The Exorcist

Continuity mistake: Father Merrin prays with his Rosary Beads as Chris brings him a cup of coffee. At first the cross is up near his hand but in the next shot it's dangling close to the floor. (01:41:55)

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Continuity mistake: After the first part of the exorcism Father Karras sits on the steps as Father Merrin walks to the bathroom. His coat and purple scarf are draped across the railing but two shots later as Father Karras goes back into Reagan's room the items have disappeared. (01:54:45)

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Continuity mistake: Father Merrin says the Lord's Prayer as he stands at the edge of Regan's bed. At first she's sticking her tongue out at him then in the next shot she's not. (01:45:20)

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Continuity mistake: Det. Kinderman throws his napkin down flat on the table in front of Chris as he gets up. In the next shot it has been rearranged on the table. (01:15:40)

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Continuity mistake: When Regan throws up green vomit over Father Merrin's purple sash, Damien takes it and his glasses to the ensuite, to wash them, but when he gets there, the glasses are no longer with him.

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Continuity mistake: In his apartment as Father Karras listens to the backwards tape of the voices coming from Regan, the tape recorder moves about four inches away from the edge of the desk between shots. (01:36:20)

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Continuity mistake: In the basement as Chris irons Father Karras' clean shirt, her cup on the ironing table rotates 45 degrees throughout the scene without being touched. (01:25:55)

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Continuity mistake: After the second set of tests on Regan, Dr. Klein asks Chris, "Do you keep any drugs in your house?". If you look closely he faces the wrong direction when he says this as Chris has not move yet from the spot where she's standing. She moves in the next shot. (00:56:35)

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Continuity mistake: As he lays down, Father Dyer takes Father Karras' cigarette from him and puts it in his mouth. In the next shot it's back in Father Karras' right hand. (00:46:00)

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Continuity mistake: After her bath as she gets ready for sleep Regan asks Chris, "What's wrong with me?" and her left arm goes from being under the pillow to under her head between shots. (00:43:50)

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Continuity mistake: After the first part of the exorcism, Father Merrin leaves Regan's room and we see his red prayer book and crucifix sitting on the nightstand as he does. He sits on the steps and then goes into the bathroom to take a pill, but later as he goes back into her room he has the book and crucifix in his hand. (01:53:00)

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Continuity mistake: Back at his apartment Damien plays the tape of Regan backwards again on his tape recorder. Some items on the 1st and 2nd shelf on the back wall are rearranged between shots. (01:35:55)

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Continuity mistake: Father Merrin says, "Be gone" as he walks over to the other side of Regan's bed, and the lamp on her right almost falls over. In the next shot it's not moving at all. (01:49:25)

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Continuity mistake: As Father Karras listens to a tape recording of Regan at the university language lab the lamp above his head is on his left. In the next shot it's right in front of him. (01:29:30)

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Continuity mistake: In the scene where Chris McNeil goes into the attic to investigate, the size of her candle shrinks at an incredible rate between shots.

Continuity mistake: After she gets up from the table, Chris walks into the kitchen and we see an oil and vinegar tray on the lower level of the shelf above the cutting board. We see this spot before behind Det. Kinderman as he looks at his coffee, and the oil and vinegar tray are not there. (01:16:00)

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Continuity mistake: Chris walks with Damien after they meet on the bridge. As they talk she's smoking a cigarette, which she throws down and puts out with her foot. After she says, "How you go about getting an exorcism?" the cigarette is back in her right hand. (01:21:20)

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Continuity mistake: As Chris walks around the attic to see what's making the noise more candle wax appears dripping down its side between shots. (00:30:00)

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Continuity mistake: The Psychiatrist that hypnotizes Regan is wearing a tie that in the close-ups, is retied differently as the scene progresses. (01:02:05)

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More mistakes in The Exorcist

Demon: I'm not Regan.
Father Damien Karras: Well, then let's introduce ourselves. I'm Damien Karras.
Demon: And I'm the Devil. Now kindly undo these straps.
Father Damien Karras: If you're the Devil, why not make the straps disappear?
Demon: That's much too vulgar a display of power, Karras.

More quotes from The Exorcist

Trivia: In the scene where Regan's mother is supernaturally blasted away from the bedside, she is being yanked by the crew by a length of rope. After dozens of takes director William Friedkin was still unhappy with the look of the shot and ordered the crew to haul her more fiercely. The scream in the shot that made the cut was of genuine pain and required no dubbing for effect.

More trivia for The Exorcist

Question: What is Chris McNeal's assistant listening to on the radio when Father Merrit arrives?

Answer: When it cuts to Chris MacNeil's PA, Sharon, listening to the radio it's only for about 20 seconds, and all we hear is a voice which presumably belongs to a random radio host or guest who is in the midst of offering motivational advice. This short scene serves to show Sharon's tension with what's going on in the house.

Super Grover

More questions & answers from The Exorcist

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