Factual error: When Mina is with Dracula in Dr. Seward's room, you can see that she is wearing modern white underwear beneath her sheer nightgown; this is best seen when he confesses to be Dracula and she is upset about him having killed Lucy. Victorian lingerie consisted of a long chemise and long loose drawers which extended below the knee. (01:37:55)
Visible crew/equipment: After the hairy beast Dracula attacks Sadie Frost, Winona Ryder comes to get Sadie in the garden maze. While they're walking back, you can see the camera's shadow on Winona's back. (00:43:35)
Continuity mistake: When Dracula stamps the paper in the castle, in the wideshot, the wax seal is several centimetres away from his signature, but in the close-up, it is right next to his name. Also, his signature differs slightly between the two shots. (00:15:05)
Audio problem: When Holmwood has the gun pointed in Van Helsing's face in Lucy's crypt, Van Helsing explains about the undead. Switch to a shot behind Helsing and his jaw is still moving even though he has stopped speaking. (01:25:35)
Continuity mistake: When Dracula stabs the cross and blood pours out of it, in one shot it is slowly creeping towards Elisabeta's dead body, in another shot it is rushing past her, and in the next shot it's slowly creeping again. (00:05:20)
Continuity mistake: When Mina and Lucy are looking at erotic illustrations in the Arabian Nights book, in the wide shots of the girls holding the book, Mina's nails are cut short, but in the close-ups of her hands on the book, her nails are longer. (00:19:21)
Continuity mistake: When Dracula bumps into Mina on the street, the newspaper he just bought is tucked under his left arm, but in the next shot, when the camera pans downward as he catches the bottle, it is gone. (00:45:45)
Continuity mistake: After Mina discovers the "Arabian Nights" book while she's typing, a chair behind her moves closer to the desk between the wideshot of her from behind, and when Lucy walks over to her. (00:18:15)
Continuity mistake: Elisabeta's suicide letter is covered with stains of blood and water, which keep changing size/shape and position between shots. (00:03:15)
Continuity mistake: When Mina and Lucy are looking at the pictures in "Arabian Nights", as they open the book, both of Mina's hands are holding the book, but in the next shot, her right hand is up by her mouth. (00:19:20)
Continuity mistake: After Van Helsing inspects Mina's teeth aboard the train, as Jonathan sits down next to her, his forehead is shining with sweat. After Mina says, "Oh, what have I done to you", his forehead is showing no signs of sweat. (01:46:35)
Continuity mistake: When the men open Lucy's grave, Van Helsing's lamp and hammer, sitting on top of the stone lid, switch position between the shot of Van Helsing and the following shot from above. The same thing happens after they see the empty coffin. (01:21:20)
Continuity mistake: When Jonathan is dining in the castle, as Dracula says "That relationship was not entirely successful", Jonathan's knife is pointing upward and there is nothing on his fork. In the next shot, his knife is pointing downward and there's a piece of food on his fork. The food stays on the fork during the next few shots, until Dracula says "It is no laughing matter", and the fork is suddenly empty again. (00:13:55)
Audio problem: When Dracula and Mina first meet on the street they begin to speak. Dracula's voice has not been dubbed during the first five sentences. Then in mid stream his voice changes from a high pitched regular rehearsal voice to the heavily accented Romanian voice used throughout the rest of the picture. (00:45:20)
Visible crew/equipment: When Dracula is going to enter Lucy's bedroom for the last time, an unseen force knocks Cary Elwes backwards. Upon careful inspection, you can see a wire or cable pull him back. (01:19:30)
Continuity mistake: When the wolf scares Mina in the movie theatre, her hat switches back and forth from being forward on her head, to being tilted back. It does this in about 5 shots. (00:53:40)
Continuity mistake: When the brides of Dracula come out topless to suck Jonathan's blood, Dracula breaks in, furious, and the brides are suddenly fully clothed. (00:32:45 - 00:34:25)
Character mistake: The telegram to Professor Van Helsing says "do not loose an hour" rather than "do not LOSE an hour." (00:55:25)
Continuity mistake: When Dracula fills the communion chalice with blood from the bleeding cross, the blood is spilled over the sides and base of the chalice, but when he drinks the blood, the goblet is clean. (00:04:45)
Continuity mistake: After Dracula pours wine for Jonathan, he sets down the carafe at the edge of the table, about a meter away on Dracula's left. In the next shot, it has moved much closer to him and is sitting on Dracula's right. In the wide shot where Dracula draws his sword, the carafe is back at the edge of the table. (00:13:30)
Answer: For protection from the inmates.
raywest ★