Sleepy Hollow Shooting Script
Katrina watches intently. Ichabod spins the Disk.
ICHABOD (CONT’D) And now…
The bird appears to be inside the cage.
Katrina is astonished and delighted.
KATRINA You can do magic! Teach me!
ICHABOD It is no magic. It is optics.
Ichabod gives her the Toy and shows her how to spin it.
ICHABOD (CONT’D) Separate pictures which become one picture in the spinning… Like the truth which I must spin here…
Katrina spins the disk, the bird appears in the cage.
EXT. PHILIPSE HOUSE-NIGHT
A MOVING POV is checking out the Village House. Through lighted windows, figures of Men are seen pacing, apparently arguing.
Philipse is packing his bags, moving out… while three Men, Steenwyck, Doctor Lancaster and Hardenbrook, are in agitated conference. Their raised voices make an undecipherable hubbub. The POV’S horse makes a horsey snuffling sound. Is it Daredevil?
Steenwyck comes right to the window as if he has seen something… but he merely closes the shutters.
The REVERSE shows that it is Ichabod who has been spying.
Ichabod backs off and mounts Gunpowder, looking thoughtful, then determined.
EXT. ROAD OUTSIDE VILLAGE-NIGHT
A Mounted Man is approaching on a heavily loaded Pack Horse… Philipse making his getaway from Sleepy Hollow. As he reaches the foreground, Ichabod on Gunpowder intercepts him, grabbing the bridle of the Pack Horse.
PHILIPSE What are you doing? Let go!
ICHABOD What are you running from, Magistrate Philipse?
PHILIPSE Damn you, Crane- ICHABOD You’ll raise the village.
Philipse calms down.
ICHABOD (CONT’D) You had a mind to help me.
PHILIPSE Yes-and I put myself in mortal dread of…
ICHABOD Of… what?
PHILIPSE Powers against which there is no defense.
ICHABOD How did you know the widow was expecting a child?
PHILIPSE She told me.
ICHABOD Then I deduce you are the father.
PHILIPSE I hope your deductions serve you better in your contest against the Hessian. I am not the father.
ICHABOD Did she tell you the name of the child’s father?
PHILIPSE Yes-she did. She came to me for advice-as the town magistrate- Ichabod hears sounds… of sheep in agitation at some distance but he holds Philipse to his story.
PHILIPSE (CONT’D) -to protect the rights of her child. I was bound by my oath of office to keep the secret- ICHABOD Do you believe the father killed her?
PHILIPSE (stares at him in surprise) The Horseman killed her! -You damn fool, do you suppose the Horseman stops to impregnate our women?
ICHABOD The Horseman? How often do I have to tell you there is no Horseman! There never was a Horseman! -and there never will be a Horseman!
Ichabod grabs him fiercely, pulling on the amulet Philipse wears around his neck.
PHILIPSE Let go! -it is my talisman that protects me from the Horseman!
ICHABOD You a magistrate! -and your head full of such nonsense! Now tell me the name of- A flock of sheep comes streaming and bleating across the path.
The horses go crazy, BRAYING and rearing. A SOUND is HEARD, distant: THUNDERING HOOFBEATS. Wind kicks up.
Philipse looks to the forest. A FLOCK of BIRDS alights.
PHILIPSE Oh my… oh my oh my oh my…
PHILIPSE runs away. HOOFBEATS LOUDER, CLOSER. Ichabod faces the forest.
The forest explodes open, foliage bending to make way as the HEADLESS HORSEMAN gallops into view atop DAREDEVIL.
Ichabod’s stunned. He looks down to draw his flintlock pistol, but the Horseman ROARS by before he can raise it-a blast of air knocks Ichabod off his horse.
After this, everything happens very quickly- The Horseman chases Philipse.
Philipse looks over his shoulder.
The Horseman draws his sword.
Philipse gathers his courage and stops, turning. He raises his iron key talisman before him. The Horseman is closing…
ICHABOD Philipse!
Philipse holds the talisman up, trying to be fearless. The Horseman swings his sword upon the talisman-CLANK…
Philipse’s severed head spins. His body falls and folds.
The two pieces of Philipse’s Talisman, an Iron Key, fly through the air, toward Ichabod, who has only just managed to find his feet and find his fallen pistol.
The Horseman turns Daredevil in a wide circle…
Daredevil completes the turn, letting out a SCREECHY CRY as the Horseman rides straight toward Ichabod…
Before Ichabod has time to take aim, the Horseman is upon him and past him! -heading toward Philipse’s corpse… leans effortlessly to skewer Philipse’s head with his sword.
With the head as his prize, the Horseman races away.
Ichabod turns, watches the Horseman head to the forest.
Ichabod stands, stricken. He faints.
INT. VAN TASSEL HOUSE, ICHABOD’S BEDROOM-DAY
Ichabod gasps awake. A KNOCKING is HEARD.
BALTUS’S VOICE (O.S.) Constable Crane… ?
Ichabod looks at his hand balled into a fist. He opens his hand- holds BOTH HALVES of PHILIPSE’S IRON KEY TALISMAN.
INT. VAN TASSEL HOUSE, UPSTAIRS HALL 3RD FLOOR-DAY
Young Masbath is seated by Ichabod’s closed door. Katrina is backing up Baltus, who knocks again.
BALTUS Has he not come out at all?
Young Masbath shakes his head.
INT. VAN TASSEL HOUSE, ICHABOD’S ROOM-DAY
Baltus enters. Katrina and Masbath follow him, cautiously, “visiting the sick.” Ichabod sits up in bed, stunned, spaced out.
ICHABOD It was a Headless Horseman!
BALTUS You must not excite yourself.
ICHABOD But it was Headless Horseman!
BALTUS Of course it was.
ICHABOD No, you must believe me, it was Horseman! A dead one! Headless!
BALTUS I know, I know…
ICHABOD You don’t know because you weren’t there! But it’s all true!
BALTUS Of course it is. I told you! Everyone told you!
ICHABOD (wildly) I saw him!
His eyes roll up and he faints. Katrina and Masbath look helplessly at each other.
YOUNG MASBATH I suppose it’s back to the City, then.
Katrina’s reaction is mixed-glad that Ichabod will be safe, sorry if he leaves.
ICHABOD’S DREAM-FOREST-DAY
A MILLION WHITE MILKWEED SEEDLINGS are floating in sunlight. Young Ichabod’s laughter is heard.
Now we see that his Mother is blowing the seedlings for his delight. She gives him a milkweed pod and shows him how to do it for himself. Ichabod breaks the pod and releases another million. But when he looks around to share the delight, his Mother has gone… and he sees her disappearing among the trees. He goes to follow her.
ICHABOD’S DREAM-FOREST GLADE-DAY
Ichabod can’t see his Mother anywhere…
Then he sees her standing in the middle of a CIRCLE OF BEAUTIFUL TOADSTOOLS/MUSHROOMS growing in the Glade.
Ichabod watches as his Mother turns inside the Mushroom Circle, almost dancing. He smiles. Then he sees his Mother stoop to pick a mushroom. She eats it. She looks happy. She drops a small piece of the mushroom.
Ichabod sees it fall.
He runs forward and picks it up before she sees him. Ichabod eats it. His Mother sees him, takes his hands in hers and dances around in a circle.
As Ichabod whizzes around laughing, his POV becomes the Encircling Trees whizzing around, and suddenly he seems to be surrounded by Menacing Headless Figures dressed all in black.
Ichabod falls over dizzy and when he looks up he sees that the Headless Figures have become his Father, watching his Mother heedlessly dancing, his face like thunder. His Mother has loosened her clothes and is virtually barebreasted.
