Other mistake: During his conversation with the landlord of the pub he ends up staying in, Sergeant Howie makes it clear that he did not intend to stay on Summerisle overnight, that he had been delayed and so needed accommodation. Makes you wonder why he packed his pyjamas. He's wearing them when Britt Ecklund does her famous naked song and dance routine, and they are not new so we know he didn't buy them that day. When he arrived he didn't even think he'd be on Summerisle for more than a few hours - we don't see him with so much as an overnight bag.
Visible crew/equipment: In the director's cut, there's a scene where the bar-owner is tied up to the bed. A few seconds before it cuts away, a crew member's leg can be seen on the left hand side.
Plot hole: Sergeant Howie is expected to report back to the mainland on the same day he left, and since he took a valuable aircraft with him on his trip it is inconceivable that his superior officers would not come looking for him if he didn't show up. First they would try contacting him on his radio and not receiving a reply they'd send out a search party, and they would do so within twenty four hours. Missing police officers are taken very, very seriously indeed.
Factual error: While Sgt Howie (dressed as Punch) is being chased by the women, you can see autumn leaves on the grass, though the story is set on the 1st of May.
Continuity mistake: Near the end when Howie is in the cage and praying, one shot shifts to the line of watching islanders. Summerisle walks towards them, turns and signals with his left arm. Cut back to Howie in the cage, then back to the islanders. The same sequence of Summerisle walking and signalling is then shown again.
Continuity mistake: When Sgt Howie is unable to start the plane, he calls the harbour master. While the harbour master is rowing back he calls out to Sgt Howie "what's the matter, won't she go?" Notice that when he begins this question he is nowhere near the plane, but as he is finishing the question, he is now alongside the plane.
Revealing mistake: In the scene where Sgt Howie hits McGregor (who is dressed as Punch) with a candlestick, watch closely and you can see that the blow from Howie is aimed into the padded section on the back of the punch costume, rather than at the back of McGregor's head.
Continuity mistake: When Sgt. Howie is in the classroom, he places the blackboard duster at an angle on the desk lid where Miss Rose sits, later when he goes to open the desk lid, the blackboard duster is now level at the top the desk.
Audio problem: In the theatrical cut only, there is a scene where Willow goes into Howie's room and wakes him in the morning. She is heard to say something like "Wake up Sergeant", but her lips do not move.
Continuity mistake: While Howie is painting a hare with Myrtle, at the moment he says "Do you know Rowan?" There is a dark coloured paint brush standing in a pot, next to a red and green paint pot. Also there is a pencil under Myrtle's left arm. Seconds later the paintbrush has changed to yellow, there is a grey paint pot next to the red and green pots and the pencil under Myrtle's left arm has gone. (00:15:15)
Continuity mistake: When Howie is having his supper, watch how his grip on the beer glass changes from three fingers on the front of the glass, to holding the handle with all his fingers when he asks Willow for an apple and she replies "No apples" (00:21:00)
Continuity mistake: When Sgt. Howie inspects the register at the school the first shot of the Beltane Term page shows Rowan Morrison's address as 'The Tuck Shop', when it switches to a closer panning shot her address is changed to 'The Post Office'. (00:32:50)
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Howie questions the Doctor about Rowan Morrison's death certificate, the Doctor is seen to open his front door and step partly inside. The shot cuts away, and when it cuts back to the Doctor his front door is shut. He opens it again and goes in.
Continuity mistake: While Sgt Howie is at the chemist shop he shows Lennox (who is mixing something with a mortar and pestle) a photo of the missing girl, notice how in between shots the photo goes from Howie's hand into Lennox's hand, without having been handed over.
Revealing mistake: Edward Woodward goes to visit Christopher Lee at the big house. In the grounds, a group of pregnant women are performing a pagan ritual involving jumping over a small bonfire. Woodward the Christian puritan looks out of Lee's window and sees this, and exclaims indignantly: "Those young women are NAKED!". In fact, even on a 14-inch TV screen you can see that they are wearing fleshtone body-stockings.
Continuity mistake: Edward Woodward's Sergeant Howey is aroused by Britt Eckland's Willow on the other side of the wall and touches the wall and jogs a picture so that the bottom shifts rightwards so that the picture is not straight. Then the sergeant edges backwards and the picture is straight. (01:02:30)
Continuity mistake: When Sgt. Howie first goes to the Post Office, he walks through to where Myrtle is painting the hare. He puts down his leather case which then changes position a few times during the next few shots, until the scene ends.
Continuity mistake: In the finale, Willow and the librarian recite the identikit of the sacrificial lamb. When Britt Ekland says her lines in two close-ups, her hair is neatly arranged and immune to the wind that blows in every other shots.
Continuity mistake: During the ritual, the hobbyhorse wriggles before lord Summerisle. The swordsmen then gather around a stone; in the next shot they are standing on the stone, with the shadows that show that a disproportionate amount of time has passed.
Continuity mistake: Howie is inside the Wicker Man and stares at the sun while lord Summerisle pronounces the line "Accept our sacrifice." Howie's right hand is touching the bar at the middle of the door, but when the camera is on Christopher Lee, the position on the cage is different.
Answer: He would likely die from the heat or smoke inhalation long before the wood would deteriorate enough for him to fall out. The film also makes a point to show that Howie has given up trying to fight the villagers and has accepted his fate, so even if he could have forced his way out he no longer had the will to do so.
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