Nothing Says Happy Holidays Quite Like Tim Burton

Some of you out there — those who frantically battled fellow shoppers this past holiday season — have probably had your fill of It’s A Wonderful Life and other warm, seasonal movie offerings of its ilk. At the moment, you might feel more in common with the Grinch or Mr “Bah-Humbug” himself because of the stressful nightmare the last few shopping days before Christmas may have brought on. If so, then maybe for a change of pace, it’s time to turn to one of the talents responsible for The Nightmare Before Christmas, the quirky director Tim Burton, and take in his newest flick, Sleepy Hollow. But be forewarned: visions of sugar plums will not be dancing in your head, though perhaps visions of dancing heads may find their way into your brain after catching the film.

Sleepy Hollow, based on Washington Irving’s novel, actually is a bit of a holiday film, as Burton and screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker (Seven) set their tale on the cusp of the dawning of a new century… the 19th Century. The year is 1799 and all is not well in the small Hudson Valley community of Sleepy Hollow. Murder is afoot, and murder most foul: three victims have recently been beheaded by a mysterious assailant. Since the town seems unable to stop the violence, New York City officials dispatch one of their constables to the area, the unorthodox Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp).

On paper, this would appear to be typical, dim-witted Hollywood revisionism: “We can’t have a school teacher as our protagonist! It’s not sexy enough! Let’s make him a cop!” Indeed, this could have been a disastrous maneuver, but kudos to Depp for keeping the spirit of the book’s character intact by turning in an often hilarious portrayal that includes well-timed fainting spells, jumping onto chairs at the sight of spiders, and a nasty habit of winding up with blood splattered on his face. (Don’t ask.)

Crane, an eccentric forward-thinker who espouses the gospel of science and reason, is a methodical investigator who journeys to Sleepy Hollow to prove that his newfangled scientific means of inquiry will win the day. When told by the locals that the party responsible for the deaths is the Headless Horseman, a Hessian killer come back from the grave, Crane is skeptical, at best, though noticeably shaken by the terrible tale. It’s his job to prove there is a human agent behind these killings, not some supernatural, unstoppable force.

Sleepy Hollow plays much like a dark detective tale early on, as Crane ponders the list of suspects, which includes the town’s wealthy benefactor (Michael Gambon) and his beautiful daughter, Katrina (Christina Ricci), who finds her way into Crane’s heart. As Crane builds his case, the evidences seem to pile up against Katrina’s father, but less than midway through the film, Crane comes face to face (or at least face to shoulders) with the Horseman in a darkly humorous yet grisly sequence that spins the movie around and changes Crane’s approach.

Tim Burton has always been a gifted stylistic talent with a flair for the visually dramatic, and Sleepy Hollow is no exception. It has a blue-tinted hue about it, as if the color was being slowly drained from it, but at the same time, there is no lack of red here either: there is plenty of gore to go around. The Horseman, quite ominous in his dark warrior’s garb and intimidating in his flashy swordplay, isn’t shy about dispensing his victims. Yet, as another reviewer wrote of the movie, “It’s hard to think of another film with as many severed heads whose overall tone is so sweet.”

Sleepy Hollow is rated R for graphic horror, gore and adult situations. Nothing says happy holidays like multiple beheadings!