Factual error: When Barnabus is talking to Carolyn (just before he goes out in the woods and kills the hippies) he says "I am a picker. I am a grinner. I am a lover. And I am a sinner. I play my music in the sun." These are lines from the song "The Joker" which was recorded in August of 1973 and released in October 1973. The song wasn't released for a full year after the events in the movie, which takes place in October, 1972. (00:56:50 - 00:57:12)
Factual error: On the Amtrak train, "Vicki" sees a sign advertising downhill skiing trips to Victoria, BC. There are no downhill ski areas in Victoria, or close by, and Amtrak doesn't travel to Victoria.
Factual error: The train sequences that are supposed to be in 1972 show Amtrak cars that were not built until the 1980s, and the rear (pusher) locomotive was not built until after 2000, as was the modified locomotive/control car in the front. The Amtrak graphics are from this century also. They went to the trouble to create 1972 Maine license plates for the vintage autos, and spent millions on effects, but they can't contact a historical society for the use of a correct coach for a day and search for stock footage of a train that's not 40 years too modern?
Factual error: Alice Cooper sings the song "No more Mr Nice guy." This song wasn't released at that time.
Answer: In the original television series, it was implied that 18th Century Josette Dupres had reincarnated as either Maggie Evans or as Victoria Winters in the 20th Century (Barnabas pursued Maggie at first but then decided Victoria was Josette's reincarnation). However, Victoria then traveled back in time to the 18th Century and actually met Josette, which was confusing (the same soul in two unrelated bodies in the same timeline seems unlikely). Tim Burton sidestepped that confusion by omitting the time-travel part of the original storyline. In both the original series and the movie, though, the point is that Victoria and Josette share a soul. Toward the end of the film, Victoria finally accepted that she was Josette and that Barnabas was her long-lost love.
Charles Austin Miller