Deliberate mistake: In the first sequence, you see a man riding on the wooden battering-ram, and you can see where two different shots of the same man were spliced together, as the background suddenly shifts from being a forest, to being the exterior of the town, where the stone wall is. It was meant to be one single shot, but you can just see how the trick works. (00:00:30)
Continuity mistake: In the beginning after Dr.Frankenstein has awakened his monster he turns around and runs against the window. As he runs you can see a rack of a kind standing in front of the window. When it cuts the rack is gone. (00:00:55)
Continuity mistake: When Dr. Frankenstein turns around and suddenly faces Dracula he is scared and bumps backwards on to a rack. At that time you see him standing a bit to the right of the rack's pole. When it cuts he is standing a bit to the left of the pole. (00:01:25)
Continuity mistake: When Dracula says to Victor "Pity your moment of triumph is being spoiled," you can see Dracula standing with his back against Victor and slightly turning around. When it cuts Dracula is facing Victor even thought he still should be turning around. (00:01:30)
Continuity mistake: When Dracula is talking to Victor and he says "It must now serve my purpose." you can see hair hanging over Victor's forehead. When it cuts to Victor getting up while saying "What purpose?" the hair is gone from his forehead. (00:02:30)
Continuity mistake: In the scene at the beginning of the movie where Dracula is at Dr. Frankenstein's castle, he says "over God." He then turns around with his arms at his sides and speaks to Dr. Frankenstein, with his arms remaining at his sides. When the shot changes to show Dracula's back and Dr. Frankenstein's front, we can see Dracula's fingers near his chest as if he pressed his hands together. There couldn't have been time between shots to change them from his sides to his front. (00:02:30)
Other mistake: When Victor draws the sword pointing it at Dracula, after he says "Stay back," in the frontal shot of Victor holding the sword the tip of the sword is bent. (00:03:25)
Revealing mistake: When Dr. Frankenstein is holding the sword against Dracula, you can see its shadow on the wall to his left. However, when Dracula impales himself with the sword you can see the sword's shadow going through Dracula's shadow at the same time. Whatever the film makers have done, they have forgotten to remove the sword's shadow. (00:03:30)
Continuity mistake: When the Frankenstein Monster manages to get himself loose from the table you can see him ripping off the strap by its attachment on the table. Later when Dracula gets to the table you can see the strap leather has been ripped in two on the middle instead. (00:03:50)
Revealing mistake: In the beginning when the Frankenstein Monster throws the equipment on Dracula you can see the outline where the wire used to drag Dracula backwards is attached. (00:04:10)
Continuity mistake: When Dr. Frankenstein asks Dracula "What purpose?", the doctor's hairstyle changes. (00:04:10)
Revealing mistake: At the windmill when the fire reaches the cases with Absinthe bottles the cases explode. Howeverm when the explosion occurs we can see sparks. I'm pretty sure an explosion like this wouldn't produce sparks, so it's obvious the explosion was ignited by some explosives. (00:05:35)
Revealing mistake: When the windmill starts to burn, we see a closeup of the Bible, before fire flares up in front of it. But if you look close, the angle of the fire is not correct in relation to the angle of the camera. Obviously the foreground fire was imposed over the scene later on. (00:05:35)
Factual error: Part of the "Wanted" poster in France reads "2,000 francs de récompence." 1) numbers are not written with a comma in French, but with a space (i.e. 2 000); 2) "reward" in French is spelled "récompense," not "récompence." (00:07:35)
Continuity mistake: When Mr.Hyde strikes Van Helsing through the air, the hat falls off Mr. Hyde and you can see it fall behind him. When it cuts to Van Helsing flying through the air while shooting at Mr. Hyde, you can see the hat lies a few feet in front of Mr. Hyde. (00:10:10)
Continuity mistake: When Mr.Hyde is charging Van Helsing while saying "Here I come, ready or not", you see Van Helsing standing in front of him holding his blades down. When it cuts Van Helsing is suddenly holding them in front of him. (00:10:30)
Factual error: When Van Helsing goes to Rome, the subtitle refers to the Vatican as "Vatican City". By the 1880's the Pope had lost all his temporal power, and his previous lands (The Papal States) were taken by the new Italy. The Vatican had no lands or authority over any of Italy or Rome. The Pope was a virtual prisoner inside the Vatican. Only with the Lateran treaty in 1929 (with Mussolini) did the Vatican gain independence as the "State of Vatican City". (00:13:10)
Revealing mistake: When Van Helsing enters the secret-society under Vatican City, in the distance you can see a giant mirror used to reflect the set to create the illusion that the room is much bigger than it really is. You can see Van Helsing and the priest's reflections at the top corner of the screen several times (Confirmed on DVD commentary). (00:14:45)
Continuity mistake: When we first get to Carl there is a man behind him on a some sort of power generating machine. Then the man suddenly almost get electrocuted and smoke rises all around him. When it cuts to Carl walking to Van Helsing we can see the man in the background but now all the smoke is gone. (00:17:05)
Continuity mistake: When Carl picks up the silver stake Van Helsing is holding the bag with clenched fists. When it cuts to Carl putting the stake into the bag, Van Helsing is holding both his thumbs up. (00:17:30)
Answer: Gabriel is the true name of the character described elsewhere as the Left Hand of God, responsible for Dracula's original death. Dracula uses this to try to remind Van Helsing of their history together. The implication is that Van Helsing is actually the archangel Gabriel, credited with (among other things) announcing the pending birth of Christ to Mary his mother, Joseph his father, and Elizabeth mother of John the Baptist.
Phoenix