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On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment magazine in the UK“, we check out research into the top ten horror movies with the most mistakes, with The Birds crowned as the biggest blunder!
We all love a good scare, the thrill of the unknown sending shivers down our spines as we cling to the edge of our seats. But what if, amidst the jump scares and chilling atmosphere, something else catches your eye? A continuity error so glaring it throws you out of the haunted house and into a fit of giggles? Believe it or not, even the scariest horror movies aren’t immune to mistakes. From misplaced props to characters defying the laws of physics, these blunders can add an unintended layer of humor (or frustration) to the viewing experience.
So, prepare to face a different kind of fright – the hilarious (or head-scratching) kind! In this blog post, we’ll unleash the ghosts of filmmaking past, revealing the top ten horror movies packed with the most mistakes. Get ready to dive into a world of continuity gaffes, historical inaccuracies, and logic-bending moments that will have you saying, “Wait, what?!” Just remember, laughter is the best medicine, even when it comes to unintentional comedic relief in the darkest corners of cinema. So, grab your popcorn (and maybe a notepad for all the bloopers!), and let’s embark on a journey through the delightfully bizarre world of horror movie mistakes!
To help us out, BonusFinder delved into IMDb’s horror ‘With Goof’ list and MovieMistake to reveal the horror films with the most mistakes per minute.
Alfred Hitchcock’s classic suspense thriller, The Birds, is renowned for its tension-packed plot and Hitchcock’s distinctive directorial flair. It tells the unsettling story of Melanie Daniels, a wealthy socialite who travels to Bodega Bay, California, to visit an acquaintance. Shortly after her arrival, strange things begin to happen. Birds of all kinds gather in increasing numbers, displaying increasingly aggressive behavior. As the attacks escalate, Melanie and the townspeople find themselves trapped in a terrifying struggle for survival against a seemingly inexplicable avian onslaught.
Mistakes
Bird Behavior Blunders:
Unrealistic Movements: While the film used real birds, their limitations showed. Crows, the primary attackers, don’t behave naturally: diving straight down instead of swooping, and lacking agility during attacks.
Sudden Stops and Starts: Bird attacks often begin and end abruptly, looking staged rather than instinctive.
Missing Mess: Despite frequent pecks and scratches, victims rarely show blood or feathers, breaking immersion.
Continuity Confusion:
Vanishing Bloodstains: Injuries miraculously heal between shots, leaving no bloodstains despite seemingly brutal attacks.
Shadow Shifts: Shadows cast by characters and objects inexplicably change direction and length within scenes, defying the established time of day.
Object Oddities: Objects like Melanie’s purse and a newspaper inexplicably appear or disappear between shots.
Logical Lapses:
Implausible Bird Numbers: The sheer volume and variety of birds attacking Bodega Bay seem unrealistic, considering the town’s size and resources.
Mysterious Motivation: The film offers no explanation for the birds’ sudden aggression, leaving audiences with unanswered questions.
Convenient Ending: The birds’ abrupt disappearance at the film’s conclusion feels unearned and unexplained.
Prop Problems:
Fake Feathers: In wider shots, some birds appear obviously stuffed or fake, breaking the illusion of real danger.
Inconsistent Crows: Close-ups show different crow species than those used in wider shots, creating continuity issues.
Scary Movie 3, a parody of multiple horror and science fiction movies, tickles the funny bone with its satirical take on the horror genre.
In Scary Movie 3, a cursed videotape emerges, promising death to anyone who watches it within seven days. Cindy Campbell, our ever-optimistic reporter, stumbles upon the tape and soon discovers a strange crop circle phenomenon linked to it. As the alien threat escalates, Cindy joins forces with President Baxter, her nephew Cody with precognitive abilities, and the ever-so-slightly-dimwitted George Logan to prevent an invasion. The film parodies various popular films and trends of the time, including “Signs,” “The Sixth Sense,” “8 Mile,” and even “The Matrix.”
Mistakes
Continuity Chaos:
Crop Circle Confusion: The crop circles change shape and size between shots, challenging any sense of consistency.
Phone Phantoms: In a scene depicting George’s conversation with God, phones inexplicably appear and disappear from his hands.
Vanishing Van: When Cindy drives away from the news station, the camera angle changes, and suddenly a different van appears in her place.
Shirtless Shuffle: When Brenda fights Tabitha, her ripped-off shirt magically reappears in the next scene, only to vanish again moments later.
Presidential Penmanship: The writing on the “pardon yourself” message changes between shots, leaving viewers questioning authenticity.
Logic Lapses:
Alien Anatomy Anomalies: The aliens’ size and form vary throughout the film, defying any established physical attributes.
Telekinetic Tiramisu: Cindy’s psychic powers conveniently activate only when necessary for the plot, raising questions about their limitations.
Rap Battle Royale Rules: The rules of the rap battle constantly change to accommodate the comedic narrative, sacrificing logical consistency.
Convenient Crop Circle Clues: The sudden appearance of decipherable messages within the crop circles feels more convenient than realistically plausible.
Timey-Wimey Trouble: The film’s timeline becomes muddled at times, with inconsistencies in the passing of days and nights.
Bonus Blunders:
Sound Mishaps: Some sound effects don’t quite match the actions on screen, adding to the unintentional humor.
Fourth Wall Flubs: Characters occasionally break the fourth wall with self-aware remarks, blurring the lines between reality and parody.
Steven Spielberg’s iconic thriller Jaws has kept audiences on the edge of their seats for generations, showcasing the terror of a colossal man-eating shark terrorising a small coastal town. On Amity Island, a seemingly idyllic summer resort, a young woman is brutally killed by a colossal great white shark. Police Chief Martin Brody, despite the mayor’s concerns about tourism, insists on closing the beaches. However, marine biologist Matt Hooper and grizzled shark hunter Quint convince Brody to join them on a dangerous mission to hunt down the killer beast.
Mistakes
Factual Faux Pas:
Great White Gaffe: In the final scene, the shark swims backwards underwater – biologically impossible for them.
Toothy Trouble: The shark loses a tooth while attacking the boat, but the tooth is embedded root-end-out, unlike reality.
Radar Revelation: The boat has a rotating radar antenna, but radar wouldn’t detect a submerged object like a shark.
Continuity Confusion:
Bizarre Binoculars: When Brody looks through binoculars at his wife and child, she appears shoeless in one shot and wearing sneakers in the next.
Vanishing Vessel: During the boat-sinking scene, the actors are clearly swimming in a tank, and the “ocean” bumps against the visible horizon line.
Disappearing Danger: When the shark is fitted with a tracking device, it swims away, but the lines at the bottom reveal it’s actually in a swimming pool.
Special Effects Shenanigans:
Stitching Shark: In a close-up shot from behind, the stitching used to create the shark’s skin is briefly visible on its fin.
Rods of Fury: When the shark drags Jake underwater, two control rods are visible extending from its body, one by his leg and one on its belly.
Unrealistic Reactions: When attacked by the shark, some characters react with unrealistic movements or sounds, adding to the comedic effect in some cases.
Bonus Blunders:
Misspelled Titles: In Brody’s report, “coroner” is misspelled as “corner.”
Editing Errors: During the examination of the first victim, there’s a brief editing error where the camera angle momentarily jumps.
Hidden Humor: Some mistakes, like the shark’s “smile” when Quint shoots the oxygen tank, may have been intentionally added for comedic effect.
Further study insights reveal:
‘The Birds’ allocated the highest budget percentage to mishaps – 2.21%, amounting to £45,551 of the overall budget, surpassing all other films.
It’s worth noting that, as a general trend, older movies tend to have made more errors than the more recent ones.
Evil Dead Rise, Insidious: The Red Door, The Babadook and Lights Out have 0 mistakes.
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