The legend of sleepy hollow

Plot:

The movie starts with signing of last will of Peter Van Garrett who is together with his son Dirk killed by headless horseman right afterwards. Then the scene jumps to New York where Constable Ichabod Crane fights with the officers who don’t believe in his scientific techniques and therefore they send him to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the mysterious circumstances of three murders in order to teach him respect for the dignity of the officers. He comes to Sleepy Hollow to the house of a wealthy farmer Baltus Van Tassel and is introduced to Dr. Lancaster, magistrate Philipse, reverend Steenwyck and notary Hardenbrook. He learns about the circumstances of murders-all the victims were found decapitated in open ground, their heads weren’t found at all. People believe that they have been killed by headless horseman who is looking for his own head. Crane learns about the death of Hessian trooper.

Another man is killed. This time it is Jonathan Masbath. Body is found in the forest. His son wants to revenge him and starts serving to Ichabod Crane. After the funeral Crane learns from Philipse that Masbath isn’t the 4th victim but 5th. Autopsy shows that widow Winship was pregnant.

Katrina gives Crane her mother’s book and wants him to keep it close to his heart. She is sure it’ll protect him. Crane follows Philipse to find out the father’s name of widow Winship´s child. They are interrupted by headless horseman who is coming for magistrate’s head. Philipse is murdered, and Ichabod is scared more than ever. After some time he finally faces his fears and decides to locate the grave of headless horseman. He is supported by brave young Masbath and later they are joined by Katrina. In the western woods there they find a witch in the cave who advises Crane to find horseman’s grave. Young Masbath finds a bloody tree under which the grave of the trooper is. They find heads of the victims hidden inside the tree. They also find a grave where the trooper’s body has been put but the head is missing. Suddenly, horseman jumps out of the tree and is back on his bloodthirsty way to get some new heads. Crane rides behind him but doesn’t manage to come in time. This time he kills midwife Elizabeth Killian, her husband and boy. Crane fights with horseman but he is not interested in killing Crane. He realizes that victims are chosen by someone who has a power over horseman. Someone had to dig out horseman’s head and now is controlling him.

Crane suspects notary, Baltus, doctor, reverend and magistrate from conspiracy. That very night the magistrate was killed he saw a row among them. He decides to visit notary Hardenbrook to see the last will of Peter Van Garrett. According to last will everything would be naturally inherited by Dirk Van Garrett but he died together with his father. In that case another heir would be Baltus Van Tassel. But there comes another testament in which all estates were supposed to be owned by his brand-new wife widow Winship. Crane believes Baltus Van Tassel is the one who governs horseman in order to get the power over the estates. He returns back to his room where he has left his notes about conspiracy. He finds Katrina reading these notes. Later when she leaves the room he finds the evil eye drawn under his bed.

At night he hears someone’s leaving the house. He follows the person to the forest where he finds stepmother with her lover making love. She cuts her palm by knife. He returns to his room and finds out that his notes are gone, taken by Katrina who wants to protect her father against Crane. She hates him now he believes in her father’s guilt.  Next morning Crane meets stepmother in the kitchen but doesn’t say anything about last night. She knows he saw her and asks him to promise he won’t tell her husband. Baltus comes and informs about notary’s death. He hung himself. There is going to be a meeting in the church in the evening against Ichabod Crane.

Baltus sees murder of his second wife. He runs to the church where the meeting starts followed by headless horseman. Katrina draws evil eye. Horseman can’t get inside. Reverend, doctor and Baltus have a row. Reverend kills the doctor who wants to say the truth about testaments and marriage to Baltus. Consequently reverend is shot by Baltus. Baltus climbs the stairs near the window. Horseman takes advantage of the situation and throws a stake from the fence against Baltus. He kills him, pulls his body behind the fence of the church and cuts his head off. Crane sees the evil eye drawn by Katrina and he starts to think it is Katrina who rules horseman. He likes her and therefore he rather decides to leave Sleepy Hollow than to accuse her from murders. On his way from Sleepy Hollow he opens the book Katrina gave him. He finds the symbol of evil eye drawn in the book under the headline For the protection of loved one against evil spirits. He immediately returns back to the village to examine the body of stepmother. He finds out that the scarf on the palm of the body found has been made after the death. It can’t be stepmother’s body.