Review For the Pilot of Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow. 20th Century Fox

This Fall Season Fox has premiered a new series by the name of "Sleepy Hollow" based on the "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving. Today we're going to review the pilot of the series.

The story takes place in the modern day with protagonist Ichabod Crane, whose played by Tom Mison, waking up after two hundred years. Having slept through the end of the American Revolution he's a fish out of water and ends up teaming up with Abbie Mill, played by Nicole Beharie, to solve the mysterious behind everything in that town. The small town of Sleepy Hollow is set to be the backdrop off a battle for the very soul of humanity as during the American Revolution the founding fathers discovered that the war marked the start of the biblical of end of days. Crane was charged with the duty of stopping the first horse man of the apocalypse, and with their first fight their fates were tied together. Chopping off it's head Crane was mortally wounded and sealed their fates together so waking up the horsemen in the modern world woke up Crane too. The small town tied up with the supernatural forced and gives plenty of hints that there are people aware of that fact and are moving behind the scenes.

Let's get into the main character. Ichabod Crane is very smart and was professor in Oxford and though very understanding he still finds it a lot to take in that he wakes up two hundred years into the future. Not a mystic character by his nature Crane still takes value of what he sees and understands there is something supernatural going on and knows he must  confront it. Crane also seems fairly progressive as being a supporter of emancipation keeps him from making various social faux paus in the present day. His speech pattern does seem very English during colonial time yet it's not too stiff or formal that today's audience will not understand him.

Abbie is a lieutenant and the partner of the sheriff who she witnesses get killed by the headless horseman. Though a very rational character she knows something has been going on, even when she was younger she and her sister witnessed something demonic. She is reluctant to accept something supernatural is happening but comes to term with it by the end of pilot and accepts that she has a role to help stop it. She is a talented Police woman to the point that she was about to become and FBI agent.  Her own past and the trauma that it left with her sister motivate her with her search for the truth and gives her patience when dealing with what she is not quick to accept.

As any show with an ongoing mystery the viewers are left with plenty of questions but in the pilot the writers do set up the premise so it can be understood. They leave plenty of questions to drive the plot and motivate the characters. The biggest mystery that is set up is who has woken up the headless horseman and who is working with him. Overall the idea is compelling as it mixes elements from history, the bible and the occult. The writers also do a good job sprinkling in little nods and easter eggs to the original novel into the show. The pilot did great work inserting the mythos of the novel such as the horseman inability to appear during day time.

The camera works and effects are splendidly done in the pilot. Most of the special effects done on the pilot are practical effects so they come off more realistic. The effects department did a wonderful job on the headless horseman making it seem like a body moving along without a head. It would have been easy to make the headless horseman looks like a cheesy actor hiding their head but the horseman carries himself like a normal man and it gives it a sense of realism and a true presence of a headless figure. One of the more notable CGI effects was done when the main characters glimpse a demonic figure, the effects make it seem like unnatural being that distorts the area around it. I applaud the crew for picking the right moments to use the practical effects with the more realistic actions and the CGI for the more otherworldly acts. Finally the cinematography was creative and well done giving the viewers great angles. When one character was about  be behead by the headless horseman the camera switches to their eye line just in time to see the axe hit. The camera continues on and fall to the ground along with the person, this all gives the horseman's attack a greater force and impact for the viewer.

No show has ever truly been perfect and this pilot was not without it's faults. The pace at times was a little slow at times and sometimes certain moments didn't have their proper impact. The writers also spoon feed some of the exposition rather than letting it unfold properly for the audience. Those are rather minor flaws for a pilot though.

Overall the pilot thing give a number of chills and excitement one would hope. The pilot does a good job of setting everything up and thought not particularly great it does make you interested in the second episode. Overall the Pilot for "Sleepy Hollow" gets a 3.8 out of five.