SLEEPY HOLLOW

SUMMARY

 

 

In 1799, three murders take place in the run-down Sleepy Hollow, a town located outside of New York City. Dumbfounded by these killings - all victims were found without their head - the town council calls out for help. Ichabod Crane, an investigator working in New York City, is sent to Sleepy Hollow to solve the mysterious headless murders. He is assigned to the case merely as punishment for using unorthodox methods such as fingerprinting and autopsies. These practices were not yet confirmed to be ethical or a correct way of investigating during the eighteenth century.

 

Upon arrival, Ichabod is briefed on what has happened in Sleepy Hollow: three murders all left with no heads. The town council suspects the Headless Horseman. The dangerous Headless Horseman is the ghost of a Hessian who was decapitated by British soldiers towards the end of the Revolutionary War. His ghost has been sent to haunt the people of Sleepy Hollow. Hearing this tale, Ichabod does not believe them and sets out on his own investigation.

 

While investigating, Ichabod runs into the town magistrate, Philipse. While the two are talking, the Headless Horseman gallops up and decapitates magistrate Philipse. Being the first incident that someone has actually seen the Horseman and lived to tell, Ichabod is now a full believer of the horrific Headless Horseman.

 

With this new insight and belief, Ichabod starts to uncover the truth about the ghost. He tracks down the mystery and finds Lady Van Tassel to be the one behind all of it. It turns out the Horseman had his skull stolen from his grave, by the Lady. The person who has possession of the skull is able to control the Headless Horseman until they deem him fit enough to receive his skull back.  To complicated matters, Lady Van Tassel is the stepmother of Katrina, the girl Ichabod is falling in love with. The Lady's motive is to kill Katrina so she will be the one receiving the land of the Van Tassel's. Ichabod objects to this and kills Lady Van Tassel. He then returns the skull to the Headless Horseman and receives Katrina's heart in return.

 

Sleepy Hollow is now freed of the Headless Horseman.