Sleepy Hollow High

A pumpkin-headed slayer threatens high school youths in the Maryland woods

Five juvenile delinquents want to graduate, but they have to do community service at a park in the sticks outside Baltimore to do so. Unfortunately, it’s Halloween and there’s a man on the loose with a jack-o'-lantern helmet slaying people with a sword.

“Sleepy Hollow High” (2000) is a no-budget slasher that only cost $16,500. I’m a fan of the subgenre and there are numerous examples of barely-a-budget slashers delivering the goods, like "The Ridge" (2005), which cost $2400, and "A Bothered Conscience” (2006), which cost $2300. "Butchered" (2010) is another example. Decent Indie slashers that had more money to work with include "Splatter University" (1984), which had $26,000, and "The Majorettes" (1986), which had $85,500.

This is easily the least of these, but it has a few highlights, like quality locations à la “The Blair Witch Project” (1999), a few attractive women, a little human interest, decent acting (all things considered) and a good rockin’ soundtrack, which includes several songs by Big Neon Glitter. Regrettably, the story is one-dimensional and tedious. The script needed a rewrite to flesh-out more highlights and make the story compelling.

Meagan Adele Lopez stands out in the feminine department as Shannon while, on the masculine front, Ruben Brown is reminiscent of Ice Cube, albeit second rate.

The flick runs 1 hour, 20 minutes, and was shot at Sykesville and Towson, Maryland, which are a dozen miles northeast and north of Baltimore respectively.

GRADE: C-/D+ (3.7/10)