Did You Know?
Jump to:
Anachronisms (1) |
Character error (1) |
Continuity (4) |
Crew or equipment visible (1) |
Factual errors (1) |
Incorrectly regarded as goofs (4) |
Revealing mistakes (1)
Anachronisms
When Donnie leaves the theater to burn Jim Cunningham's house down, we see that the films playing at the theater are The Evil Dead and The Last Temptaion of Christ. Although the film is set in 1988, The Last Temptaion of Christ wasn't released till 1989
Share this
Share this
Character error
While discussing Watership Down in class (1:33 approx. of Director's Cut), Donnie calls his English teacher Ms. Farmer. The character's name is Ms. Pomeroy. Farmer is the gym teacher.
Share this
Share this
Continuity
While in the car with his father, the passenger side mirror can be seen outside of the window. During the back and forth shots between Donnie and his father, the mirror noticeably changes angles.
Share this
Share this
During the Life Line activity in Mrs. Farmer's class, Cherita answers her question card by placing an "X" on the chalkboard. When Donnie is called next the "X" that Cherita placed on the board is barely visible, like it had been half-erased.
Share this
Share this
When Donnie is talking about time travel with his science teacher for the first time, the slinky around his neck changes positions from behind the collar of his shirt to around his neck when the camera switches between frontal and rear angles.
Share this
Share this
When Donnie's science teacher begins talking about Roberta Sparrow's book, Donnie puts the Slinky around his neck. The camera cuts to Donnie taking the book and cuts directly back to a rear angle of Donnie to show the Slinky still taut around his neck, which it would not be if he had released his grip on one end of it.
Share this
Share this
Crew or equipment visible
When Donnie and his dad are talking in the car - just before they almost run grandma death over - a clapperboard is reflected in the window behind Donnie's dad's head.
Share this
Share this
Factual errors
The sun would not be up in Virgina on October 30th of any year at 6:42:12 AM. It would still be dark.
Share this
Share this
Incorrectly regarded as goofs
The unmarried Jim Cunningham wears a wedding band throughout the film. According to Richard Kelly, this is an element of his untrustworthy and mysterious nature.
Share this
Share this
The movie is set in 1988, but license plates, book editions, news photographs and products from 1989-1999 appear throughout. These anachronisms fit in with the movie's themes of time travel and altered realities. (Chapter 4 even mentions how things from the future, such as Mayans having arrow heads, are symbols of future being brought to the past - these anachronisms are on purpose.)
Share this
Share this
When the students all write "They made me do it" on the board, Sam Bylen is followed by Donnie Darko. Cherita Chen wrote between those two, but the original cut skips her moment. It is restored in the director's cut.
Share this
Share this
The name of the high school is "Middlesex," which would obviously be abbreviated "MHS" for Middlesex High School. Immediately before Donnie's time travel conversation with his teacher, we see the top of the entrance of the school. There is a stone cross there with the letters "IHS". However, "IHS" is catholic acronym from Greek name of Jesus (Ihsous) and is commonly placed on the crosses. This letters aren't supposed to be acronym for the name of the school.
Share this
Share this
Revealing mistakes
When Donnie finds the .45 pistol in the closet the hammer is not cocked and the safety is on. It is impossible to engage the safety on a .45 unless the hammer is cocked. And there is a screw or pin visible in the rear left side of the slide which does not exist in a real .45.
Share this
Share this
