Customer Reviews

The Night of the Headless Horseman [VHS]

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This show, "Night of the Headless Horseman" should be on DVD.
It is a classic retelling of Washington Irving's Classic, "The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow".
I am a HUGE fan of the story. I have seen every show on the subject, except for a 1922 silent version, which I want to see.
Having seen every other show on "Sleepy Hollow", I can honestly say that this one is my all-time favorite.
The reasons why, are as follows.
First, this show has a good amount of The Headless Horseman in it.
Let's face it...the true star of the story is the Horseman.
This version does the Headless horseman a great justice.
It shows a good amount of him, it makes him look really cool, and it provides a nice twist at the end of the show.
Secondly, this story, unlike the "Sleepy Hollow" movie with Johnny Depp, remains true to the vision that Washington Irving had when he wrote the story.
Some have said that the animation isnt very good.
Well, yeah, it kind of looks like a highly advanced video game, but so what?
The scenery in this show is by far the best I have ever seen of the village of Sleepy Hollow.
The Disney version had some great scenery in it, but not even that was as good as this.
This actually had some good spookiness to it, whereas the Disney version was more toned down...... after all, it is a company that provides entertainment for kids.
The creepy mill that is seen at the beginning of this show is cool. The chase that the Headless Horseman and his target, Ichabod Crane, take through Sleepy Hollow, is beautifully done.
Really Cool!
Also, Mark Hamill, who played "Luke Skywalker" in the Star Wars movies, does the voice of ole' Hans Van Ripper in this show.
Mark's voice during the telling of the Legend of the Headless Horseman is classic!
His voice is spooky, intriguing, and suits the story very well.
This show has some funny parts to it. But it is mostly full of spooky action and fun.
It's not exactly a family film, but then again, it's not nearly as violent as the "Sleepy Hollow" movie with Johnny Depp.
For younger kids, I would say, show them the classic Disney version instead. Even that can be scary at times though.
This is more for......I would say, kids who are teenagers. Maybe a twelve year old can watch it, without being too scared.
It's hard to say.
The show has some violence in it of course, since we are dealing with a Headless horseman in search of a head.
Some blood is depicted, but it isnt done is a real sick way.
I guess, the best thing to do is, for parents to watch it with their kids and then decide for themselves whether its appropriate for them.
This isnt a "Kids show" by any means. This is a show that adults will enjoy alot.
But I dont think that its anything that a kid will be too affected by.
It originally aired on the FOX Network, around Halloween time, at about 9:00 at night. Maybe 8:30.
So, that gives a good idea, of what kind of audience can watch it.
It depends on how frightened a kid can get, or how much a parent is willing to let them view.
In my view, this is the coolest, best, most accurate, most interesting, and most exciting depiction of "The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow" ever made.
I love this show!
If I am in the mood for some "Sleepy Hollow", I reach for this show first.
It is wonderfully done.
And the animation is beautiful, even if it isnt as advanced as in a "Finding Nemo", or "Toy story".
The animation serves its purpose.....to bring to life, Washington Irving's classic story in a way that will intrigue, excite, scare a little, and do justice to the story.
This is exactly what The "Night Of The Headless Horseman" does.
Watch it. Enjoy it! But beware. If you find yourself walking through the village of Sleepy Hollow, New York, one night. And if you hear the footsteps of a galloping horse in the distance.....it just may be the Headless Horseman coming to pay you a spooky visit.
Just as long as you dont get in over your head, you will be fine.
:o)

As far as I know this only played on TV one time, back in 1999 and never played again. At least I don't remember it being on again. I picked this up on clearance at MediaPlay last year for $2.99 and it was well worth that. It is, of course a retelling of Washington Irving's first, great American Ghost story but updated with CGI computer animation. You know it isn't a kiddie movie when the Horseman attacks a poor night traveler right at the beginning which leaves and ever-expanding pool of blood.

The prominent cast featured William H. Macy as Ichabod Crane, Tia Carrere as Katrina Van TAssel, Mark Hamill as Van Ripper, Luke Perry as Brom Bones, and Clancy Brown. The animation was average as far as computer animation goes, I've seen worse but this was definitely not on the level of something done by Pixar or Dreamworks, that's for sure. The animation did do a good job of capturing the eerieness and general creepiness of the old New England Sleepy Hollow setting and the voice actors did a a credible job. All in all a pretty decent production, especially since it was made for TV.

We're all blaming the low budget for making this a less than stellar production, but what we do have here is a retelling of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow that is well worth annual viewings at least. The film is done in computer animation, and it's no Toy Story. It's not done in great detail, looking very much like a video game sequence, with little or no background characters in any given scene. The actual animation of the figures is the worst part. If you ever wanted to see animated characters overact, here's the place! Their movements are exhaggerated and totally unnatural. The voice actors don't help much. Still, the film on a whole can be enjoyable. There are some extremely creepy visuals! Particularly the graveyard dream sequence. The unnatural look of it all may add to the creepy feel of the film. The story is much closer to the original than the Tim Burton version, which I also enjoy. Once again we find Ichabod Crane as a schoolteacher rather than a detective. The plot again being a simple matter of a haunting, with only a little extra storyline woven in, rather than in the complicated though wonderful Tim Burton movie. Overall this film is well worth having a copy for at least annual Halloween viewing. It really was wonderful to see a NEW Holiday TV special pop up...

This animated version of Washington Irving's masterpiece originally aired on the Fox TV network in October 1999. I'm extremely excited that it came to video and is now part of my collection. The animation is unique in that it appears to be computer generated, and gives the picture a 3D feel. While it is animated, this Fox version is not for young viewers. Though humorous at times, it is quite creepy and even rivals video games with a few graphic scenes which aren't for the squeamish. This version mirrors Irving's story from beginning to end, with a very detailed account of the evilness of the horseman. He is quite mercilous right up to the point where he loses his head, and comes back to haunt his 'old neighborhood'. At one point, there is a very eery dream sequence which has Ichabod confronting several cemetary ghouls. This was the highlight of the film for me, and gave me chills! The video even features some celebrity character voices, including Tia Carrere and Luke Perry. If you are a fan of the Headless Horseman, this version of the Sleepy Hollow classic should not be missed. You'll love the startling (and surprising!) ending as well. Watch it with the lights on!

I watched this for the first time when it was first aired on television quite awhile back, and I really enjoyed it. It was right around Halloween, and as always, I was on the look out for any good Halloween shows. Well, I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I recorded it, and I still watch it to this day, even if it isn't Halloween! I simply love spooky, Halloween tales. I will agree that the animation is very odd and game-like, but I actually kind of like it. I think it sort of adds to the mysteriousness and creepiness of an already creepy story. I'm glad it wasn't done in the typical pencil-drawn cartoon style, because strangely, I actually found the computer animation almost... lifelike. It was actually creepier than I think I expected, and definitely more gruesome. I don't think I'd recommend it for really young kids, because the graveyard scenes, as well as the beheadings, could be considered really scary by some. I would recommend it to anyone who loves the story of the Headless Horseman, and anyone who loves plain old spooky tales. What a treat it was to come home late at night and watch a well done Halloween tale!!

(...)

If you love this story (Legend of Sleepy Hollow) as much as I do, this is a great version to own. It's faithful to the original tale, but adds some great plot threads into the mix without changing what makes the story so wonderful.

This show was aired on Fox TV last fall (just in time for Halloween and right before the Tim Burton version came out.) It's refreshing to see an animated show (TV - computer animated or otherwise) that's not just a forty-five minute commercial for toys. Whatever happend to the days of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reigndeer or the likes that were just enjoyable holiday specials? This movie took me back to that era.

This is a good version of the classic story that's not as dark as Tim Burton's vision but not as "nice" as the Disney telling either.

The plot is a little slow at points and could have used a few more on screen back ground characters or "faces in the crowd" (especially during the Halloween party. I would have rated it five stars, but the points I just mentioned brought it down a little. But since this seems to have been made on a tight budget and was done with computer animation - maybe they were just cutting corners a little.

There's some great voice work done by Luke Perry and Tia Carrere. But my favorite is Clancy Brown (the Kurgen from the first Highlander movie) as the "Story Teller" and another characater (who I won't mention as it will spoil the plot.)

This is an enjoyable movie for the low price. I would highly recomend it for older children or adults (it's a little intense for little ones.)

If you are reading this, you probably know there are almost a dozen versions of this story on film. There are 4 fairly modern live action versions, a old silent film, about 4 that are traditional animation, 2 that are pictures from storybooks or paintings with narration, and this one that is 3 dimensional computer generated animation. This version was made as a television special. Fans of the original Washington Irving short story know the story very well, and grade it on a number of levels including -

Authentic atmosphere: the clothes and buildings fit the period very well, pretty authentic.

Actors or Voice characters: Very good here, including Mark Hamill, William Macey, Tia Carrere, and Luke Perry.

Spooky factor: Might be too spooky for some kids under 10, but spooky enough for the older crowd. Also the chase scenes and images of the headless horsmen are much longer than other versions.

Quality of visuals: Some people like or don't like the computer animation. The characters look a little stiff at times, it is definately not a $133 million Pixar movie. But the weirdness actually helps make it more creepy in the scarey parts.

Music: Pretty good.

Story/plot: This one follows the original story pretty well,it is entertaining.

Very fun story overall and I am glad I bought it.

I've got a soft spot for this 1999 made-for-TV animated special. The atmosphere is creepy, especially for a computer-generated film, the musical score is effective and the voices, including William H. Macy as Ichabod Crane, are dead-on. Normally I can't stand motion-capture animation (where sensors re-create the exact movements of actors on a sound stage), but here the herky-jerky movement of the characters only adds to the eerie marionette feel of the film. Not perfect, and not nearly as good as "Sleepy Hollow" or "Ichabod and Mr. Toad," but a truly enjoyable ride through Sleepy Hollow nonetheless.

In October, I read and watch enjoyable stories of horror and suspense. "The Headless Horseman" is one of those wonderful works of fiction that I must see as it gets closer to Halloween. "Night of the Headless Horseman" is a fairly good adaptation to the classic short story. My only true criticism is that the computer animation reminds me of watching a video game. The characters in the film have no physical dimension. They do not look real. I truly needed to get past that in order to enjoy the story but it was difficult to do.
The animation is NOT "Toy Story". It was done for television. But the story is a definite classic. I highly recommend it as a way of retelling the story of the Headless Horseman and I will still always look forward to viewing it as a Halloween ritual.

Ok- so the animation is a bit odd. This film actually follows Irving's original tale better than most. I've seen several, usually boring, adaptations which attempt to tell the REAL story. This is the best so far, with or without humans. If you are looking for a film to pair with the story, this may be it. So, English teachers, this film is for you...