To celebrate the Halloween season, The Auburn Plainsman Lifestyle Section is reviewing and recommending related movies for people to watch. Ranging from frightening, nightmare-inducing thrillers to wholesome, family-friendly flicks, reviews will cover a variety of genres. Read a synopsis and our thoughts, and then take a look at the “spooky” meter, a rating out of five that details whether we think this movie is worth watching during Halloween time. If you would like to write a Halloween-related film review and see it published, email srb0106@auburn.edu.
Tim Burton’s 1999 film “Sleepy Hollow” is a loose spin-off of Washington Irving’s 1820 short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Burton’s film is a chilling piece that follows Constable Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) on his journey which took place in 1799 to Sleepy Hollow from New York City. Crane is employed by city officials as a law enforcement officer to investigate the slew of murders taking place in Sleepy Hollow, and it is only after arriving that he realizes there is a sinister being haunting the town: the Headless Horseman. With the company of the most beautiful girl in Sleepy Hollow, Katrina Van Tassel (Christina Ricci), and a townsperson, Young Masbath (Marc Pickering), Crane uncovers terrifying secrets about murder plots, demonic spells and motives for the Headless Horseman's incessant beheadings.
I was initially confused by this film. However, by the end of it, I was able to piece together all of the different plot points that were scattered throughout. To me, “Sleepy Hollow” functioned like a murder mystery movie, because I never felt like I knew what was going to happen next. Burton’s loose interpretation of Irving’s short story also left me confused, as I was expecting the movie sequence to be similar to the short story. The end of the film, however, was satisfying to watch, as Burton tied all of the references from various points of the film into a cohesive narrative. I felt like I was right there with Crane as he uncovered and pieced together all of the secrets of Sleepy Hollow.
While I did enjoy “Sleepy Hollow” by the end, my opinion of the viewing experience did not begin that way. At first, I was confused by all of the subtle details and random cryptic dialogue lines within the film. I then came to realize that the movie is difficult to understand if you are not paying complete attention the entire time. There were several instances where I had to rewind, because I did not understand a scene or piece of dialogue, and then I would be left confused for the following minutes. “Sleepy Hollow” is a film that demands one’s whole attention because all of the clues and context, such as Crane's horrifying discoveries in Sleepy Hollow and his relationships with the townspeople that are not given special recognition.
I did enjoy Burton’s spin on “Sleepy Hollow,” in comparison to the imagery of Irving’s short story. Burton’s touch is especially evident in the movie, and almost the entire film follows a monochromatic color palette. Most of the time, the scenes have such a low color saturation that one might think “Sleepy Hollow” was filmed in black and white. I feel like this color scheme added to the aesthetics of the movie and made it scarier than it might have been in full color.
The film was decently scary, and there were several scenes where characters were stabbed or beheaded on camera. “Sleepy Hollow,” consequently, had a lot of corpse imagery, which may make some viewers uneasy. There were also various tense fighting scenes, which weren’t necessarily scary, but they still do a great job of keeping viewers on edge. Burton’s depiction of the Headless Horseman was perhaps the most unsettling part of the entire movie. The Horseman, a spirit with white eyes, a pale face and pointed teeth, was a terrifying image. The Horseman's rampages were followed by his bone-chilling scream, which left me very uncomfortable. In addition, the level of gore in “Sleepy Hollow” is more than in a lot of Halloween movies. The film’s overall tension, along with its imagery of witches, evil spirits and corpses, is enough to make any viewer squirm.
SPOOKY RECOMMENDATION METER: 4/5
I recommend this movie to adults or anyone who is able to handle gore while being unrelentingly attentive. This film is not the kind where one is able to cover their eyes when things get too scary; it is important to be present at all times. The film, while much different from Washington Irving’s iconic short story, is still interesting and worthwhile to watch during the Halloween season. This movie spinoff presents a fascinating plot, and the viewer is rewarded at the end of the film by fully understanding the mystery and resolution. Tim Burton’s influence on the imagery and plot of “Sleepy Hollow” creates an unsettling piece that is likely to resonate with its viewers.
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Lorelei Young, sophomore majoring in English language arts education, is from Columbiana, Alabama. She has been with The Auburn Plainsman since the fall of 2025.
