It’s Monday the 13th, which seems like the perfect time to pass along the recent announcement that writer Washington Irving’s classic tale of the Headless Horseman, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, is scheduled for an all-new screen adaptation courtesy of Paramount Pictures and writer/director Lindsey Beer (Pet Sematary).
If you’ve never read the chilling story of the headless soldier and his eternal search for a replacement, and want to find out what the interest is all about, then look no further than our SWC Horror Bites imprint, where The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is available as an e-book ready to be ordered! Here’s our back-cover copy to pique your interest:
Sleepy Hollow, New York, appears to be the perfect peaceful location for newly arrived schoolteacher Ichabod Crane, whose nerves always seem a little on edge. The people are nice enough—with the exception of the town bully, Bram Bones—the meals they serve are even better, and most appealing of all is the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel, daughter of one of the town’s wealthiest families.
But lurking behind Sleepy Hollow’s peaceful setting is a terrifying secret: a murderer stalks the countryside—specifically, the ghost of a Hessian soldier whose head was blown off by a cannonball during the American Revolution. Ever since his grisly death, the dreaded Headless Horseman has been searching for a replacement…
…and Ichabod Crane’s noggin looks to be just the right size…
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has captivated readers ever since its first publication in 1820, in Irving’s collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. In the 200+ years since, it’s become the quintessential Halloween story, as well as the basis for countless movies, TV shows, comic books, and other pop-culture adaptations, among them Disney’s classic animated feature Ichabod and Mr. Toad (featuring the voice of Bing Crosby); director Tim Burton’s Hammer Films–esque live-action film that starred Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, and Christopher Walken; and most recently the TV show Sleepy Hollow, which starred Tom Mison as a resurrected Ichabod Crane pursuing the Horseman in modern-day New York State.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a digital exclusive available for download right now, so visit its product page for ordering information.
[Banner art: detail from “The Headless Horseman Pursuing Ichabod Crane” by John Quidor (1801–1881)]