Sleepy Hollow

This post has links to Amazon which may provide me with a commission for qualifying purchases, although it's about as likely as my suddenly becoming a newt.

Most of you know I have a soft spot in my heart for that ol' Hessian, named the "commander-in-chief of all the powers of the air." I still religiously watch Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow every Halloween season. (Oh, who am I kidding? I watch it all year!)

I particularly love the above scene because it illustrates how very, very, useless muzzle-loaders were in a desperate, imminent, emergency. The Horseman appears to threaten Katrina's man, Brom Bones, who is overly gifted in bravery, though not in brains, and Brom, seeing the Horseman stalking forward, kneels down to load his rifle...

If you've never had the opportunity to read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in its original form, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of this delightful short story with its original watercolors. It tells a much different story than Burton's adaptation, but is no less entertaining for it.  

The Horseman

The late ride after the party.

Faithful Gunpowder, running for all he's worth.

And the Horseman, searching for a head.

Drawing by Walt Sturrock.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Possibly the best Halloween story of all time.

This Halloween season, at the Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow, New York, Jonathan Kruk, master storyteller, will be telling the tale every weekend thru the first weekend of November. Click on the pic for details.

I will, one day, travel to see this marvellous place. It's a bucket list thing!

Bridge to Safety

An opening in the trees now cheered him with the hopes that the church bridge was at hand. The wavering reflection of a silver star in the bosom of the brook told him that he was not mistaken. He saw the walls of the church dimly glaring under the trees beyond. He recollected the place where Brom Bones's ghostly competitor had disappeared. "If I can but reach that bridge," thought Ichabod, "I am safe." Just then he heard the black steed panting and blowing close behind him; he even fancied that he felt his hot breath. Another convulsive kick in the ribs, and old Gunpowder sprang upon the bridge; he thundered over the resounding planks; he gained the opposite side; and now Ichabod cast a look behind to see if his pursuer should vanish, according to rule, in a flash of fire and brimstone. Just then he saw the goblin rising in his stirrups, and in the very act of hurling his head at him. Ichabod endeavored to dodge the horrible missile, but too late. It encountered his cranium with a tremendous crash,—he was tumbled headlong into the dust, and Gunpowder, the black steed, and the goblin rider, passed by like a whirlwind.

-Washington Irving

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Image source here.

Bridge

"A drowsy, dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, and to pervade the very atmosphere. Some say that the place was bewitched by a High German doctor, during the early days of the settlement; others, that an old Indian chief, the prophet or wizard of his tribe, held his powwows there before the country was discovered by Master Hendrick Hudson. Certain it is, the place still continues under the sway of some witching power, that holds a spell over the minds of the good people, causing them to walk in a continual reverie. They are given to all kinds of marvellous beliefs, are subject to trances and visions, and frequently see strange sights, and hear music and voices in the air. The whole neighborhood abounds with local tales, haunted spots, and twilight superstitions; stars shoot and meteors glare oftener across the valley than in any other part of the country, and the nightmare, with her whole ninefold, seems to make it the favorite scene of her gambols."

-Washington Irving

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Photo source here.

Oh, and? A Little Horseman for You!

Click on the pic to watch...

Good Hallowe'en Reads

If you're one of those folks who is new to cruising the Hallowe'en blogs, or only cruise them at this time of year, you may have missed some of the best Hallowe'en literature out there. I've compiled a short list of Hallowe'en and spooky reading for you.


October Dreams has got to be one of the best compilations of personal stories and scary stories out there. I discovered this gem through Pumpkinrot's recommendation, and got it almost immediately. I'm really glad I did. The Official description says this: "Classic novellas, never-before-published stories, essays on the history, literature, and films of Halloween, and real-life memories of October 31st-from today's best practitioners of fear." With offerings from Ray Bradbury, Dean Koontz, Poppy Z. Brite and Peter Straub, you are constantly entertained by the upper echelon of our passion.


One of the things I love about this book is that it is in that short-story style, so you can read a story and put it down for a little bit and not worry about forgetting where you were. I really recommend this!
The Halloween Tree, is a near-legendary Hallowe'en story by Ray Bradbury. For those of you who haven't had the chance to read this, now is really the time, because you can't call yourself a true Hallowe'en enthusiast if you haven't. Disneyland has gone so far as to build their own Halloween Tree and dedicate it to Mr. Bradbury. There's a video about The Halloween Tree and Disneyland with Ray Bradbury here. They dedicate and light the tree towards the very end, but it's worth watching the whole thing for some tidbits about Something Wicked This Way Comes and other Disney things...


I covered The Halloween Tree in Hauntcast 24, so if you want an engaging and incredibly intelligent synopsis, you should give that a listen! ;o) The book itself is a very articulate read, almost a poem in its rhythms, and the pictures it paints are fantastic.


Speaking of Hauntcast, by now you've downloaded the new show and heard all about The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
In the show, I recommended you read the original classic for yourself. You can get the copy pictured for free and download it to the Kindle for PC app, or you can browse the other free apps for Kindle here. I can't stress enough what a joy it is to read the original text describing the mad ride of Ichabod Crane as he's pursued by the Headless Horseman. The buildup of tension is wonderfully creepy, and sure to give you vivid dreams!


Well, what are you doing here, still? Go read something!

Getting in the Mood For Hallowe'en

As I was doing some research for my Charmed Pot segment for the upcoming episode of Hauntcast, I popped in one of my favorite Halloween movies, Sleepy Hollow. I hadn't seen it for a bit, so it was fun to watch it, even with one eye on my computer as I was compiling some notes.

Because I'm a bit of a movie geek, I had to watch the "Making of" featurette, as I couldn't remember having done so, before. Click on the pic to watch, and hit, "Play All."

I hope it inspires you in your prop building, as much as it inspires me!

Halloween Cartoons

When I was a kid growing up in L.A., there was a show on KTLA Channel 5, hosted by Tom Hatten. Mr. Hatten introduced us kids to the world of black and white cartoons with Popeye and His Friends. I simply loved these cartoons, and still have a soft spot in my heart for those late-twenties, through 1930's characters, the music, and the innocence implied in these cartoons. I asked my sister-in-law what my nephew thought of these, and she said he thinks they're boring. He's going to be five years old on the 24th of this month. Am I the only one who thinks kids are overstimulated these days? No wonder they're all on Ritalin!
But I digress...
I feel sad for kids who miss the 30's era of cartoons, the forerunners of Spongebob and all the other marketing icons, I mean, characters of today.
Here's Mickey Mouse in Haunted House (1929). Before the term "Mouseschwitz" was coined, there was the real Mickey. He was cute!

Here's another classic: The Skeleton Dance.

A 1934 version of The Headless Horseman.

And a couple decades later (1958), The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, starring Bing Crosby.

Although my favorite version of the song is sung by Tony the Tiger himself, Thurl Ravenscroft. I don't like the video on this one, I include it for the song only.


I think it's fun to go back to some of these old things for inspiration for "new" props. I think the reason we react to certain elements of horror is because of these images left over from childhood. Visceral is good!