HEADLESS HORSEMAN
© First Look International
Mania Grade: B
Reviewed Format: Theatrical Screening
Airdate: Saturday, Oct. 27 9 PM on SciFi Channel
Rating: Unrated
Stars: Billy Aaron Brown, Rebecca Mozo, Richard Moll, M. Steven Felty, Trish Coren, Elizabeth Prestel, Joe Hartzler
Writers: Zachary Weintraub and Anthony C. Ferrante
Director: Anthony C. Ferrante
Distributor: Active Entertainment/SciFi Channel
Reviewed Format: Theatrical Screening
Airdate: Saturday, Oct. 27 9 PM on SciFi Channel
Rating: Unrated
Stars: Billy Aaron Brown, Rebecca Mozo, Richard Moll, M. Steven Felty, Trish Coren, Elizabeth Prestel, Joe Hartzler
Writers: Zachary Weintraub and Anthony C. Ferrante
Director: Anthony C. Ferrante
Distributor: Active Entertainment/SciFi Channel
HEADLESS HORSEMAN
By: Abbie BernsteinReview Date: Friday, October 26, 2007
Getting a lot of bang for what were reportedly limited bucks, Headless Horseman fuses together Washington Irving’s mysterious and lethal mounted ghost with a mythology that harks back to Brigadoon (or, if you prefer, 2000 Maniacs) and the Faust myth.
After a prologue shows the title character at work during the American Civil War, we cut to the present, when a group of college-aged friends en route to a Halloween party in their van unwisely take a shortcut through the woods. The van breaks down, but they’re offered a tow by a friendly young local, Candy (Elizabeth Prestel), whose father (M. Steven Felty) operates the nearby garage in a tiny off-the-map town – and who happens to bear an uncanny resemblance to the survivor we saw in the opening sequence. The townspeople are more than a little strange, there’s mist everywhere, and after one of their group is found decapitated, our heroes decide to get out of Dodge pronto. There are a few snags in this area: their van has been disassembled, the townspeople don’t want them to leave and the Horseman blocks their path at every turn.
The screenplay by Zachary Weintraub and director Anthony C. Ferrante actually lets most of its characters be logical and pro-active. Refreshingly, this is not one of those horror films where events are propelled primarily by stupidity – the heroes in Headless Horseman are imperiled not because they don’t have survival instincts, but because the villain is very badass. There is in fact an agreeable camaraderie between the main characters, who display empathetic concern for one another. Ferrante creates a good look for the film, sort of Western Gothic/Grimm’s fairytale, with a particularly cool lair for the Horseman. The action gets strong atmospheric support from the Alan Howarth score, which enhances scares without swamping them. There are also some fairly creative kills, which drew applause from the crowded audience at the ScreamFest theatrical screening in Los Angeles last weekend.
The mostly young cast is very good, with teen Winona Ryder lookalike Rebecca Mozo, brainy and cranky Trish Coren, gently diffident Billy Aaron Brown and thoughtful Joe Hartzler as standouts. Felty does well with putting across geniality, shiftiness and honest regret as the townsperson we get to know best.
As a representative of the young-people-trapped-in-a-creepy-town horror subgenre, Headless Horseman is better than most, displaying a sense of imagination while delivering good scares with intelligent pacing.
More From Mania
Signing and Trailer for HEADLESS DVD
CARNIVAL OF BLOOD / CURSE OF THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN
(Saturday, May 25, 2002)
Acting in SLEEPY HOLLOW
(Saturday, December 11, 1999)
Bond Outruns Horseman for Ticket Sales
(Monday, November 22, 1999)
SLEEPY HOLLOW (1999)
(Monday, November 22, 1999)
SLEEPY HOLLOW Action Figures
(Saturday, November 20, 1999)
SLEEPY HOLLOW: Directing The Headless Horseman
(Friday, November 19, 1999)
See more related content
Does he have flaming PUMPKINS?
OOO OOO OOOO I got me an idea:
Peanuts vs. Michael Meyers vs The Headless Horseman and Lucy is the heroine cause Michael rips off Charlie Browns Head after he and Lucy do it in an abandond Bowling Alley. But the movie opens with Linus thinking Michael is the Great Pumpkin and Michael smashes Linus' head in. The Horseman chases Marcy and Peppermint Patty out of his lair cause they use it to make out in so their love is hidden but they get torched by a Headless Horseman bomb!!!! HBO I am looking in your direction!!!!!!!!!!