Tim Burton seems to be infatuated with cinematic violence. So a story that centers around decapitation seems to be right up his alley. Johnny Depp plays Ichabod Crane as a strong central figure who seems to be the only one with any idea of why some citizens of Sleepy Hollow are losing their heads, literally and figuratively. Ultimately, the central reason for these murders isn't too surprising, but it is interesting to watch Crane (and his wacky medical contraptions) systematically solve the town's problem. There is a comic aspect to the gratuitous head-slicing and all its bloody glory. Watching this movie, one can't help getting the feeling that Burton revels in creating these grisly killings. With all the popping eyes and pooling blood, Burton effectively creates an atmosphere of uncertainty and spookiness that permeates the film's more tender moments.(Oh, and, by the way, the Christopher Walken/Ray Park tandem as the Headless Horseman is a spectacle in it's own right.)