10 Horror Movie Twists We All Saw Coming

In this adaption of Washington Irving's classic story, constable Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate three mysterious decapitations. Joining forces with heiress Katrina (Christina Ricci), the pair discover the killings have been committed by the spirit of a Hessian mercenary, better known as the Headless Horseman (Christopher Walken).

When Ichabod finds the mercenary's remains, he discovers the skull has been removed. From there, Ichabod quickly concludes the Horseman is being controlled by whoever is in possession of his head.

Once this revelation is mentioned, the audience can quickly assess Katrina's stepmother Lady Mary Van Tassel (Miranda Richardson) is the one pulling the strings. After all, Richardson was a big name at the time of the film's release. Since Lady Mary doesn't do much for the first two-thirds of the story, viewers may have been wondering why the double-Oscar nominee was cast in the role in the first place... unless she plays a big part in the third act.

Annoyingly, Lady Mary's true intentions would've been much harder to work out if a lesser-known actress was cast in the role.