Continuity mistake: During the sequence where Ichabod and The Horseman are fighting on top of the carriage, it's quite obvious that the two horses Masbeth and Katrina are riding keep changing colour. Sometimes they are both dark brown but sometimes Katrina's is dark brown and Masbeth's is white.
Suggested correction: Some horse breeds, like an appaloosa, waere used in the film - like the horse 'Gunpowder'. They have darker colored front halves and legs while their back end is white. Most likely Gunpowder is one of the horses used in this scene. There is one shot, taken from the side of the horse during this chase segment, where you can see this marking, his front is dark and his back end is white. Horses aren't changing, just the camera angles on the horse.
Other mistake: After the midwife's son lights the candles, watch closely, as the lamp revolves clockwise, you will see the cutout of the witch on the broom. It shows the witch facing to the right (counter-clockwise), which means that the projection would and should show the witch "flying" backwards. (00:53:00)
Continuity mistake: When Peter Van Garret's son gets his head chopped off Peter Van Garret looks out of the window. In the close-up his mouth opens in a gasp. Then it goes to a long shot showing the son with no head and Peter Van Garret's mouth is suddenly closed and then he gasps again in the exact same way.
Continuity mistake: At the end of the movie, after Ichabod gives the Horseman back his head, he and Katrina are shown standing next to each other, and her hair is completely down around her face. It then goes to a shot of them from behind, watching the Horseman, and her hair is pulled back. Next shot of them from the front, it's all down again.
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Crane and the Headless Horseman are fighting atop the moving carriage, Crane shoots at the horseman, leaving a mark on the roof of the carriage. In the next shots, the mark is gone.
Continuity mistake: When Ichabod is with the young Masbath discussing conspiracy, he writes down key words such as 'conspiracy', 'the secret', '5 to 4' and 'points to'. The handwriting, its size, and position on the paper differ significantly in following shots. (01:04:00)
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)
Revealing mistake: In the scene where Ichabod and Young Masbeth enter the witch's cave, the witch tackles Ichabod to the ground. The creepy face of the witch is obviously a mask because you can see the black cloth where the eyes are if you pay attention closely.
Revealing mistake: When the headless horseman's head is being dropped into his grave it bounces on the dirt like rubber.
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)
Other mistake: Towards the end of the movie when Ichabod discovers that Peter van Garrett and widow Winship were secretly married, we see the marriage certificate. The bride is shown as Emily Winship (maiden). Surely she should have been described as a widow because a maiden was the term for a woman who had never been married.
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.
