Counting down the days until Halloween, I bring you another spooky and scary movie pick for your viewing pleasure, if you be so willing, Gentle Reader.

This next movie pick should come as no surprise. It would seem unlikely that any list such as this would not have at least one Tim Burton movie on it.

From the listless repose of the place, and the peculiar character of its inhabitants, who are descendants from the original Dutch settlers, this sequestered glen has long been known by name of Sleepy Hollow ... A drowsy, dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, and to pervade the very atmosphere.

— Washington Irving, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"

Sleepy Hollow (1999): Directed by Tim Burton

Writers: Washington Irving ( original story), Kevin Yagher and Andrew Kevin Walker

Released on November 19,1999, Tim Burton’s gorgeous Gothic masterpiece, Sleepy Hollow, has all the requisite items of a film perfect for the Halloween season; a headless horseman, witchcraft, beheadings, dead bodies, murder and mayhem.

Burton, long-known for his dark, yet sometimes colorful, and quirky highly artistic style ( Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, Mars Attacks, Ed Wood, Big Fish, are among the many), brings his usual panache to this film, which is based on the classic gothic children’s tale, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, written by Washington Irving while he was living in Birmingham, England and first published in 1819. Along with it’s companion piece, “Rip Van Winkle”, it is one of the earliest examples of American fiction with enduring popularity.

This film version follows quite closely the original story, which takes place in 1790 in a small Dutch settlement outside Tarry Town in upstate New York, a farming community called ‘Sleepy Hollow’. The residents of Sleepy Hollow are quite superstitious and fascinated by local tales of ghosts and haunted places, and believe the town is bewitched, which is how the town is portrayed in the film version as well ( although in the film, the year is 1799). Just like in the original story, the town’s most infamous spectre is the Headless Horseman, whom is believed to be the ghost of a Hessian soldier who was decapitated by a cannonball during a battle in the Revolutionary War.

Sleepy Hollow boasts a wonderful cast of actors, many of whom have appeared in numerous other Burton films, such as perennial Burton fave, Johnny Depp, in the title role of Ichabod Crane, Christina Ricci as the ethereal and enchanting Katrina Van Tassel, and Christopher Walken as the Hessian/Headless Horseman. Other roles are played superbly by Jeffrey Jones, Miranda Richardson, Casper Van Dien, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough and two Brit actors who also starred in the Harry Potter movies, Michael Gambon ( who played Professor Dumbledore) and Richard Griffiths (who played Harry’s uncle, Vernon Dursley). One of the scene-stealers in this film is Marc Pickering, who played the role of Young Masbeth, a young teen boy whose father is murdered by the Horseman and, now orphaned, pledges his service to Ichabod Crane as his valet. Martin Landau (who won an Oscar portraying Bela Lugosi in Burton’s film, Ed Wood) appears in the film briefly in an uncredited role as Peter Van Garrett.

In the book, Ichabod Crane is a superstitious school teacher who lives in Sleepy Hollow, in this film version of the story, Ichabod Crane (Depp) is a young and eager constable from New York City, who has undertaken the study of new ideas in forensic methods and is often ridiculed or for his “modern” techniques, which are also sometimes viewed with skepticism by others. He is sent to Sleepy Hollow by the Burgomaster (Lee) to investigate several murders by beheading that have taken place in the town. He is welcomed warmly by most of the citizens, who are terrified about the murders are glad for his arrival. Crane is invited to stay with the Van Tassels, one of the wealthiest families in town, where he meets and becomes enamored with their lovely daughter, Katrina (Ricci).

Although he learns the townsfolk believe the murders are the work of the supernatural, the somewhat science-geeky and logical police detective Crane believes that the murders are being committed by a real person, and begins his investigation, only to find his faith in science and logic increasingly threatened by the events that unfold.

There is much to love about this movie; the atmosphere is splendidly dark and moody, the costumes and set design perfect in every detail, the cinematography beautiful, striking and haunting. There is a lot of Dutch and German imagery and influences in the set designs, which fits perfectly with the original story this film was based on. Headless Horsemen were staples in Northern European storytelling, featuring in German, Scandinavian and British legends and were likely the inspiration for the tale, which Irving wrote while touring Europe. The set of the village of Sleepy Hollow was constructed over a period of four months and was comprised of 12 structures, in Hambleden, a small village in Buckinghamshire, England and is perfection down to the last detail.

Depp plays brilliantly the anti-hero Ichabod Crane, who is both intuitive and determined in his pursuits, but also haunted by his own dark past, and is a sensitive person who, ironically, gets easily frightened. Ricci is wonderful as the beautiful, charming, brave and dedicated Katrina, whose motives initially are in question, but proves to be a worthy companion and co-investigator. Miranda Richardson is unforgettable as the devious Lady Van Tassel, and Christopher Walken is creepy and menacing in his role as the Hessian.

This really is a film that I can enjoy watching over and over. I love the pace and twists and turns of the story, with some very memorable and gruesome scenes. It’s perfect to watch on a dark night, curled up with popcorn and a cozy blanket to ward off the goosebumps. The conclusion of the movie, and the real culprit of the murders, is summed up perfectly by Ichabod’s comment early on, “Villainy wears many masks. None so dangerous as the mask of virtue.”