Still one of the coolest and spookiest watches for Halloween is Walt Disney’s classic interpretation of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow that just turned 75.
The short is one half the the 1949 animated feature The Adventures of Ichabod and Mister Toad, released Oct.5, 1949. It featured two huge stars of the time narrating classic tales. This included Kenneth Grahame’s Wind and the Willows by narrated by Basil Rathbone. This short inspired the hellbound darkride Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. It also featured, of course, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow narrated by Bing Crosby.
Unlike much the Disney fare today, this classic had staying power. It was fun, beautifully animated and most of all…creepy as all get out. This scene alone where Ichabod scares himself into a frenzy is a master class in storytelling:
Besides it being a class act, one of the things interesting bout this movie is there wasn’t a whole lot of horror coming out of 1949.
There were a couple, and if you’re in the mood to do a little classic film rabbit-hole diving, give these a try:
Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer Boris Karloff
When the era of the original Universal Monster classics were still popular, comic duo Bud Abbott and Lou Costello made a handful of comedies, some featuring the monsters and the original actors who portrayed them. In the summer of1949, they gave us an original cornball murder mystery in which one of the suspects, Swami Talpur, was portrayed by Boris Karloff. This is nowhere near as good as their actual monster team-ups, but still lots of fun with guns, gals and “slinky-slithery homicidal suspects.”
The Ghost of Yotsuya, Parts 1 and 2
The murder and revenge story of Yotsuya Kaidan based on a kabuki play is probably one of the most popular and famous ghost tales to come out of Japan. There have been many, many interpretations of it, although in the 1949 version, it becomes more a melodramatic thriller with the ghost of Oiwa actually being a representation of her husband’s guilt. It can also be found under the title the Phantom of Yotsuya.
I will say this: it isn’t easy finding a good subtitled version of these films, but here’s a campy look at its Japanese language trailer:
Honestly, the 1959 telling of this film is easier to find, and follows a more ghostly interpretation. And, yes, it is creepy still by today’s standards:
The Queen of Spades
This British fantasy horror, based on a short story, was re-discovered in 2009, but is still relatively unknown to many. Selling one’s soul to the Devil for wealth and power is an ageless tale, but one officer becomes driven to find why one countess may have for a card game.
Like much 40s film, the trailer is ridiculously narrated, but the story is still cool.
If you’re unhappy with the state of animated films, spooky family are or movies in general today, it is okay to time travel back to the golden era of the silver screen, when more than anything, storytelling reigned supreme.
Happy Anniversary Disney’s Sleepy Hollow, thanks for letting my parents share this classic story interpretation with me and letting me enjoy it with my own family.