REASON AND FAITH WAGE WAR ON EVIL IN TIMELESS HORROR CLASSIC

Tim Burton's most terrifying creation comes to Netflix in time for the Halloween season.

Ichabod Crane visits the quiet farming community of Sleepy Hollow, not as a teacher. Instead, he serves the role of constable. His purpose is to investigate a series of murders that plague the village. What he finds is a supernatural legend come to life. The entire village points a finger in the direction of a ghost, not a live murderer "of flesh and blood." Crane rejects the notion, because he is a rational man. He is the voice of reason in a town riddled with superstition and witchcraft. What harder job can there be?

The village of Sleepy Hollow is hopeless and stumped before Crane's arrival. Not even the reverend can provide a solid solution. Crane's reason provides a fresh perspective on their fatal problem. His skills and expertise are beyond their capabilities. Meanwhile, their knowledge of the land's history proves invaluable, because they are half right. The Headless Horseman is one of two culprits.

Meanwhile, his reason is put to the test. The deeper he digs, the more he uncovers unexplainable events. The bodies show signs of injuries that would be impossible to mortal beings: wounds cauterized with hellfire, a beheaded fetus, a bleeding tree, and possession. The most shocking event of all is the night he sees the horseman for himself.

"Seeing is believing," after all.

After the sighting, Crane opens his mind to the possibility of magic, a world beyond science and reason. The one thing Crane cannot explain is witchcraft. There is no magic in Sleepy Hollow. Every spell and talisman fail. The only proven protection from the Headless Horseman is the hallowed ground of a church.

Katrina's mother Elizabeth passes away years before the horseman appears. The cause of death is presumed "brain fever." Worse is the suspected cause: reading romance. Books killed a person? I don't think so.

The true cause of death is poison. The lady's nursemaid murders her to secure the position. This tragedy sets the entire murder plot in motion. She is the first of 18 victims that Mary would cause.

Sleepy Hollow is a secluded village with no access to technology. Herbal remedies are the only medicine they have. Of course, flowers and herbs were Earth's medicine before the convenience of technology. That's hardly witchcraft.

Some call him a ghost. Some call him the Hessian. His partner in crime calls him her "Dark Avenger" and "Unholy Horseman". Indeed, he is unholy, because he is a demon posing as the murdered Hessian.

His appearance is the result of a deal with the Devil. Satan has power no over human souls. Demons serve him. Only a demon can appear from such a deal, but demons can take the shape of anything or anyone they wish.

Lucifer is one of God's fallen angels. He is a theological character, not a Wiccan character. Therefore, she uses the dark side of the Christian faith. Nothing about her is Wiccan. She is a devil worshiper.

Mary's sister, a crone living in the woods, also conjures demons. She summons "The Other" to guide Crane to the Horseman's resting place. She calls it "knowledge of the Netherworld.

This is another demon. It knows of the Horseman, because they both come from Hell.

Many of Sleepy Hollow's citizen's become desperate to protect themselves from the Horseman's blade. So much that they stray from their faith and turn to spells. Katrina draws stars on the floor to protect her father. Magistrate Philipse wears a talisman. Neither charm works; both men die.

Chalk and silver are no match for the devil's work.

The primary culprit is Mary Archer, a bitter woman seeking revenge on a town forced her into exile on suspicion of witchcraft. When witchcraft fails her, she turns to Satan to trade her soul for her enemy's fortune. Greed and lust for revenge drive her, and it leads to her downfall. The horseman drags her to Hell before she can get her greedy fingers on the money.

The only supernatural power is that of a Biblical nature, devil worship, and demon conjuring. Such actions bring heaving consequences. Everything else is explained with science thanks to Crane's reason. It brings peace to a village plagued with terror. The timing could not be more perfect. Every surviving citizen is on the brink of a mass exodus. The community would cease to exist, more people would be dead, and a failed witch and nurse would disappear with a fortune she never earned. All for money. Greed is truly dangerous.

The most horrifying theme of all is its honesty: judgment and condemnation. So-called Christians with closed minds cast their judgment so wantonly that it strips salvation from lost souls. It would even drive believers away from the faith and into the world of witchcraft. I have seen at least four cases of Christian turned Wiccan. Each one of them confesses they abandoned their faith due to a "Bible-black tyrant" driving them away with their ungodly judgment. They condemn souls. Instead, they should save souls.

The ending neither confirms nor denies the restoration of Ichabod Crane's faith. However, it's clear that his heart is open again. He accepts the love between Katrina and him. He allows the orphaned Masbath to remain in his employ. All three of them stick together. His loneliness comes to an end. That's a step in the right direction.