It’s a solid rule that if you want to be seen as a great filmmaker, hire the best possible crew. Sleepy Hollow is where the early genius of Tim Burton started to give way to his tired modern version. The film looks so good and feels so right, you’ll be entertained enough to not notice that the Hollow referred to in the title could be applied to Burton’s direction of an Andrew Kevin Walker screenplay (Se7en) loaded with Folk Horror potential.
The look of the film is so muted it becomes one of the most black & white films shot in color. Actors faces are chalky white and daytime is so thick with fog it blocks the sun. The other prominent color is the crimson red sprouting from numerous severed limbs. The actors move comfortably in their fancy costumes, unlike most period films where they pose as if on a runway. The sets can be detailed, like the deer head that marks the entrance to the town, or sparse like Ichabod Crane’s accommodations.
Johnny Depp’s performance is another plus, a far cry from his tic-heavy Jack Sparrow. He makes Ichabod one of the most vulnerable heroes ever put on screen. He’s a coward who hates bugs and faints easily, and this yellow streak is what makes him endearing as the lead. (His reaction after first encountering The Horseman is priceless.)
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