Sleepy Hollow Shooting Script
BURGOMASTER An isolated farming community, mostly Dutch. Three persons have been murdered there, all within a fortnight… each found with their head lopped off.
ICHABOD Lopped off?
BURGOMASTER Clean as dandelion heads, apparently. Now, these ideas of yours, they have never been put to the test…
ICHABOD I have never been allowed to put them to the test!
BURGOMASTER Just so, granted. So you take your experimentations to Sleepy Hollow and deduce, er detect the murderer. Bring him here to face our good justice. Will you do this?
ICHABOD (swallowing doubt) I shall, gladly.
BURGOMASTER And remember-it is you, Ichabod Crane, who is now put to the test.
The Burgomaster smiles encouragingly.
INT/EXT. ICHABOD’S HOME, 2ND FLOOR-DAY (TITLE SEQUENCE BEGINS)
Piles of BOOKS and PAPERS, JARS of CHEMICALS, MAGNIFYING GLASSES, CHALKBOARDS covered with scrawl and ANATOMY CHARTS above a small bed.
AT THE WINDOW, Ichabod holds a bird cage with a red CARDINAL inside. He opens the cage and the bird flies free…
ICHABOD Such a day for such a sad farewell, this is good-bye, my sweet…
Ichabod watches it go, sad, then looks down. A COACH halts in the street below. The forlorn DRIVER looks up.
EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREETS-DAY
ICHABOD’S COACH leaves city limits, forgoing civilization… following a dirt road to forested wilderness.
EXT. NEW YORK FORESTS-NIGHT
Coach lanterns light the way as the coach lumbers along, caressed by tight foliage. A WOLF is HEARD HOWLING. Ichabod looks out, unnerved, shuts the window’s curtain.
EXT. UPSTATE FORESTS-DAY
The coach moves through sun dappled forest…
INT. ICHABOD’S COACH-DAY
Ichabod checks the contents of a LEATHER SATCHEL in his lap. He pauses a moment, studying the palm of his hand.
Ichabod touches the strange SCARS on both his palms: evenly dispersed, tiny dots of tissue. Many scars. After a moment, he returns to looking through his satchel.
EXT. SLEEPY HOLLOW, THE LONG STRAIGHT ROAD-LATE DAY
Ichabod stands between two massive STONE PILLARS. He’s unsure, turning to watch his coach leave him behind.
Ichabod picks up his bags and heads between the pillars, starting up a LONG STRAIGHT ROAD. He does not notice, in the tree limbs above: THREE DEAD RAVENS, hung by twine.
EXT. SLEEPY HOLLOW, TOWN SQUARE-DUSK
Ichabod walks on, passing a CHURCH and GRAVEYARD. The road ahead is bordered by rows of businesses and two-story homes.
Ichabod enters the TOWN SQUARE proper. And ELDERLY WOMAN stands in a doorway, watching Ichabod. Ichabod tips his hat. The woman backs away, shuts her door.
Ichabod continues. He looks up… a MAN closes the shutters of a second-story window.
As Ichabod continues he sees that there are two or three Riflemen placed at vantage points on the roofs and also, when he looks back, a Rifleman up on the Church Tower. The whole village is like a Western town waiting for an attack.
EXT. WOODEN BUNKER-DUSK
A strange WOODEN BUNKER, like a small fortress with a HUGE BELL mounted on top, sits in a field. SEVERAL DIRT FARMERS are gathered, all with rifles.
Ichabod stops as he walks, looking at this…
A boy, YOUNG MASBATH, aged 10, comes to the Designated Rifleman, JONATHAN MASBATH, with food and drink, i.e., a picnic tied up in cloth and a stone bottle of beer. Masbath Senior takes the picnic and gives Young Masbath an affectionate pat. He smiles confidently.
MASBATH SENIOR Don’t worry, son.
One farmer comes to lead Young Masbath away as Jonathan heads into the BUNKER, taking several rifles.
In front of the BUNKER, across a field, other dirt farmers light TORCH POSTS in a line along the forest edge.
Ichabod ponders this as he trudges along…
EXT. VAN TASSEL HOUSE-DUSK
Ahead on a hill: the grand Van Tassel MANOR HOUSE, windows aglow.
TITLE SEQUENCE ENDS
EXT. VAN TASSEL HOUSE, FRONT DOOR-NIGHT
Ichabod puts down his bags (a suitcase and a leather box-bag) but keeps his satchel.
JACK-O’-LANTERNS glow on the porch.
A KISSING COUPLE are lustfully busy in a dark corner of the porch. The woman is a pretty servant, SARAH. The man we will know as DOCTOR LANCASTER.
Ichabod almost blunders into them, causing a little panic and embarrassment, in which Ichabod shares, and as he mumbles apologies and opens the door, a shaft of light identifies the couple for our further reference.
The open door reveals the MAIN HALL and FOYER…
There’s a harvest party in progress. PEOPLE are gathered. QUIET MUSIC is HEARD from elsewhere.
INT. VAN TASSEL HOUSE, SITTING ROOM-NIGHT
Ichabod opens a door. MEN and WOMEN eat and drink, talking quietly in groups. Ichabod looks around, daunted, tentatively makes his way…
Ichabod bumps into a few people, excusing himself. He mops his sweaty brow, finds a pretty girl.
ICHABOD Pardon my intrusion, I seek Baltus Van Tassel but- GIRL In the parlor, sir, further on.
Ichabod thanks her, continues…
Ahead, CHILDREN, YOUNG MEN and LADIES in a circle taunt a BLINDFOLDED YOUNG WOMAN spun around by the handsome, barrel-chested man, BROM VAN BRUNT. Brom releases the woman. Everyone quiets, avoiding her searching hands.
The Blindfolded Woman circles slowly, chanting a REFRAIN that makes the CHILDREN and even some of the younger WOMEN shiver with pleasurable fright. They giggle nervously and hush each other up.
BLINDFOLDED WOMAN “The Pickety Witch, the Pickety Witch, who’s got a kiss for the pickety witch?”
She makes a lunge, grabbing empty air, just missing BROM; everyone moans humorously. Doctor Lancaster slips back into the party, and Sarah likewise.
Ichabod is trying to pass through to reach the farther door… and on the NEXT REFRAIN finds himself caught by the Blindfolded Woman.
Everyone stays quiet, that’s the game, but of course everyone is also puzzled, not knowing Ichabod. The Woman touches Ichabod’s face, which embarrasses Ichabod and displeases Brom.
CHILD A kiss, a kiss!
WOMAN She has to guess first.
The WOMAN is wifely, and as she puts her arm through Doctor Lancaster’s arm, we realize she is his wife.
BLINDFOLDED WOMAN Is it Theodore?
There’s a general laugh at that.
ICHABOD Pardon, ma’am. I am only a stranger.
BLINDFOLDED WOMAN Then have a kiss on account.
She kisses him laughingly and takes the blindfold off the reveal a stunning beauty: KATRINA VAN TASSEL. She smiles. Ichabod tries to compose himself, stricken by the sight of her.
ICHABOD I… um, I am looking for Baltus Van Tassel.
KATRINA I am his daughter, Katrina Van Tassel.
BROM And who are you, friend? We have not heard your name yet.
ICHABOD I have not said it. Excuse me…
Brom grabs Ichabod’s collar. Ichabod’s baffled.
BROM You need some manners.
KATRINA Brom!
MAN’S VOICE (O.S.) (admonishing) Come, come-we want no raised voices…
We now SEE that the voice belongs to BALTUS VAN TASSEL, a working- class self-made Mr. Big with a sympathetic smile.
BALTUS (CONT’D) It is only to raise the spirits during this dark time that I and my good wife are giving this little party…
LADY VAN TASSEL stands behind him, a mix of homespun wife and well- kept lady. Brom releases Ichabod. Children hide behind Katrina. Ichabod’s relieved to have a proper focal point. Others from the party gather.
BALTUS (CONT’D) Young sir, you are welcome even if you are selling something!
The pleasantry relaxes the atmosphere around Ichabod.
ICHABOD Thank you, sir. I am Constable Ichabod Crane, sent to you from New York with authority to investigate murder in Sleepy Hollow.
This has quite an effect. A man we will know as MAGISTRATE PHILIPSE looks up sharply. A man we will know as REVEREND STEENWYCK grunts skeptically. A man we have already seen, DOCTOR LANCASTER, exchanges a surprised look with another man, NOTARY HARDENBROOK.
STEENWYCK (rudely) Well, what use is a Constable?!
Lady Van Tassel gives the Clergyman a reproachful look.
LADY VAN TASSEL Then, Sleepy Hollow is grateful to you, Constable Crane-I hope you will honor this house by remaining with us until…
BROM Until you’ve made the arrest!
To Ichabod’s surprise this gets a nervous laugh. Baltus frowns at Brom. Katrina looks at Ichabod with renewed interest.
BALTUS (to his wife) Well spoke! (to Ichabod) Come, sir. We’ll get you settled. (to the Musicians) Play on!
Baltus catches the eyes of Philipse, then of Lancaster, nodding as if to say “See you in a minute.”
As he leads Ichabod out, he murmurs to Steenwyck, who nods and passes the murmur to Hardenbrook.
