How is the theme of horror presented to the viewer up to The discovery of the fifth body in the film,

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Debi Hopkins Year 10 Media Essay

How is the theme of horror presented to the viewer up to

The discovery of the fifth body in the film,

"Sleepy Hollow"?

The film Sleepy Hollow is a fantasy/gothic horror film; the rating 15 tells us it probably has some gore in it. As we watch the film, some parts could also be described as thriller. The director Tim Burton is known for his love of Hammer horror films and before starting work on this film he encouraged his team to watch Hammer horror films like "Black Sunday" and "The Fearless Vampire Killers", as this was the effect he wanted to put across in Sleepy Hollow. The film focuses on images or darkness, conflict, references to torture, isolation, ghosts, violence and a sense of questioning.

As far as main characters go, Burton chose an all-star cast of actors of whom he thought were suitable for the parts in Sleepy Hollow.

Burton chose Johnny Depp to play lead character, Ichabod Crane. Depp plays a bit of over top acting, which is the usual style of Hammer horror films. Crane is squeamish and uptight; he also has some romance in this story, but is not a typical romantic lead character.

Actress Christina Ricci plays the daughter of the richest man in Sleepy Hollow. Katrina Van Tassel is very innocent and fond of love stories, which is why she immediately falls for Ichabod on his arrival. Katrina seeks something more than just Sleepy Hollow though. Competing with Ichabod for Katrina's heart, Casper Van Dien plays Brom Van Brunt.

Lady Van Tassel, Katrina's stepmother and matriarch of the Van Tassel estate, was chosen to be Miranda Richardson. As her husband, Baltus Van Tassel sees one of England's most admired actors, Michael Gambon playing the richest man in Sleepy Hollow.

A cameo role as New York burgomaster has a great horror effect on us as actor Christopher Lee takes this part. Lee is well known for his part as Dracula in the Hammer horror films.

The horror in the film is presented through camera shots and angles, sound, lighting and editing. Fairy-tale like images throughout the film are improved by Emmanuel Lubezki's style of lighting from the set design to the costume's worn. As most of the shots are outdoor, mist was often needed; an almost black and white feel was needed, very monochromatic.

The score for the film is by Danny Elfman. Danny has built up a reputation for producing scores for films of a horror genre. Sleepy Hollow, as a film, and its soundtrack are often compared to Edward Scissorhands, but Sleepy Hollow has added an element of violence and is described as a pure horror film. For the volume and intensity needed for the music Elfman got 2 full London choirs involved. The music is very significant and to achieve the haunting sounds needed Elfman mixes both the adults and children's' choirs together.

In this creepy story, Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane is sent from New York on an investigation of mysterious deaths, in which all the bodies were found headless. Crane soon realises whom everyone suspects, the Headless Horseman; the ghost of the Hessian. The film was produced in a studio and digitally re-constructed, being shot like this gives the film a sense of unreality which adds to the theme of horror and fantasy, "like a nightmare world". The cast, village sets and haunted woods all create a thrilling film for viewers to watch.
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In this essay I shall be taking the first eight sequences of the film and seeing how images of horror are presented in each of them and their connotations for the viewer. From the moment we start watching the film we begin to get involved. The first few images of the film are very important to us as they give out lots of clues of what the film will be about. We look at the opening shots of place and time, and put them in context. We look at the actors we are presented with and make assumptions ...

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