lord of the Rings - The Motion Picture Trilogy (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition), and that is a huge compliment.In fact, if you have previously enjoyed either The Hound of the Baskervilles (which is the "white-knuckle" version of the most famous of all Sherlock Holmes entries), or Sherlock Holmes - The Hound of the Baskervilles, (the magnificent cinematography version), then you will clearly love "Sleepy Hollow."THE STORY: This yarn springboards from Washington Irving's compelling tale of terror, the companion work to Rip Van Winkle from this Classic American author's famous The Sketch Book. In the case of the film, a youthful and naive New York City constable (Ichabod Crane) is directed north to a New England Dutch settlement where a series of murders has begun to generate chaos in the community -- the year is 1799, only about twenty years after the American Revolution. The first nuance of the murders which Ichabod encounters is that all the killings have been effected by decapitation. The locals are sold on the idea that the perpetrator is nothing short of a terrifying headless horseman (artfully played by a deranged-looking Christopher Walken), purportedly a ghost of a Hessian soldier, but Ichabod is a man of science and he initially asserts that the headless horseman yarn is ludicrous. But Ichabod's scientific approach quickly gives way to his tormented imagination... especially when subsequent murders ensue.This is a terrifying mystery thriller of the First Water, directed by Tim Burton. The screenwriting (Kevin Yagher) is incredibly compelling, the cinematography is magnificent, the locations (mostly in England) are magical, the filmscore compositions (Danny Elfman) are faultlessly appropriate, and the acting is superb. Johnny Depp as Ichabod (at least for the purpose of this particular film version) amounted to flawless casting. I was also very pleased to see the great Christopher Lee (The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition)), in this film however briefly it may have been.Viewers should prepare for a long sitting as the running time is 105 minutes -- but there is never any drag and the action is both tasteful (for the genre) and non-stop. The aspect ratio is 1.85:1, a presentation of enhanced widescreen (16:9).In summary, this Oscar-winning 1999 film is one that you won't want to pass by. I was not in the least surprised to discover that it was produced by the renowned and talented Francis Ford Coppola, (Dementia 13.) The film is rated R due to one mild and brief sexual scene as well as for the violence and the gore of the numerous heads which bounce wide-eyed along the ground after they are separated by sword and by axe from their terror-stricken hosts. I'm normally not a big fan of contemporary movies but, in this rare instance, I award "Sleepy Hollow" my most enthusiastic and very highest five-star recommendation.REVISION: (4/10) If you loved this film as much as I did you'll likely also enjoy The Village (Widescreen Vista Series).

À voir et à revoir

Eerie tale of the legend of the headless horseman and the detective Ichabod Crane out to stop his killing spree.Quite enchanting fantasy but not for children due to the number of beheadings and supernatural undertones. Great atmosphere and excellent 4k transfer make this movie well worth seeing. The steelbook also has the addition of the book by Washington Irving.

Looks amazing on 4K. The details of wonderful Gothic style set design shine on 4K. HDR and Dolby Vision add a lot of detail and color to this otherwise bleak looking (by design) film. Sound is excellent. Really a must own for fans of "Sleepy Hollow". As a fan of the film I was more then pleased.