Continuity mistake: When Ellie falls off the tire swing at the beginning of the film, the tire shown in the first shot of her on the ground is not the same one that was tied to the tree. It is a whitewall tire with brand new tread, and the rope is nowhere to be seen in this shot. A moment later when her parents run over, the older worn-down tire with the rope tied around it reappears. (00:05:10)
Continuity mistake: When Jud asks for the picture from Ellie, he grabs it with one hand. When the camera cuts he is holding onto it with both hands. (00:49:15)
Continuity mistake: Right at the beginning, a little girl does a somersault and her hat falls off. In the next shot as she's running, she has her hat back on.
Continuity mistake: There is no knife on the table when the wife enters the kitchen at the very end, however, she walks straight to Louis, hugs him and then magically a knife appears at the edge of the table which she picks up and uses to stab him (implied - the movie actually ends at that point).
Continuity mistake: When Louis goes to dig up Gage's body, the grave is covered with purple and white flowers and purple ribbons. A police car drives up with the lights on and Louis turns to look; after Pascow warns Louis not to cross the barrier because the earth is sour, then the camera cuts back to Louis, and the flowers and ribbons are gone but the earth in front of the gravestone has been disturbed and mysteriously a yellow bunch of flowers appears to the right. Yellow is used extensively throughout.
Continuity mistake: When Jud is falling asleep on his porch he has 5 beers on the table. When he awakens there is only 1 beer on the table.
Continuity mistake: When Ellie falls from the tree after the rope from the tyre breaks, Louis runs with his wife to see how she is. Louis is wearing a white T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up. When Rachael yells "Gage!", now you see Louis wearing a white striped unbuttoned shirt and sunglasses. But when Louis is running for Gage, he's back to his white plain T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up.
Continuity mistake: When the high schoolers are carrying Victor's body up in a blanket, and somebody yells "Where's Dr. Creed? Get him up here," the grip of the girl in the blue sweater on the blanket changes between shots.
Continuity mistake: After Gage has been killed and Judd comes in the kitchen to comfort Louis, Louis is sitting at the kitchen table and Judd goes to sit down on a chair that is tucked up to the table. In the immediate next shot Judd sits down without pulling the chair away from the table.
Continuity mistake: As Rachel frantically tries to get home, the left front tire of her rental car blows out causing her to lose control. But when the car swerves off the road the tire is fully inflated.
Continuity mistake: When Louis lifts his cat up, saying "You stink Church" in one shot his left hand is gripping Church around the stomach, but in the next it grips him around the neck.
Continuity mistake: In an overhead shot of the family picnic, there is a metal box on a ground-cloth that is in front of the wicker basket. When it cuts, the metal box is on the left side of the wicker basket.
Continuity mistake: When Ellie sits on the couch and asks "Is Missy in heaven?" the distance between her and Louis changes between shots.
Continuity mistake: In the scene where the father is in Jud Crandall's house looking for Gage, he is upstairs in the bedroom kneeling beside the bed holding a syringe. After he sees Jud dead, he gasps and you see him bite his fist with his right hand (the hand which was previously holding the syringe). Then the camera cuts back and he is again holding the syringe in his hand.
Continuity mistake: After Ellie turns off the TV, Church turns around to look at her twice.
Continuity mistake: When the neighbours' house is burned down near the end of the film, it is shown briefly three more times without any damage.
Continuity mistake: When Victor's corpse is in the hospital, the position of the streaks of blood down the middle of his forehead next to the wound change between shots.
Continuity mistake: In the scene at the table where Jud admits he is to blame for what happened to Gage, Louis is talking to him and the scene cuts to a wide shot. As Louis is talking he is looking at Jud and has his mouth open. Cut, and his head is down and his mouth closed.
Continuity mistake: When Louis enters his garage, he leans his rake against the wall. When Church the cat runs out, the angle of the rake is different.
Continuity mistake: When Ellie runs to the tire-swing, she does a cartwheel and looses her hat, but in the next shot, her hat's back on her head.
Chosen answer: Church's behavior had changed after being buried. He was now violent (and working with Gage) and needed to be put down before killing anyone.
Bishop73