Tim Burton’s iconic Sleepy Hollow is up there with the director’s best works, and the 1999 offering still haunts audiences with its Headless Horseman to this day. The picture was based on Washington Irving’s 1820 short story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which lent itself perfectly to the silver screen.
Paramount Pictures announced a remake in 2022, and it is likely to happen soon. In light of that news, it’s a great time to consider how Burton’s use of the horse elevated Sleepy Hollow into a truly frightening picture.
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Not a One-Trick Pony
Sleepy Hollow was a memorable example of how horses can be used to strike fear into viewers, a technique that has worked in other film series such as The Lord of the Rings. Horses have been used in other horror movies too, with notable scenes in The Ring and The Cell. They aren’t always used for frights, though, and this highlights their incredible versatility in entertainment. For instance, in other media, horses are designed to have the opposite effect.
The Big Racing slot, for instance, is an example of how horses can supply people with action instead of horror. The game simulates a real world horse race, allowing players to watch the tussle between jockeys and their steeds. Titles like this are hugely popular in the iGaming market, suggesting that people can’t get enough of the animals. When watching horror movies with horses in, viewers are more likely to be apprehensive about the animal’s appearance on screen. But when playing horse-themed slots, players want to see the animals land on the reels as they lead to wins.
In Sleepy Hollow, the spooky horse and its headless rider were the main source of horror, and Burton managed to create an eerie atmosphere around it. Indeed, the Headless Horseman was arguably the key factor that helped Sleepy Hollow become regarded as a classic, with Collider noting that it’s the only genuinely scary picture in Burton’s catalog. Perhaps Burton hadn’t even intended it to be classified as a horror movie, but his excellent use of the horse led it to become regarded as a landmark work in the genre.
Remake Has Been Touted for Some Time
Remakes are a popular strategy in the modern entertainment industry, with studios and filmmakers often looking at movies from the 1980s and 1990s to bring back for today’s audiences. There are a few Burton offerings that could get this treatment in the years ahead, but Sleepy Hollow has been touted for some time.
According to a piece in ScreenRant, Paramount Pictures has confirmed that it will be making a new version of the film with Lindsey Anderson Beer set to write and direct. Anderson Beer is relatively new to the industry, with Pet Sematary: Bloodlines marking her directorial debut in 2023. Despite that receiving negative reviews, the studio is trusting her to make amends and deliver a worthy follow-up to Burton’s movie.
Would it Work Better as a Series?
While there have been few details released about the Sleepy Hollow remake so far, reports suggest that it will be a movie rather than a series. There is an argument, though, that it would be better to release it in episodic format for today’s viewers.
There have been various works from the past that have been reimagined as series to great effect, with Bates Motel serving as a great expansion to the Psycho franchise. Instead of simply remaking Sleepy Hollow, creators could expand the universe with a unique series in a similar vain.
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The good news is that the Sleepy Hollow remake is still on the table. The bad news is that there’s not much further information out there. It could still be a few years before a new offering hits screens but, when it does, there’s a strong chance that the filmmakers will try to up the fright levels with the Headless Horseman.