Ghostbusters (1984) - 36 mistakes

Continuity: In the first scene the librarian is pushing a cart of books. In one shot both her hands are gripping the back but in the next shot her left hand is holding the top shelf.

Continuity: The large blue book that Peter drops on the table to startle Egon disappears off the table in the next shot.

Visible crew/equipment: In the library scene, when the ghostbusters are walking towards the old lady to ask her questions, if you look behind Ray's head to the right you can see a set light with a white tarp in front of it on the second floor of the library.

Continuity: When Dana returns to her apartment (the first time we see her do so) she is carrying a bag of groceries. The contents at the top of the grocery bag change with each shot: one time celery, then bread, then eggs, etc.

Continuity: At one point in the movie we see the end of the hallway in Dana's apartment and the end is of a window and the wall around it is red like the end near Dana's door. However, (either when the Ghostbusters arrive at the end or when Louis is being attacked by the terror-hound) the whole hallway (even the other end) is all white.

Continuity: When the eggs pop out of her bag and start cooking on the counter, they're in different positions depending on whether it's a close up or wide shot.

Visible crew/equipment: When the eggs are popping out onto the counter in Dana's apartment, if you look closely you can see the the levers in the egg carton flipping each one out.

Revealing: The first time the heroes use their proton weapons (in the hotel sequence), you can see (using slow-motion) that the rays don't actually come of the weapon, but from their target. The rays were "drawn" during post-production and, apparently, it's easier to start drawing from the target to the weapon. (According to MM rules the use of slow motion IS permitted for viewing something significant, such as a 'revealing' mistake.)

Visible crew/equipment: When Ray blasts the little green ghost in the hotel he hits a room service cart and it flies back into the wall. The wall then bends and pushes back a bit like a set piece.

Revealing: In the ballroom scene, when Slimer is flying around the chandelier, he disappears for a few frames when he reaches the far side. [This animation is mentioned in the DVD commentary. The film makers were generally unhappy with the entire animation and the fact that the representation of the apparition did not resemble those previous and that the movement was very unconvincing.]

Continuity: At 00:39:38, the Ghostbusters' logo in the right door of the car is looking to one side and then, a little bit later, it is looking to the other side (has changed its direction).

Revealing: During the "montage" there is a reversed shot of the guys driving their "ghost-mobile" - you can notice it because the Ghostbusters logo is reversed.

Continuity: At about the middle of the film, when the Ghostbusters are rising to fame and are appearing on the front of newspapers and magazines, the photograph on the front of the New York Post is taken from the end of the film, just before the four of them cross the streams from their proton packs.

Continuity: When Winston gets hired, Venkman and Stantz have just come back from a job. They're covered in slime and Venkman's smoking. Ray gives Winston an armful of traps. We then cut to Venkman chatting to Dana after a rehearsal, so we assume it's later, maybe even a different day. After that scene though, we then cut back to Stantz showing Winston (wearing the same shirt) what to do with the traps, and Venkman talking to the guy from the EPA. Venkman's got the same slime pattern on his shoulder, and is still smoking. Looks like the Dana/Venkman scene was in the wrong place.

Continuity: At the Lincoln Center (that place Dana's orchestra plays at) the nerd with her has his case and they're leaving when Peter is there. Nerd-boy goes off to the side and waits. When they start off again, his case pops back and forth unhumanly between being carried under his arm and in his hand between long and close shots about 3 times.

Continuity: When the demon breaks out of the statue on Dana's apartment building, it breaks away the right paw. When we see the statue after the demon is out, both paws are intact.

Visible crew/equipment: When Dana is "strapped" to the chair and pulled into the kitchen, you can clearly see the track in the floor upon which the chair is riding.

Continuity: When the police car falls into the hole, if you watch the ground thats rising up in front of it, when it finally comes to a stop, you can see how light it is because it bounces.

Continuity: As the earthquake happens and the ghostbusters fall in the crack, the close-up shot shows Ray holding his gloves, yet in the immediate cut away he is wearing them.

Continuity: When the heros arrive at Dana's building, they're saluted by a crowd. If you pay close attention, you'll see the same extra in two different positions (he's the young - and very "happy" - guy wearing a grey suit and a purple tie).