When it comes to dark myth, what could be greater than a story which
includes a literal Headless Horseman who stalks about small Connecticut towns
(well, one in particular) in search of a new head?

We mean, really. Is
that not among the coolest non-horror horror stories of all time?

The
Legend of Sleepy Hollow began with Washington Irving, who published the
short story of that name as part of his collection, The Sketch Book of
Geoffrey Crayon, Gent in 1819. From that day to this, the names Ichabod
Crane has been a part of our international literary lexicon. And the Headless
Horseman, who mysteriously lost his head in cannon explosion during an unnamed
Revolutionary War battle, has pretty much been creepy us all out for nearly two
centuries now.

Hollywood’s love affair with The Legend of Sleepy
Hollow began in 1949, when RKO Pictures released the Disney film, The
Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. The film animated the Irving tale and
coupled it with an unrelated short based on Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the
Willows.

Arguably, the cinematic infatuation ended with Tim Burton’s
adaptation of the tale, starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci. 1999’s
Sleepy Hollow borrowed only loosely from the original story, changing
Ichabod’s vocation from schoolteacher to science-dependent detective and adding
serial decapitations, as opposed to the more effective looming myth of a ghost
in search of a new head. Sleepy Hollow’s murder mystery approach opened
to mixed reviews and disappointing box office returns.

Still, we think
the sordid ghost story is an age-old classic. Its 1992 graphic novel adaptation
by Bo Hampton is still considered one of the most thrilling Classic
Illustrated-inspired retreads available. The lush legend of 18th century
lore is still creeping out the best of us, even today. We can only imagine what
great creative minds will do with the source material in years to come.