That's the best thing about the movie: that Depp lets his, uh, feminine side show (Depp himself refers to the character as "Ichabod Crane, Girl Detective"). With his weak stomach and penchant for fainting, he is uniquely unsuited for his line of work -- police constable -- which tends to involve dead bodies and autopsies. Depp's wonderfully expressive face twitches and flutters as he watches the horrors of Sleepy Hollow unfold before him... and he helps make those horrors a little less frightening for us. It's hard to get too terrified when Depp's eyes roll back and he falls in a swoon.
But there are scares. I'm particularly susceptible to this type of fright, with menacing woods, swirling mist, the sense that there's something creepy lurking just beyond the edges of our vision. The Headless Horseman is truly a nightmare vision. Like a nightmare, the fear comes in short bursts and is quickly dispelled, but it can be intense: I didn't realize until I found myself gasping for air that I'd been holding my breath during the final action sequence. And heads are getting lopped off left and right, so be prepared for some gore. (The scariest thing about Sleepy Hollow, though, is probably Danny Elfman's score. That music is sooooo 1986! I'm all for recycling, but write something new already, Danny!)
The movie balances horror and humor quite well, maybe getting a touch too goofy at times, but that's something I'm more than willing to forgive. I enjoyed this movie a lot, especially Depp's performance. The supporting actors all do fine jobs, though Christina Ricci's blond hair is off-putting and makes her look way too much like Winona Ryder in Edward Scissorhands. And if I wanted to scare the bejesus out of someone, Christopher Walken would be at the top of my list, filed teeth or not. There are a couple of nice cameos at the beginning from former Bond villain Christopher Lee (aka Scaramanga) as a judge and Martin Landau (when I saw him, I was all, "Cool -- I didn't know Martin Landau was in this" and then like two seconds later it was, "Oh, he's not in it... anymore").
Now, let me see if I can get to sleep. Somehow, I doubt it...
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