MJB SCRIPT REVIEW | SLEEPY HOLLOW
- michaelbrand01
- Dec 12, 2023
- 2 min read
With the build up to Halloween continuing apace, had to add in this 90’s classic! We’re talking about SLEEPY HOLLOW…
Plot in a nutshell: The small 19th century village of Sleepy Hollow is terrorised by a demonic headless horseman, killing members of the parish at random. Enter New York detective Ichabod Crane, eager to use science to prove that the killings may not be so random, or demonic…
SLEEPY HOLLOW has, for me certainly, grown into one of those films that you put on in the background on a rainy afternoon and you snuggle into like a warm, gore stained blanket. It’s a period horror and a romance, mixed with the macabre and some extensive detective work involved. In short, a perfect romp!
Andrew Kevin Walker (SEVEN, THE WOLFMAN) has crafted a rich and full script. Exquisite period detail, exciting action sequences, pithy period dialogue, gory horror sequences, 19th century CSI work…it’s got it all. But this is a third draft and therefore, amazing work so far aside, there are still places that it slowed for me as a read.
With regards to the ADs, there is still a bit too much ink and not enough white. In places, this has been edited, short and sharp. But in others, it feels as if it goes into too much action or descriptive detail. The horror level has been ramped up to a solid 18 rating (an autopsy of an eight months pregnant woman definitely takes this script to a darker place, and that’s just one change of several from the end product), but it is definitely better to go all in and then ramp it down for later drafts, than have to keep ramping up. At times (and this is probably just me), the plot grows a little dizzying and it takes several re-reads to get back on track (which the script does do). But this does feel like a third draft, and is definitely a solid recommend to read as a version of an accomplished script in progress.
So what did I learn from SLEEPY HOLLOW?
First and foremost, this is a wonderful example of a detective story in script form. From the pace of the clue searching, to the time taken to deduce the truth, this feels planned and well staged. Every step is connected, yet we still feel that the main characters involved are discovering as they go, which is so Intrinsic to the success of this type of script. Throw in the supernatural elements and it’s just a wonder of creative thinking and pre-planning. Even at a third draft, this is really impressive.
Secondly, there are a couple of examples of writing dream sequences. Clear, separate from the current timeline and yet fit into the story perfectly, these are solid examples of writing these events. So if you are looking to write a dream sequence, you could do worse than check out this script.
Loving Halloween and this is yet another example of great horror writing from a truly talented writer. Seriously, grab a read.
Link to the script:
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