23 Horror Movie Mistakes That Will Scare You Silly
Horror movies, like this weekend's WWII gore-fest "Overlord," sometimes make the continuity error, gaffe, or movie misstep. We've assembled a few on-screen errors -- from movies like "The Shining" and "Scream" -- to see if that holds true. As always, all photos are courtesy of MovieMistakes.com.
'Halloween' (1978)
When Michael attacks the nurse outside Smith's Grove Sanitarium and smashes the front passenger window, you can see a wrench taped to his hand in order to easily break the glass.
'Friday the 13th' (2009)
As Clay leaves the lodge with Jenna, his bag is swung over his left shoulder. In the next shot, however, the bag is suddenly in his right hand. After Clay is on his motorcycle, the bag is back over his shoulder.
'The Shining' (1980)
When Danny is playing with his toy cars and trucks in the corridor, there is an overhead shot of Danny followed by a medium shot of Danny from ground level. By examining the distinct carpet pattern, it's clear Danny (and his toys) are facing one way in the overhead shot only to face the other direction in the medium shot!
'Silent Hill' (2006)
As Rose (Radha Mitchell) calls for Sharon following the car crash, the cut above her right eye disappears for one shot.
'The Thing' (1982)
When the crew is trying to lock Blair in the tool shed, they're nailing wood to the window horizontally. From inside the shed, however, the wood strips are vertical.
'The Cabin in the Woods' (2012)
Right after Curt jumps into the lake, the towel around Marty's neck suddenly vanishes and then reappears.
'Christine' (1983)
Dennis uses the tractor to damage and immobilize Christine, even dropping the teeth of the tractor bucket on the car. Immediate close-ups of the car, however, show the car completely without damage and, then, the next shot sees the car in its previous totaled condition.
'I Spit On Your Grave' (1978)
As Jennifer runs away from the two guys, a crew member can be seen in the brush on the left.
'The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (1994)
When Jenny (Renée Zellweger) crawls across her car, you can clearly see the black kneepads Zellweger is wearing for the scene.
'The Unborn' (2009)
After Romey (Meagan Good) hits the little boy with her car, she stops to make sure he's OK -- and closes the car door behind her. When she returns to her vehicle, however, the door is magically open.
'The Birds' (1963)
After being attacked by a flock of crazed birds, Melanie lies down on a sofa to get bandaged up. When she sits up, you can see two large bloody scratches on her left cheek. But those scratches disappear when Mitch and Lydia walk Melanie outside to the car. Maybe she's a fast healer.
'Friday the 13th Part 3: 3D' (1982)
Aside from the painfully obvious prop head, this scene in which Jason squeezes Rick's skull hard enough to make his eyes pop out reveals a little of what's behind the gory special effects. As you can see, a wire attached to the eyes of the faux head is clearly visible.
'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (2003)
When the two guys are arguing after the girl shoots herself, the front passenger door keeps opening and closing between shots.
'A Nightmare on Elm Street' (1984)
When Nancy wakes up from her nightmare in the dream clinic, we can clearly see a bandage on her chin. In the next shot, the bandage disappears, only to reappear in the next.
'Scream 3' (2000)
When Gale and Dewey find the killer's voice changer, Gale's hands are clean, yet suddenly have dried blood on them as she picks up the device. In the next shot, however, her hands are clean again.
'Cabin Fever' (2002)
As Bert walks ahead of Jeff and Marcy, his BB gun hangs around his right shoulder. When he turns back to talk to his two friends, the gun is suddenly on his left shoulder.
'What Lies Beneath' (2000)
When Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer) first sees the ghost, she hugs Norman (Harrison Ford) in fright. Prior to the hug, Claire's hand was in the tub, yet it is completely -- and inexplicably -- dry when she clutches Norman.
'Paranormal Activity 2' (2010)
The last two photos on the left side of the wall change continually throughout the movie. But, yet again, there are paranormal forces in the house...
'The Mummy Returns' (2001)
After Rick (Brendan Fraser) and Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) find the magical bracelet they've been looking for, water begins rushing in after them. They run to try to escape, but at one point stop to hold each other before a giant wave crashes over them. It's the moment before that happens when Weisz's and Fraser's stunt doubles are clearly visible. How'd they get in there?!
'Child's Play 2' (1990)
"Child's Play 2" was, arguably, equal parts creepy and funny, and this careless mistake definitely adds to the campy fun. When Grace (Grace Zabriskie) grabs Chucky in her office during a human-on-possessed-doll struggle, Chucky ultimately wins and stabs her twice, after which, Grace stumbles backwards. It's then that the top of a crew member's head finds its way into the shot. Someone's hair must've wanted its 15 minutes of fame.
'Scream' (1996)
At the end of the movie, Sydney's (Neve Campbell) dad falls out of a closet he's been locked in -- but he wasn't alone. After Syd's dad pushes his way out, various items fall out with him, and you can clearly see a crew member's hand pushing/throwing items out of the closet behind him.
'Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday' (1993)
In the final scene, Jessica (Kari Keegan) runs over to Jason from behind and stabs him in the heart with a dagger. Jason then lashes back and hits Jessica, sending her flying backwards, and onto a clearly visible large blue crash mat. Safety first!
'Final Destination 2' (2003)
Everyone in the Final Destination franchise dies in unique and unexpected ways. For example, in one scene, a boy is crushed by a piece of falling glass. The only problem is, the filmmakers didn't do a very good job of making sure the dummy they used for the scene looked realistic. Here, you can see that its arms are way too long in proportion to the rest of its body.
