Greetings, and welcome back to October Horror Fest! Today, I watched one of the most famous animated horror films. It’s one that you may not know, or even remember, but it sure is one that spawned a character you all know. This movie officially, by the way, marks the end of our family friendly horror. It’s almost Halloween. It’s time. And, it’s time to show you all the legend… of the Headless Horseman. Without further ado, sit back, relax, turn off the lights, grab some Candy and Popcorn, and let’s review…
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1949)
We start our film in 1790, in the small village of Sleepy Hollow. And, we meet our main character, Ichabod Crane. Ichabod arrives in the small revolutionary American city and begins his job as a schoolteacher, but not before his presence is noticed by the entire town. Due to his appearance and mannerisms, Ichabod is constantly pranked and made fun of. The head of this bullying is Brom Bones. Compare him to Gaston! Brom Bones HATES Ichabod, but is unable to deny his influence. He is immediately beloved by his students, and the girls ADORE him, constantly falling over at his feet.
Ichabod loves his job, and his influence, but wants more. And, he won’t have to wait long. Katrina, the daughter of the richest farmers town, finally arrives in Sleepy Hollow. She is (unofficially) set to marry Brom. She is beautiful, and literally looks EXACTLY like Cinderella (it is a Disney film from the 40s after all! In fact, Cinderella came out just the next year!) Katrina basically has the entire town falling for her, and Ichabod can’t save himself. He falls for Katrina, of course because of her looks, but mainly, for his own selfish reasons. He wants her money. Brom and Ichabod immediately begin to fight over Katrina, but Ichabod keeps winning! He wins Katrina over literally whenever he gets the chance, and Brom is infuriated. Katrina even uses Ichabod’s advances to make fun of Brom.
Suddenly, it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for, Halloween. Ichabod and Brom are invited to Katrina’s party at her house. And, of course, Ichabod is with Katrina immediately. Brom tries EVERYTHING to separate the pair, but is unable to at every turn. Brom, however, is FINALLY able to get one leg up on Ichabod. He’s paranoid. He’s superstitious. During dinner, Brom hits the guests with the story of the Headless Horseman. He travels through the woods every Halloween to get a new head, and the only way to escape him is to run through a covered bridge. Katrina and all the guests love the story and Brom, but Ichabod is terrified.
Ichabod leaves the party, and ventures out into the Halloween night on his own horse. As he rides, he is afraid of everything, but tries to convince himself everything is okay. However, the Headless Horseman appears in one of the most famous animated frames ever. In an intense chase scene, the Horseman chases Ichabod, until he finally makes it across the bridge. The Headless Horseman stares, and throws his Jack-o-Lantern, exploding next to Ichabod.
The next morning, the shattered pumpkin and Ichabod’s hat are found. There was no trace of Ichabod. Brom marries Katrina, but rumors persist that Ichabod is alive. The Dutch settlers, however, refuse to believe such nonsense for they knew that Ichabod had been Spirited Away by the Headless Horseman…
THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! I love the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and it is an amazing way to christen us into the ending of Horror Fest. Hang on to your hats my friends, it’s about to get scary. And always remember, beware the woods on Halloween night. The Headless Horseman is out there, and the next head he collects… may be yours…
