The perfect gothic vision of the perfect gothic story. Director Tim Burton and writers Andrew Kevin Walker and Kevin Yagher do a sensational job of updating Washington Irving's 1820 story, while retaining and even improving on plot elements.

Our Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp), this time is not a nerdy schoolmaster, but is a constable from New York City in 1799, sent to investigate three awful murders in the quiet upstate town of Sleepy Hollow. Horror vet Christopher Lee has a turn as an NYC burgomaster in the opening sequence.

Crane arrives in Sleepy Hollow, and is taken in as a house guest by town rich guy Baltus Van Tassel (Michael Gambon), after meeting Baltus' daughter Katrina (Christina Ricci). Soon enough, Ichabod is given a heads up (sorry) on the local murder situation by Baltus and the other town elders--Reverend Steenwyck (Jeffrey Jones), Magistrate Phillipse (Richard Griffiths), Doctor Lancaster (Ian McDiarmid [Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars]), and Notary Hardenbrook (Michael Gough [another horror vet]).

The elders are sure that the decapitations are the work of the Headless Horseman, a Hessian mercenary renowned for his brutal method of killing during the Revolutionary War. Crane is far too rational to accept this supernatural explanation, but as soon as he witnesses the Horseman (Christopher Walken) at work he becomes a scared believer.

Still, Ichabod's logical detection methods lead him to the correct finding that the murders are not random. The problem now is determining how the victims are connected, and just who is controlling the fearsome Hessian.

As the body count rises, our hero is aided in his quest by Young Masbath (Marc Pickering) the son of an unfortunate victim, and Katrina herself. They explore the creepy Western Wood to gain clues, and see the Horseman, in the best Tim Burton fashion, emerge from under a tree, headed on yet another murderous mission.

With enough suspicion going around to fill three Agatha Christie movies, the villain is revealed just about at the finish of the pic, after a clever a false ending, that temporarily leaves us dazed and confused.

Some reviewers are taking Burton to task for borrowing too extensively from himself. While that remark has validity, it puts a critic in a dangerous area, since such an observation could be applied to nearly every artist who has ever lived. Other commentators are hyper- analyzing the film, invoking symbolism (of sexual issues, naturally) where it hardly exists.

My advice is to enjoy the gorgeous visuals, and the compelling story.