Sleepy Hollow Shooting Script
ICHABOD No harm to come to whom?
HARDENBROOK (babbling) But the marriage made her next of kin…
ICHABOD Made who next of kin to whom?! – I’m confused!
YOUNG MASBATH He means old Van Garrett secretly married the Widow Winship.
ICHABOD (getting it) Of course! And Van Garrett made a new will, leaving everything to her and his unborn child… So she stood between Baltus and the legacy! Where is the will?
HARDENBROOK I cannot be seen to help you-the Horseman will come for me-!
ICHABOD I will not leave without the very last will and testament of- Hardenbrook digs into a mountain of documents, hurling handfuls into the air… and flings the second will at Ichabod. Young Masbath nervously checks the door.
HARDENBROOK Go, then! I am a dead man!
He starts to sob.
YOUNG MASBATH Sir…
ICHABOD (reading) Young Masbath… I know why your father died. That night when Van Garrett quarreled with his son, Jonathan Masbath was summoned upstairs to witness the new Will. Here is your father’s signature. It was his death warrant.
Young Masbath takes the document and looks at it tearfully.
ICHABOD (CONT’D) But the secret was not safe. Mrs. Killian the midwife was forewarned the baby was coming-and so she, too, had to die.
One of the other hurled documents has fluttered down fortuitously in front of Ichabod. He picks it up.
ICHABOD (CONT’D) The marriage certificate. Parson Steenwyck married them. Doctor Lancaster confirmed the widow was pregnant. She told the secret to Magistrate Philipse. Notary Hardenbrook concealed the documents…
Hardenbrook snivels and moans and wrings his hands.
ICHABOD (CONT’D) And you all kept silence! Why?… For some nameless dread of the man who stood to gain by it-Baltus Van Tassel!
INT. VAN TASSEL HOUSE, STAIRS-DAY
Ichabod and Young Masbath start up the stairs, noticing:
INT. VAN TASSEL HOUSE, PARLOR-DAY
Baltus, alone, with a glass of liquor, is brooding over an oak coffer of SILVER COINS, running coins through his fingers.
INT. VAN TASSEL HOUSE, STAIRS-DAY
Ichabod continues with Young Masbath, speaking quietly.
YOUNG MASBATH I think there is some error in your reasoning…
ICHABOD (politely) Really? Do give me the benefit of your…
YOUNG MASBATH All these murders… just so that Baltus Van Tassel should inherit yet more land and property?
ICHABOD Precisely. Men murder for profit. Possibly you don’t know New York… ?
Suddenly he sees his bedroom door is ajar.
INT. VAN TASSEL HOUSE, ICHABOD’S BEDROOM-DAY
Ichabod’s entry surprises… Katrina, sitting at Ichabod’s desk, reading his Ledger.
ICHABOD Katrina… why are you in my room?
KATRINA (smiles) Because it is yours. Is it wicked of me?
ICHABOD No… no…
KATRINA I missed you. Where did you go?
ICHABOD To the Notary… I had questions to ask Hardenbrook.
KATRINA And did you learn anything of interest?
Ichabod and Young Masbath exchange a glance.
ICHABOD Well… perhaps.
KATRINA My father…
ICHABOD (jumps) Your father… ?
KATRINA Yes. My father thinks you should return to New York.
ICHABOD Really? Why is that?
KATRINA (smiles) I don’t know. Perhaps he looked in your ledger and did not like what he saw…
She leaves the Ledger open on the desk. Ichabod steps over to look. Young Masbath cranes his neck to look. It is a page of doodles with the name “Katrina” written several times, and a sketch of Katrina. Embarrassed Ichabod closes the Ledger.
KATRINA (CONT’D) He believes townfolk and country do not mix.
Ichabod opens the drawer in the desk and puts away the document he took from the Notary.
He is nervous because he knows they point to complicity by Katrina’s father. Young Masbath, watching, understands this, Ichabod locks the drawer and pockets the key.
KATRINA (CONT’D) What have you there?
ICHABOD Evidence. I’m sorry, I must ask your…
KATRINA Then I will leave you to your thoughts. Sleep well.
Katrina leaves. Ichabod is troubled.
Then-to add to his troubles-he suddenly sees a HUGE SPIDER scuttling under his bed. He doesn’t like spiders, even small ones. He gives a yelp.
YOUNG MASBATH It’s only a spider.
ICHABOD Where’s it gone? -Where’s it gone? Can you see it?
Young Masbath crouches to look under the bed. He frowns, puzzled.
YOUNG MASBATH There’s something under there…
ICHABOD Kill it! Kill it! (getting a grip) No-no… er… stun it…
YOUNG MASBATH Help me move the bed.
Young Masbath and Ichabod move the bed.
YOUNG MASBATH (CONT’D) Look…
UNDER THE BED is revealed a strange PENTAGRAM drawn in chalk.
YOUNG MASBATH (CONT’D) The Evil Eye!
ICHABOD What… ? What is… ?
YOUNG MASBATH It is someone casting spells against you.
ICHABOD The Evil Eye.
The spider is sitting on the Pentagram.
INT. VAN TASSEL HOUSE, ICHABOD’S ROOM-LATER NIGHT
Young Masbath, fully dressed, sleeps on the bed. Ichabod sits waiting. He takes the cover off the lantern, looks at a CLOCK. Midnight.
Ichabod heara A DOOR OPEN AND CLOSE, then a CREAK on the stairs. He lights a candle. Then he goes to wake Young Masbath.
INT. VAN TASSEL HOUSE, ICHABOD’S DOOR-NIGHT
Ichabod and Younng Masbath come out of the room.
INT. VAN TASSEL HOUSE, SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY-NIGHT
Ichabod and Young Masbath come down STAIRS with a lantern, cautious.
INT. VAN TASSEL HOUSE, SITTING ROOM-NIGHT
Ichabod and Young Masbath cross, A CREAKING FLOORBOARD is HEARD from ANOTHER ROOM. Ichabod quickly covers his lantern.
Across the room, LIGHT comes under a DOOR, stops… continues. FOOTSTEPS are HEARD, then a DOOR OPENING and CLOSING.
EXT. FOREST BY VAN TASSEL HOUSE-NIGHT
LANTERN LIGHT moves, far ahead. Ichabod and Young Masbath follow, fearful, keeping hidden.
EXT. FOREST BY VAN TASSEL HOUSE, FARTHER ON (HILLSIDE)-NIGHT
Ichabod and Young Masbath stop on a hillside.
ICHABOD Wait here.
Ichabod advances, up the hill… peers forward to see…
EXT. FOREST CLEARING BY VAN TASSEL HOUSE-NIGHT
The lantern sits on a rock. On a blanket, a semi-naked MAN and semi- naked WOMAN are in the midst of rough SEX.
Ichabod crawls to peer from underbrush.
The couple keeps coupling, the MAN on top. His grunts and gasps are particularly desperate. He’s all over the WOMAN, who lays back… it is LADY VAN TASSEL.
Ichabod swallows.
Lady Van Tassel pulls down the man’s shirt, exposes his flesh. She raises a small, sharp KNIFE behind his back.
Ichabod’s eyes widen. He’s about to shout a warning, but…
Lady Van Tassel brings the blade to her own hand, slicing deep into her palm. Blood flows. She rubs her cut hand over her partner’s arching back, smearing blood.
