Continuity mistake: When Ichabod joins the men in Van Tassel's study, he closes the book and places it under his arm with the spine facing the floor, but next shot from behind the spine faces up. (00:14:20)
Continuity mistake: When Ichabod is investigating Johnathon Masbeth's death, he notes that the neck wound was cauterized immediately, which explains why there's no signs of bleeding. At the beginning of the movie, when Van Garret is killed by the Horseman, a splash of blood is shown hitting the pumpkin that is used for the scarecrow.
Suggested correction: Blood is constantly circulating throughout the body. While the neck wound itself is cauterized, if there is a buildup of blood in an area such as the jugular or the trachea, there will logically be a splash of blood. You actually see the same thing happen when the Horseman kills Jonathan Masbeth and Mr. Killian.
Continuity mistake: In the shot where Baltus Van Tassel is speared through with the fence post at the church, you hear a pane of glass in the window break but you never see the post actually go through the window nor do you see the rope that is tied to it at all in the shot. The post simply "appears" coming out of his chest. (01:17:55)
Continuity mistake: When the widow's body is on the operating table, in the wideshot Ichabod removes the first medical instrument from his bag and is placing it on the table. In the next close-up, as he removes his hands from the instrument we see that it is actually the second instrument he has put down, with the first one right beside it. (00:28:15)
Continuity mistake: At the funeral of Jonathan Masbath, there are many shots between Ichabod, Brom and Katrina. There are a few people between Ichabod, Katrina, and Brom. When Ichabod looks over at the other two, the people are gone. Then when they show another overall view, the people are back.
Continuity mistake: Johnny Depp's character repeatedly plays with a little red bird in a cage toy during the movie. Towards the end, he is riding in a carriage and playing with it. We see a shot from his eye view and the bird is upright, meaning if we were seeing it from the opposite side it would be upside down. But immediately after that, we see a shot facing Ichabod. The bird is upright, not like it should normally be. We then cut directly to another shot of Ichabod's view, the bird is upright yet again! (01:21:55)
Continuity mistake: When Ichabod Crane has arrived at Jonathan Masbath's murder scene, after he has retraced the horseman's steps, he goes to open his bag. Look carefully at his hands. When he goes to open the bag from a wide angle his right hand is on our side of the handle, but when the camera cuts to a close-up, it has instantly jumped to his side of the handle. (00:22:28)
Continuity mistake: When the last will and testament is signed and then sealed at the start, the wax seal differs significantly in following shots. (00:01:20)
Continuity mistake: After the Hessian, carrying Lady Van Tassel on his horse, jumps back into the tree, her hand is prominently displayed sticking out of the roots. Ichabod faints and it cuts to a wide shot of the entire tree. You can see where the Horseman jumped into the tree but Lady Van Tassel's hand is not there.
Continuity mistake: When Ichabod is being told the history of the Horseman, it shows the Horseman meeting the two Van Tassel children. After the Horseman motions for them to stay silent, young Lady Van Tassel raises the branch that she's holding and snaps it in half. Later, when Lady Van Tassel tells Katrina everything, another flashback seen occurs that shows a young Van Tassel simply breaking the branch without raising it first.
Continuity mistake: When Katrina faints after having seen his father being killed by the Headless Horseman, Ichabod notices a pink chalk fallen from her hand changing position in another shot from an overhead shot.
Continuity mistake: At the start of the movie where Ichabod is at the City of New York Municipal Watchhouse there is a medieval device to Ichabod's left, which is open and empty. In the following shot, there is a man standing inside with the doors closed around him.
Continuity mistake: When Ichabod is visiting the witch for information on the Horseman, we see them sit at the table where the witch chains herself to the wall and demonstrates how much reach she has and that she can't touch him. When she transforms, she knocks over the table and tackles Ichabod to the floor. Even if she was starting to pull the chains out of the wall like in the film, that still wouldn't have given her the extra foot and a half needed to tackle Ichabod to the ground. (00:45:00)
