Tim Burtons horror movies have his unique narrative and visual style, and in his take on the tale of Sleepy Hollow, he broke one of the most controversial horror traditions, but it was for the better. After exploring the genre of sci-fi and comedy with Mars Attacks!, Tim Burton returned to horror in his own style with Sleepy Hollow. Loosely based on the 1820 short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving, Sleepy Hollow takes viewers to 1799 and to the title town that has been plagued by a series of brutal and mysterious murders.