SLEEPY HOLLOW, 1998
A story told in six envelopes, arriving about once a week, taking you back to the era of cassette tapes, flip phones, and zines.
A different kind of "Sleepy Hollow"
What do you remember about The Legend of Sleepy Hollow? The Headless Horseman and the horror vibes, most likely. Maybe the Disney animated movie, the tv detective series, or maybe the Scooby-Doo episode.
But the real story is very different. It’s not even really a horror story. It’s more gently spooky, sly and a lot of fun. It’s about a boy trying to make his way in the world, a girl trying to figure out who she wants to be, and a town that loves to tell stories.
We decided to bring that version of Sleepy Hollow to life, one more interested in an outsider trying to fit into a community with peculiar sensibilities, and the romantic triangle that ensues. It has more in common with the Stars Hollow of Gilmore Girls than any Tim Burton movie. (If Stars Hollow had a Headless Horseman lurking about.)
The story comes to you, right to your mailbox, over the course of six weeks. Each envelope includes a letter from Ichabod Crane, describing his exploits in Sleepy Hollow. Each will also include a piece of the storyworld – a sketch by Ichabod, a postcard, or some other 90s-flavored surprises.
The Story
Ichabod Crane is a young, hungry, ambitious computer programmer. He's tall and rail-thin, with an immense appetite that never seems to be satisfied. He’s also an avid collector of conspiracy theories and paranormal stories; he’s a huuuge fan of The X-Files.
Ichabod is also an amateur sketch artist, and he often adds drawings in the margins of his letters.Ichabod recently moved to Sleepy Hollow for a job for a big project working on fixing the Y2K bug. But he has greater ambitions: to move west and make something of himself in the exploding tech industry. His plan is to save every dollar he can, but things take a turn when he meets...
Katrina likes to make things: bracelets, mixtapes, zines...Katrina Van Tassel, the only daughter of Sleepy Hollow’s most prominent and wealthy family. Katrina moved home a few years earlier to be closer to her parents and to figure out what she wants to do with her life.
In the meantime, she manages the town’s tiny bookstore and tries to avoid...
Ripping off The Ramones, every member of the band uses "Bones" as a stage name.Abraham Brunt, aka Brom, her ex from high school. These days, Brom spends most of his time practicing with his grunge cover band, “Them Bones.”
Sleepy Hollow bills itself as “The Haunted Capital of the Northeast.” Out of all their many ghost stories, The Headless Horseman is the most important. The spirit of a mercenary soldier killed in a Revolutionary War battle, the Horseman has haunted the town ever since. He’s become the town mascot; they even named the diner after him.
The Headless Horseman Diner is known for their excellent pies.There’s one more person who plays an important role, and who doesn’t come from the original story:
Gideon Granger is the narrator, our “Lemony Snicket” character. He's the in-fiction framing device for sending you letters in the present that contain stories from the past.
How does this work?
You'll receive one letter per week (give or take a day or two, depending on your local postal service), maximizing suspense and anticipation.
Gideon Granger will check in with you via email to make sure you are receiving your letters. If you miss a letter, he'll get another one sent to you.
