The Frighteners

Continuity mistake: Running from the ghost, as Patricia crouches behind the couch at her home and shouts, "Please don't hurt me!", the throw on the couch and the pillows change positions between shots, before she falls onto the couch, as well as the pillows behind her head after she falls onto the couch. (00:01:15)

Super Grover

The Frighteners mistake picture

Continuity mistake: At her house, Patricia runs away from the ghost and when she first enters the kitchen the countertops beside the sinks are completely bare. However, a few shots later there are neat stacks of china on the countertops, ready to fly off in the mayhem! (00:01:45)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Patricia is in the kitchen, the ghost wreaks havoc and when she gasps at the exploding stove the refrigerator is visible. In the next shot when things tumble down from the top of the refigerator as it moves away from the wall, the shadows on the wall are completely different. Then the corner cabinet door under the sink opens fully, however, in the shot from under the table as she dives under, the corner cabinet is closed. (00:01:55)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: At the Bradley house, when Patricia runs to and then up the stairs, to try and get away from the ghost, the blood stains on Patricia's white robe change position. (00:02:10)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Frank slams his car into Ray's fence, the Volvo sustains body damage on its left side near the headlight. This damage disappears in later shots. (00:06:15)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: After Frank nearly collides with the truck, he crashes through Ray's fence. The breaks in the picket fence differ depending on the camera angle. (00:06:15)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Frank's car is on Ray's lawn, until he pulls away, the position of the garden hose and bits of picket fence lying around on the lawn differ in the consecutive shots. (00:06:30)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: After Frank destroys Ray's fence, he backs the car over Budzo (the ceramic little gnome), crushing it on the lawn. Yet, when Ray picks him up crying out, "Oh, my Budzo! My Budzo!" he is holding the gnome's uncrushed head! (00:07:05)

Continuity mistake: When Frank drives over and crushes Ray's little gnome statue, as Ray shouts the subtitles read, "Budzo! Oh, my Budzo! My Budzo!" However later in the film the gnome's grave marker actually reads, "Bonzo." (00:07:05 - 00:13:30)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Lucy watches the video about the history of Johnny Bartlett, the sweat stain on Ray's shirt changes in the following shots. (00:11:30)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Lucy is stuck on the floating bed the pillows are visible and when Ray helps her down the left pillow sham is lying flat. However, when the bed lands all the pillows and shams are upright and neat. (00:12:35)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: While Lucy is on the floating bed, only the floral blanket that Ray tossed is on the floor. After Ray helps Lucy off, they sit together across the room and in the next shot when the bed lands, the floral blanket and now a pink blanket are on the floor near the bed. When Lucy screams as Raggedy Anne pulls on her, the two blankets are visible across the floor and their positions differ. (00:12:45)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Frank arrives at the Lynskeys to take care of their ghost problem, he drives onto their lawn again. In the wide shot he takes down a piece of the picket fence, which falls squarely on top of the little statues, including little Bonzo's grave, and proceeds to drive toward the house. However, the next close-up is of the statues, who are still standing, and as the car runs over them the picket fence does not slam down on them like in the wide shot of the 'same' action. (00:13:25)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Frank walks in through the Lynskey's front door he passes a table with assorted items, including a bouquet of red and yellow flowers. When Frank leaves their house, the positions of some items differ and the bouquet is arranged differently. (00:13:30 - 00:17:10)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Frank is in Lucy and Ray Lynskey's house pretending to get rid of the 'persistent residue of the departed', things in their kitchen (floor, fridge, counter, etc...) appear/disappear and/or change position between shots. (00:13:40)

Super Grover

The Frighteners mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Frank returns home from the Lynskeys, he parks his Volvo right beside the outdoor fuse box post, with the box facing beyond the trunk of the car. However, after Frank goes upstairs, in the next exterior aerial shot the Volvo is 10-15 ft. away from the fuse box post and the box now faces beyond the front of the car. (00:17:30 - 00:19:20)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: At Frank's house, while Stuart rambles on about happy and productive ghosts, Frank pours himself a bowl of Jeepers Creepers yellowish color flake cereal. After Frank sprays Stuart in the face with the Shoo Fly, Frank eats cereal that are roundish dark-colored bits. (00:19:35)

Super Grover

The Frighteners mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Mrs. Waterhouse walks into the livingroom and greets her three babies, there is a large area rug in front of the coffee table. However, as the babies fly towards her in the wide shot facing her, that area rug is gone! (00:22:55 - 00:23:50)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: At Mrs. Waterhouse's home, the large potted tree, beside the doorway with the bouncing baby, is visible in consecutive shots and the leaves' position obviously differs in those shots. (00:22:55)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: After Mrs. Waterhouse says good morning to her children, in the wide shot she walks to the coffee table to get her mail. In the next close-up, a couple of things disappear from the table, as well as the pillow on the floor, which leans against the couch behind the table. (00:23:00)

Super Grover

Revealing mistake: After Lucy discovers Mrs. Bradley in her bed, as she fights off and runs from Patricia, it is obvious that she wears knee pads for these shots.

Super Grover

More mistakes in The Frighteners

Sergeant Hiles: I am not one of your shitty little emanations, Bannister.

More quotes from The Frighteners

Trivia: During the filming, Michael J. Fox kept accidentally calling out "Doc" (from Back To The Future) instead of "Judge."

More trivia for The Frighteners

Question: How did the people behind the film achieve the effect of making the actors look like ghosts. I truly have no idea.

Gavin Jackson

Chosen answer: For the most part, the actors playing the ghosts were shot separately on blue-screens, and then comped into the scenes. (By removing the blue background through a process called "color keying", and placing them over the scenes) They were simply given a blueish glow and made semi-translucent to complete the effect. It was pretty cutting edge back in the 90's, but nowadays, it'd be very easy to make the exact same effect using a simple program like Adobe After Effects.

TedStixon

More questions & answers from The Frighteners

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