Heads Will Roll: Looking Back at Tim Burton’s Gothic Horror Film ‘Sleepy Hollow’ 20 Years Later – Bloody Disgusting

Back in 1993, special-effects guru Kevin Yagher was busy making a name for himself as one of horrors most dependable technicians. Boasting an impressive rsum- with make-up credits in films such as Childs Play, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter and the early Nightmare on Elm Street sequels he helped create some of the silver screens most enduring monsters. Not only that but Yagher had also announced himself as a promising filmmaker to boot, having directed a couple of Tales from the Crypt episodes.

Therefore, whilst Yagher may not have been a household name or even particularly well known amongst movie buffs he was certainly leaving his fingerprints all over the industry. Taking advantage on his newfound clout, and eager to progress his career, he began looking for projects that would allow him to flex his directorial muscles, whilst also capitalizing on his background in effects.

He probably had several pitches floating around, but the one that Yagher was really passionate about was an adaptation of Washington Irvings The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Enamored with the idea of taking this modest piece of folklore and using it as a springboard for creating his own slasher property, he began developing a spec script that updated the Headless Horseman so that he was more like an eighteenth-century version of Jason Voorhees. Rather than just a spooky ghost-story, this version would be an unstoppable revenant, one who would enact a spectacular murder every five minutes.

To help him flesh out the treatment, Yagher enlisted the help of Andrew Kevin Walker (a fellow Tales from the Crypt alumnus) who had recently finished his calling card screenplay, Se7en. Together, the pair made a number of radical deviations from Irvings source, completely overhauling elements of story, drastically changing the characters, and infusing the gothic atmosphere with lashings of gore.

In their interpretation, protagonist Ichabod Crane was to be reimagined as a bumbling detective as opposed to a school teacher who is sent to the close-knit community of Sleepy Hollow to ascertain why the town elders are all having their heads lopped off. To do this, he utilizes advanced scientific methods and forensic techniques, so that he can piece together the towns sordid history. Without giving anything away, he soon finds himself ensnared in a dense conspiracy of feuding relatives, witchcraft accusations and lustful secrets.

You can read the full thing online if you want. Its a fun, pulpy read that cleverly mixes aspects of period drama with schlocky B-movie thrills. Moreover, as you would expect from Walker (the guy who infamously put Gwyneth Paltrows head in a box), its got some smart twists along the way, rarely playing out in the way youd expect.

After shopping the idea around to various studios, many of whom were skeptical of the unconventional take, the duo eventually managed to secure a deal with producer Scott Rudin. They agreed that Yagher would get to fulfil his ambition of directing, whilst Walker would continue to refine the script. It was a dream come true, but there was just one problem. Yagher was already signed on to helm another feature, in order to get a little practice in.

Unfortunately for him, that shoot turned out to be the catastrophic Hellraiser: Bloodline, a notoriously difficult production that was plagued with behind-the-scenes issues and creative spats. Suffice it to say, the negative word of mouth did no favors for Yaghers reputation and he was soon bumped down from director of Sleepy Hollow, to prosthetic makeup designer. Its hard to say if Bloodline was directly responsible for the demotion, but the timelines do sync up.

With the directors chair now vacated, Paramount began headhunting for a replacement, one who would be capable of balancing the projects old-school creepiness with its more overtly slasher-style influences. In the end, they decided upon Tim Burton, with the rationale being that his trademark aesthetic would line up perfectly with the gothic fairy-tale.

Meanwhile, for his part, the quirky auteur was attracted by the opportunity to make a fully-fledged horror movie, something which hed never done before. Sure, hed dabbled in the territory a little and most of his work was already steeped in the supernatural, but this would be the first time that hed really get to go to town with scares. And he was chomping at the bit to try it out.

Deciding to preserve Walker and Yahgers contributions, the director was happy with the story treatment and so instead focused his attention on designing the look of Sleepy Hollow. The resultant sketches and concept art, which can be glimpsed in the making-of documentary, are every bit as striking as you would expect, hearkening back to the Hammer horror films of yore whilst also feeling distinctly Burtonesque. Once all of that was in place, he then assembled a dream team of collaborators (Emmanuel Lubezki as DOP, Danny Elfman on composing duties and a smattering of British character actors in front of the camera) to make his vision a reality.

And what a dazzling vision it was! Released in 1999, Sleepy Hollow might just be the most visually arresting horror film of all time. Every shot is artfully constructed and drenched in atmosphere. The imagery is haunting, the lighting effects are gorgeous, the landscapes are astonishing and even the soundstage bits are breath-taking, thanks to the immaculate production design and chilling weather effects.

Its clearly a production where everyone was bringing their A-game and refused to compromise on the visuals. For example, the actual town itself was built from the ground up in the UK, after they failed to find anywhere that lived up to their ambition. Honestly, theres a magic to it that Burton has been unable to replicate since. Nowadays hes too reliant on lame green screen or digital cheats, but here he tried to do everything in camera, no matter how challenging, and it really pays off.

Of course, being pretty isnt enough to prop up an entire film. You also need to have a compelling narrative. Luckily, Burton chose to retain Yagher and Walkers ingenious shooting script (which is largely unchanged, except for a slightly modified opening and romance subplot), meaning that he was working from a strong foundation.

As aforementioned, the goal here was to meld together a period-piece with a relentlessly paced slasher, and this screenplay is almost a perfect execution of that concept. Its overflowing with smart, era-appropriate dialogue, exciting set-pieces and an intriguing historical background. Even better, by drawing on his experience writing Se7en, Walker manages to offer up a dark, procedural mystery that keeps you guessing throughout. Its kind of like Scream, only if you replace all the horny teenagers with stuffy old men in ludicrous wigs.

Speaking of which, as with those Hammer horror movies that inspired Burton, the cast of talented character actors here lend proceedings an air of sophistication that you dont often associate with horror. From Michael Gambon, to Richard Griffiths, Christopher Walken, Ian McDiarmid, Christina Ricci and Michael Gough, theyre all committing to the trashy material, making it feel like a prestige picture thats been hijacked by a rampaging Michael Myers.

As for Yagher, whilst he may not have been able to direct his passion project, he did at least get to put his personal stamp on the incredible death scenes. Making use of all his makeup expertise, he ensures that every kill is convincing, creative and enjoyably gruesome. What makes this achievement all the more impressive is that he couldnt really push the boat out too much, given that the horsemans M.O necessitates that everyone is dispatched with a blow to the head.

However, Yagher finds a way to keep these decapitations feeling fresh, shaking up the formula with each one. So, we have heads being struck off with blunt force, skewered with swords, sent spinning through the air and chopped off at all kinds of crazy angles. This means that you never get bored of seeing them, even if they are basically just variations on the same kill.

Granted, it does help that the prosthetics are so lifelike and meticulously realized. Even the most observant viewer will struggle to pinpoint the transition between a real actors head and their fake plaster cast, because the attention to detail is just so remarkable. The prosthetics have acrylic teeth, realistic muscles tissues and hairs that were individually punched into their skin. Because of this, you never doubt them for a second. Likewise, the mechanical rigs that are used for the more elaborate deaths are just as impressive, enabling decapitated bodies to collapse and fall in believable ways.

Theres just so much to praise with this magnificent chiller: the menacing score; the fantastic villain, the lavish costume design; the way that it doesnt pull its punches even going so far as to decapitate a toddler! Plus, it was a big hit at the time, emerging as Johnny Depps highest performing movie at the box office and earning three Oscar nominations. Yet for some inexplicable reason it has now faded into relative obscurity and no one seems to remember it with much fondness.

Which is sad, because Sleepy Hollow is genuinely one of the most entertaining films of the 1990s and a testament to what the horror genre is capable of when its afforded a proper budget. Indeed, scary movies of this scale are becoming increasingly rare and you wont find another one quite like it, especially in the contemporary marketplace. With that said, as we approach its 20th anniversary, why not revisit this underrated gem? If nothing else, youll be treated to mesmerizing visuals, killer effects and a tightly constructed screenplay.

Oh, and while youre at it, take a moment to acknowledge the genius of Kevin Yagher. He may not have directed this movie, but its his baby through and through and he deserves some credit.

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Heads Will Roll: Looking Back at Tim Burton's Gothic Horror Film 'Sleepy Hollow' 20 Years Later - Bloody Disgusting