Sleepy Hollow - Season 1 - DVD

Film: Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) is astonished when he awakens in a cave to find that over 200 years have passed. The last thing he remembers is being hired by President Washington to kill a mysterious Horseman. Although he shot and decapitated him, the horseman did not die. And even now, in 2014, the headless horseman is still on the move, killing all who get in his way. Young cop Abbie (Nicole Beharie), who witnessed her partner (Clancy Brown) decapitated by the Horseman's axe, joins Crane's fight after initial doubts. But the unlikely duo quickly discover that they are up against sinister forces that could bring about the beginning of the end of the world. But how can the first of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse be stopped? What do the two covens that were once based in Sleepy Hollow have to do with it? And was Ichabod's wife Katrina (Katia Winter) one of the witches? And what does Abbie's sister Jenny (Lyndie Greenwood) know, as she escapes from a mental institution where she has been confined since a traumatic experience in the sisters' youth?

The legend of Sleepy Hollow has been interpreted many times. Going back to an old West German folk tale of the Headless Horseman and the fifth Rübezahl legend from Johann Karl August Musaeus's collection of folk tales of the Germans, it first appeared in the early 19th century in the form of a story by Washington Irving. At the time, Ichabod Crane was still a schoolmaster from Pennsylvania. In the reincarnation of Tim Burton, Crane then became a policeman - a very similar role to the one he now holds in this modern series version. What's completely new about this interpretation is that Ichabod suddenly finds himself in the present and has to first get used to the changes and technical innovations. This adds a humorous element to the series, which is very enjoyable given the otherwise dark underlying tone.

Surely, series creators Phillip Iscove, Len Wiseman (Underworld), and Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci (Fringe) haven't really come up with a revolutionary series idea here. Their version of Sleepy Hollow fits perfectly with other supernatural mystery series like Grimm or Supernatural. Dramaturgically, but also visually, the really big surprises are missing. And yet the whole thing works very well, offers exciting entertainment and can also score with a convincing investigator duo (Tom Mison & Nicole Beharie). The individual plot elements are coherently constructed and ensure that the tension level rises steadily throughout the first season, apart from a few minor hangs. This is further supported by the gloomy basic atmosphere and some successful special effects.

Admittedly, there are clear weaknesses in the dialogue in some moments and some secondary characters are drawn arg cliché. But against the many positive aspects of the first season such weaknesses hardly weigh negatively. Because for fans of fantastic mystery series Sleepy Hollow offers everything you can expect from this genre. And towards the end the story takes an extremely exciting course, so that after the last episode you can hardly wait for the start of season 2. And for this the series has an absolutely worth seeing also more than deserves!

Picture + Sound: In technical terms, the DVD offers exactly what you can expect from a current TV production: the coloring is extremely atmospheric, with the somewhat undercooled tones capture the oppressive mood of the story very well. Image sharpness is at a consistently good level. Although much of the action takes place in the gloom, smaller details often come through neatly. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is also pleasantly atmospheric, with voices sounding very directional. However, ambient noises such as wind and the galloping of the horse from the headless horseman or other small sound effects always ensure that the surround channels get something to do as well. Good!

Extras: Apart from an audio commentary on the pilot episode on the first DVD, the remaining extras are all on the fourth disc. Again, an entertaining audio commentary kicks things off, in this case on the season finale. Furthermore, there is an informative making of titled Welcome to Sleepy Hollow (approx. 19:53 min.), supplemented by The Secrets of Sleepy Hollow (approx. 18:31 min.). This is followed by some dropped scenes (approx. 11:50 mins), the late Sherrif Corbin's file (approx. 2:31), as well as featurettes about Ichabod Crane finding his way in the 21st century (approx. 2:51 mins), the Headless Horseman's horse trainer (approx. 2:50 mins), and the Headless Horseman's head (approx. 2:07 mins). Some nice outtakes (approx. 2:30 min.) round out the good additional offerings.

Conclusion: Sleepy Hollow is a very successful reinterpretation of the legend surrounding the Headless Horseman. The idea of moving the action to the present day and making it a supernatural crime-mystery series works surprisingly well. Convincing actors, a dark basic atmosphere, here and there some loosening humor and exciting stories make the first season a very entertaining pleasure for all fans of series like Grimm or Supernatural. The DVD presents the episodes of the first season in good picture and sound quality. And on the fourth DVD there are some very worth seeing extras about the background of the series and its creation. All this leads to the conclusion: Absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp