Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)

"Something Evil Has Returned to Hogwarts!"

- Official tagline

The film version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was based on the second book in the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It was directed by Chris Columbus and Steve Kloves was the screenwriter.

The trio

 * Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter
 * Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley
 * Emma Watson as Hermione Granger 

Hogwarts staff

 * Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore
 * Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall
 * Alan Rickman as Severus Snape
 * Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid
 * Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart
 * Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick
 * Miriam Margoyles as Pomona Sprout
 * Lia Alu as Wizard teacher
 * Gemma Jones as Poppy Pomfrey
 * Sally Mortemore as Irma Pince
 * David Bradley as Argus Filch

Other Hogwarts denizens

 * Leslie Phillips as the voice of The Sorting Hat
 * Peter Taylor as Man in Portrait
 * Daisy Bates as Brunette Lady in Portrait
 * David Tysall as Count in Portrait
 * Violet Columbus as Girl With Flowers

Order of the Phoenix

 * Julie Walters as Molly Weasley
 * Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley

Lord Voldemort, His Death Eaters and Followers

 * Christian Coulson as Tom Marvolo Riddle (Lord Voldemort)
 * Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy

Gryffindor

 * Rochelle Douglas as Alicia Spinnet
 * Danielle Tabor as Angelina Johnson
 * Hugh Mitchell as Colin Creevey
 * Alfred Enoch as Dean Thomas
 * James Phelps as Fred Weasley
 * Oliver Phelps as George Weasley
 * Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley
 * Emily Dale as Katie Bell
 * Kathleen Cauley as Lavender Brown
 * Luke Youngblood as Lee Jordan
 * Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom
 * Sean Biggerstaff as Oliver Wood
 * Chris Rankin as Percy Weasley
 * Devon Murray as Seamus Finnigan
 * Victoria Goddard as Gryffindor student
 * Jessica Foden as Gryffindor student / Prefect

Hufflepuff

 * Louis Doyle as Ernie Macmillan
 * Charlotte Skeoch as Hannah Abbott
 * Edward Randell as Justin Finch-Fletchley
 * Eleanor Columbus as Susan Bones

Ravenclaw

 * Gemma Padley as Penelope Clearwater

Slytherin

 * Scot Fearn as Adrian Pucey
 * Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy
 * Josh Herdman as Gregory Goyle
 * Jamie Yeates as Marcus Flint
 * Helen Stuart as Millicent Bulstrode
 * David Holmes as Slytherin Beater 1
 * David Massam as Slytherin Beater 2
 * Tony Christian as Slytherin Beater 3
 * Jamie Waylett as Vincent Crabbe
 * Samantha Brown as Slytherin student

Unknown house

 * Brendan Columbus as Boy in Study Hall 1
 * Robert Ayres as Boy in Study Hall 2
 * Amy Puglia as a student
 * Christina Petrou as First Year student
 * Emma Georgina Murphy as school girl
 * Amie Kirby as student

Ministry of Magic

 * Robert Hardy as Cornelius Fudge

Wizarding World related

 * Ben Borowiecki as Angus (Diagon Alley Boy)
 * Isabella Columbus as Book-store Girl
 * Peter O'Farrell as Daily Prophet Photographer
 * Christopher O'Shea as Extra
 * Pamela Kempthorne as Knockturn Alley Witch
 * Jenny Tarren as Knockturn Alley Witch
 * Terence Mcauley as Knockturn Alley Wizard
 * Salo Gardner as Knockturn Alley Wizard
 * Edward Tudor-Pole as Mr. Borgin
 * Les Bubb as Reader
 * Sean Cronin as Wizard
 * Antonia Frampton as Extra
 * Fenetta Agyemang-Norman as Extra
 * Jess Smith as Extra
 * Alice Bowmaker as Extra
 * Anthony Lee as Continuity Artist
 * Charlotte Willis as Extra
 * Jade Prince as Extra
 * Richenda Crookes as Diagon Alley Witch

Ghosts, spectres, photos or flashback performance

 * Adrian Rawlins as James Potter
 * Geraldine Somerville as Lily Potter
 * Martin Bayfield as Young Rubeus Hagrid
 * Alfred Burke as Armando Dippet
 * John Cleese as Nearly Headless Nick
 * Shirley Henderson as Moaning Myrtle
 * Nina Young as The Grey Lady

Muggles

 * Richard Griffiths as Vernon Dursley
 * Fiona Shaw as Petunia Dursley
 * Harry Melling as Dudley Dursley
 * Jim Norton as Mr. Mason
 * Veronica Clifford as Mrs. Mason
 * Tom Knight as Mr. Granger
 * Heather Bleasdale as Mrs. Granger
 * Harry Taylor as King's Cross Station Guard

Magic creatures

 * Toby Jones as the voice of Dobby the House Elf
 * Wataru Takagi as the voice of Dobby the House Elf' (Japanese dub)
 * Julian Glover as the voice of Aragog

Animals

 * Hugo, Bully, Bella, Luigi and Vito as Fang
 * Gizmo, Ook, Kasper, Oops, Oh Oh, Swoops, Elmo, Bandit and Sprout as Hedwig
 * Maximus, Alanis and Cornilus as Mrs. Norris
 * Dex and 11 Unknown rats as Scabbers
 * Zeus and Unknown owls as Errol

Plot summary
Just as Harry Potter is packing his bags to leave the Dursleys, he receives a warning from a house-elf named Dobby, that if Harry goes back to Hogwarts, disaster will strike, and it does.

The new stuck-up Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Gilderoy Lockhart, the wailing bathroom ghost Moaning Myrtle, and the new lessons at Hogwarts seem like only minor details when a mysterious creature starts Petrifying Muggle-born students. But everyone's wondering the same thing: who set the creature on the Muggle-borns? Could it be Draco Malfoy, the new Slytherin Seeker and a more poisonous rival than ever? Maybe it's Hagrid, whose strange past is finally told. Or could it possibly be the one that everyone at Hogwarts most suspects: Harry Potter himself!

1. The Worst Birthday

 * The book begins in the morning of Harry's birthday. The film begins in the evening of the day the Masons visit, omitting Dobby in the hedges and additional quarrels between Harry and the Dursleys. However Vernon does say that Harry is not thankful; Vernon says they cared for Harry since he was a baby, gave him their good food, and giving him Dudley's extra bedroom because they were so merciful.

2. Dobby's Warning

 * In the book, when Harry enters his room, Dobby sits on his bed quietly. In the film, Dobby jumps on his bed, and laughing.
 * In the books, whenever Dobby disapparates, the usual loud crack is heard. But in the films, Dobby appears and disappears quietly, however it differs from film to film how he does it. In this film he fades, like if the wind took him.
 * The film shows Dobby levitating the cake into the sitting room and dropping it on top of Mrs Mason. In the book, however, the pudding dropped by Dobby in the kitchen, causing it to explode all over Harry, not Mrs Mason. Also in the film. Mr. Mason tastes the cake, using a finger.
 * While the reason in the film for the Mason's departure was due to the cake dropping on Mrs. Mason, in the book it was due to Mrs. Mason's fear of birds when an owl sent by the Ministry of Magic arrived at the Dursleys in regards to the illegal use of the Hover Charm that was performed.
 * A scene is cut where the Ministry sends a letter to reprimand Harry for violating the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, which informed the Dursleys of this rule. This explains in the following film how Vernon Dursley already knew that Harry is not allowed to perform magic outside of school. Since this scene was not included in this film, it caused a continuity error with the future films.
 * In the book, Uncle Vernon tells a man to fit the bars on Harry's window, but in the film, Uncle Vernon fits the bars on Harry's window himself.
 * Harry's nightmare of himself being in a zoo cage is omitted.

3. The Burrow

 * In the film, Ron wishes Harry a happy birthday when they fly away from 4 Privet Drive. Ron doesn't say this in the book as Harry's birthday was the same day the Masons visited. It should be mentioned that in the film the Weasleys gets Harry out the same evening, while in the book they saved him from the Dursleys early in the morning, next day.
 * In the book, Harry's trunk is locked in the cupboard under the stairs and Fred and George sneak in the house and pick the lock of both Harry's room and the cupboard. In the film, Harry's trunk is in his room and Fred and George don't sneak in the house.
 * In the book, Harry forgets Hedwig, but he gets to her just in time. In the film, Harry doesn't forget anything.
 * When Harry was escaping from the Dursleys, only Uncle Vernon tried to prevent him from escaping, eventually falling out of the window. In the book, all of the Dursleys tried to prevent him from escaping, only to end up hanging from the window.
 * In the Flying Ford Anglia the Weasley brothers suggest that Dobby could be an untrustworthy servant of the Malfoys. This is omitted from the film.
 * In the book, when Harry arrives at the Weasleys' home, Mrs. Weasley makes her sons "de-gnome" the garden. This scene is omitted from the film.

4. Flourish and Blotts

 * The scene where Harry listens to Lucius and Draco Malfoy's business with Borgin is cut. It is included in the deleted scenes section of the DVD. (An alternate version of the same scene, where Harry is caught by Borgin was also filmed and included on the DVD.) In this scene Lucius almost hits Draco two times with his walking stick when telling him not to touch anything. This could be meant in reference to the cursed necklace.
 * In the book, Mr. Weasley repairs Harry's glasses in Diagon Alley, but in the film, Hermione repairs them and the knowledge of her using under-age magic is unnoticed. Though it is revealed in one of the following books that the Ministry of Magic only knows where there is used magic and not who it is that is using magic. (This explains why Harry is believed to be the one to perform the levitating spell on the pudding though it is Dobby. Also this could explain why Hermione didn't get a letter on the Hogwarts Express in the previous film; too many students and pre-students, plus two adults.)
 * The part where Arthur Weasley fights with Lucius Malfoy in Flourish and Blotts is omitted. Instead, they only exchange tense words. Lucius also mentions that he will "see you [Arthur] at work", implying that he works at the Ministry of Magic in the film.
 * When they meet in Diagon Alley, Hermione chides Lucius Malfoy for not using Voldemort's name. (In the first two films, Hermione shows no fear of the name Voldemort, speaking it without difficulty in the first film) In the books, Hermione never uses the name Voldemort until the fifth novel, and even then it requires courage. The films have a bit of a continuity issue on this point as the fifth film shows her getting the courage to say "Voldemort".
 * Arthur Weasley asks Harry about escalators in the book, but in the film, he asks about rubber duckies.

5. The Whomping Willow

 * In the film, when Ron and Harry are following the Hogwarts Express with the Flying Ford Anglia, Harry falls out of the car and hangs onto the door, when Ron pulls him back up. Also in the film, Ron flies the Flying Ford Anglia onto the train tracks and they suddenly hear the train from behind and fly off just in time. In the book neither of these events happen.
 * In the film, Argus Filch finds Harry and Ron and takes them to Professor Snape's office, but in the book, Snape himself finds Harry and Ron and takes them to his office.
 * In a deleted scene that follows this scene Harry finds a letter about a Kwikspell course addressed to Filch and hands it over. In the book Harry finds this letter in Filch's office.
 * In the book, Ron and Harry ate dinner in Snape's office after being caught by Snape. Ron wanted to know which house Ginny was placed in and Professor McGonagall told him she was placed in Gryffindor with the rest of her family. This scene was not in the film. Instead Ron finds out about Ginny sorting into Gryffindor by his mother's howler.

6. Gilderoy Lockhart

 * In the book, Mrs. Weasley's howler to Ron is much lengthier and mentions Harry in it. In the film the howler message is much shorter and Harry is never mentioned, instead a part of the howler was directed to Ginny. Also in the book, there is no mention of howlers folding themselves into a pair of lips.
 * Howler bursts into flames in the book but rips itself into shreds in the film, with a grrr-sound.
 * Lockhart's scene with Professor Sprout before the first Herbology lesson of the year, in which he implied that he knew more about caring for Whomping Willows than she did, is omitted.
 * The scenes in which Lockhart lectures Harry for giving out autographs (due to Colin's actual request in the book) and makes him late for Herbology, are not seen in the film.
 * Defence Against the Dark Arts shows both Hufflepuffs (Justin Finch-Fletchley and Susan Bones, for example) and Slytherins (Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle) in the same class as the Gryffindors.
 * Second-year Gryffindors have Herbology only with the Hufflepuffs in the book, but also with the Slytherins in the film.
 * Ernie Macmillan's role is diminished to a non-speaking part. The part where he and Hannah Abbott talk in the library about their theory of Harry wanting to attack Justin Finch-Fletchley was cut, but appears on the deleted scenes, however in the Study Hall. Also, Ernie is the one who blames Harry for attacking Justin when he is discovered, Petrified, but in the film, Argus Filch finds Harry and wants to expel him. In the book, it was Peeves who found him, and sung his funny song.
 * As with the previous film, the character of Peeves is omitted completely.
 * During the first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, Lockhart refers to the Bandon Banshee as male rather than female.

7. Mudbloods and Murmurs

 * In the book, Hermione has never heard the term "Mudblood" before, and Ron later explained the definition to her. In the film, she is aware of the term and is deeply hurt, even seen trying not to cry, and explains what it means to Harry, though Hagrid defines its origin for Harry and Ron and says exactly what Ron says in the book. Ron only responds to it with only one word.

8. The Deathday Party

 * Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday Party is omitted from the movie. Because of this, Harry encounters the petrified Mrs. Norris on his way back from spending hours of detention with Gilderoy Lockhart instead. Harry also meets Ron and Hermione just before finding Mrs. Norris in the film, while in the book they were with Harry the entire time.

9. The Writing on the Wall

 * In the book, Harry, Ron and Hermione are spoken to by the teachers in Gilderoy Lockhart's office. In the film, they are spoken to in the corridor where the attack happened.
 * Mention of Filch being a Squib is omitted. However, very oddly, the term is mentioned in the Danish version of the subtitles; calling him Mr. Squib, although with the Danish term.
 * Mention of Ron's detention and the fact that he recognised Tom Riddle's name from an award he received for special services to the school, was cut, but appears on the deleted scenes.
 * In the film, Hermione claims that the writing on the wall is written in blood. The book, however, states that message is simply written in red paint.

10. The Rogue Bludger

 * In the book, to borrow the Moste Potente Potions book from the library, which had the recipe for the Polyjuice Potion, Hermione had to get a note from Gilderoy Lockhart (which he signed without looking at). In the film, the scene was omitted, and the book was in the regular section of the library.
 * In the film, the Gryffindor Quidditch team's match against Slytherin took place in sunny weather, while in the book, it took place in rainy weather.
 * In the book, Draco does not notice the Snitch at all, due to having been insulting Harry at the time and Harry quickly catches the Snitch before Malfoy could realise it, but in the film, he sees it just after Harry does, and just after ducking to prevent being hit by a Bludger, and it leads to both of them chasing after the snitch for a few seconds before Harry catches it first. Also in the film, they chase the Snitch in between the Quidditch Stands.
 * In a deleted scene from the film Harry tries to avoid being hit by a Bludger by flying in the Slytherin tribune. This does not happen in the book.
 * Lucius Malfoy is seen in the audience observing the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch Match. This does not happen in the book.
 * In the book Fred and George attempt to protect Harry from the rogue bludger, and later having to place it back in its case while restraining it. In the film, Hermione destroys the rogue bludger with Finite Incantatem after the game.
 * In the book, Harry's arm is injured by the Rogue Bludger during the game before he charges at Malfoy after spotting the Snitch due to a moment of hesitation. In the film it occurs after Malfoy has crashed off his broom and Harry is reaching out, trying to and grab the snitch. Additionally in the film Hagrid is present when Lockhart removes the bones from Harry's injured arm when attempting to heal the broken bones.
 * In the film Filch supports Slytherin, being seen standing in a crowd of Slytherin-spectators. This is not shown in the book.
 * In the book, when Harry is in the hospital wing following the Quidditch match, Ron, Hermione and Madam Pomfrey are the only people there when he takes the Skele-Gro, the rest of the team come in later and Madam Pomfrey shouts at them to get out. In the film however, the entire team plus Ron and Hermione come with him, and Madam Pomfrey tells them to get out of her way, not to get out of the Hospital Wing.

11. The Duelling Club

 * In the Duelling Club scene, Harry and Draco are the only combatants participating, while in the novel, other classmates in their year are shown participating along with them, such as Hermione, Millicent Bulstrode, Ron, Seamus, Neville, and Justin Finch-Fletchley.
 * Also in the Duelling Club sequence, when Harry speaks Parseltongue, in the book, the reader knows what he says immediately, as is the case when Harry speaks with the snake at the zoo in the film version of Philosopher's Stone. In the film, it's only hissing sounds until Harry explains what he said to Ron and Hermione. Other uses of the language later in the film are left untranslated, but most likely are the same as the book's translations. Also the games explains what he says.
 * A line that Snape spoke in the book "Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells", was changed to "Weasley's wand causes devastation with the simplest spells" after Professor Lockhart chose Ron and Harry to demonstrate the Disarming Charm (in the book, Snape spoke instead about Neville Longbottom). The film also changed the line "We'll be sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox" to "We'll be sending what's left of Potter up to the hospital wing in a matchbox" as Justin Finch-Fletchley did not duel during the scene, either.
 * Also in the Duelling Club scene, Rictusempra was used like a Stunning Spell which caused Malfoy to be thrown up in a back flip. In the book, Rictusempra was described to give its receiver an uncontrollable tickling sensation. Tarantallegra, a jinx used to force someone to dance wildly and involuntarily, was also not used in the film. In addition, attacking with a Serpensortia spell was Malfoy's own choice, whereas in the novel, Snape was the one who gave him that idea. Everte Statum was also not mentioned in the book but was used in the film.
 * In a deleted scene after the Duelling Club, Harry was talking to Hedwig in a mountainous area away from the castle saying "Who am I, Hedwig? What am I?".

12. The Polyjuice Potion

 * In the book, when Harry asks the Sorting Hat whether it put him in the right House, he does it with the hat on his head. In the film, he merely stands before it.
 * The scene in which Harry, Ron, and Hermione cause a disturbance in Potions class to steal ingredients from Professor Snape was omitted. This caused a continuity error for the film version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire where Snape accused Harry of brewing Polyjuice Potion by stealing its ingredients "again". Possible explanations could be that it happened off-screen, or that Snape just came to the conclusion that Harry did it. Also, because Barty Crouch Jr. was stealing Snape's ingredients to brew Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Alastor Moody in the fourth film, it is possible that Snape mistakenly thought Harry was stealing the ingredients earlier in his fourth year and was warning him not to do so in what Snape falsely perceived to be a second time.
 * The Polyjuice Potion in the book changes colours as the hair is added. In the film, it does not change colours at all.
 * The scene where Harry and Ron hide Crabbe and Goyle in a broom cupboard is omitted (the scene was filmed and included in the deleted scenes section, though). Due to this omission Crabbe and Goyle are dazed and confused when Harry and Ron run past them after their transformation has worn off instead of pounding while still in the cupboard.
 * The effects of the Polyjuice Potion differ from book to film. In the film, Harry and Ron's voices don't change when they become Crabbe and Goyle, forcing them to imitate these voices. This causes a continuity error with Barty Crouch Jr.'s usage of the Polyjuice Potion in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; however, since in the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the character's voices remain the same as well, it is more likely that Crouch was imitating Moody's voice. In the book, Harry's vision changes and he takes his glasses off, but in the film, his vision apparently does not change, and only takes the glasses off when Draco questions Harry (here disguised as Goyle) wearing them. This could also create a continuity error in the film adaptation of the first half of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when Hermione, Ron, and others take the potion to transform into Harry, and Hermione remarks that Harry's eyesight is really bad.
 * The scene in the Great Hall during the Christmas Feast, Hermione simply says that she got Millicent Bulstrode's hair off her robes. The novel, however, depicts her and Millicent in the Duelling club where Millicent is head-locking Hermione, and she happens to find black hair on her robes.

13. The Very Secret Diary

 * The part where Hermione gets a get well soon card from Gilderoy Lockhart is omitted, but included in the original script.
 * In the book, Professor Binns explains to the class about the Chamber of Secrets during a History of Magic class, but in the film, Minerva McGonagall explains it to the students during a Transfiguration class as Professor Binns is not in the film. In the game, Professor Flitwick explains it during a Charms lesson.
 * The Valentine's Day breakfast in the Great Hall which was arranged by Professor Lockhart was omitted.
 * The scene when Harry gets his Valentine and Draco Malfoy tries to steal Tom Riddle's diary in which Harry disarms him and Percy scolds Harry for using magic in the corridors is omitted.
 * In the book, the ink is scarlet. In the film, the ink is black.
 * In the book, Tom Riddle's diary displays his first and middle names as initials. In the film, Tom Riddle's full first and last names are shown on the diary.
 * In the book, when Harry gets sucked into the diary to 50 years before, he enters through the Headmaster's office where Professor Dippet was reading a letter from Tom Riddle. In the film, he enters below the Grand Staircase where Tom Riddle was standing, shortly before a younger Dumbledore appears to talk to him.
 * In the book, Armando Dippet is the one to talks to Tom Riddle about Hogwarts closing. In the film, Dumbledore talks to Tom while Dippet appears only a brief second then turns his back and does not speak to Tom. Although, in the book, after Tom's meeting with Dippet, he finds Dumbledore who asks Tom why he's wandering around late and then tells him to hurry off to bed because it's not safe to roam the corridors these days.
 * In the book, while Harry is in the memory inside the diary and he sees Tom Riddle with Rubeus Hagrid, Tom calls him "Rubeus", but in the film, he calls him Hagrid instead, like everybody else.

14. Cornelius Fudge

 * In the book when McGonagall is cancelling the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff Quidditich match, she is doing this with a large megaphone while out on the field to send the message much to the dismay of Oliver Wood and the audience. In the film however, she simply informs the Gryffindor team just as they were heading out to the field though Wood protests the cancellation like he did in the book.
 * Ginny's attempt to confide her secret to Ron and Harry is omitted, although a scene where Ginny sees Harry with the diary was initially featured in the script.
 * Almost all foreshadowing hints about Ginny acting strangely or emotionally are omitted. However, in the film, the scene in which McGonagall informs the Gryffindors of the possible closing of the school reveals a close-up of Ginny appearing uneasy as if its her fault.
 * Possible Explanation: Though Ginny did seem uneasy as if it is her fault, in the book she is "bullied" into taking a dose of Pepperup Potion by Percy, in the film this is omitted, along with the fact that she didn't even notice Harry in the book, while in the film she had said "Mum, have you seen my jumper?", and Mrs. Weasley responded with "Yes dear, it was on the cat. Then, when Ginny sees Harry, he says "Hello" and she turns and hurries off.
 * Penelope Clearwater's role as a Basilisk victim is omitted from the film.
 * The book mentioned that "the crowing of the rooster is fatal to the Basilisk" which led Hagrid's roosters to be killed since the Heir of Slytherin didn't want one near the castle. This was not mentioned in the film, although Hagrid was seen holding one of his dead roosters while talking to Dumbledore. A deleted scene shows Harry finding Hagrid holding the rooster. Hagrid explains his thought about a Blood-Sucking Bugbear, and that he is going to ask Dumbledore for permission to cast a protecting charm.

15. Aragog

 * In the book, after Hagrid mentions that if they were looking for answers, all they'd have to do was follow the spiders, Harry and Ron didn't see any spiders until one day in Herbology when Harry points them out to Ron. They noticed the path the spiders were taking, which was right into the Forbidden Forest, and didn't follow them until everyone had gone to sleep in their dormitory. In the film, right after Hagrid is taken away by the Minister, Harry and Ron see spiders crawling along Hagrid's window and follow them into the Forbidden Forest.
 * In the book, Harry, Ron and Fang are taken by the spiders to Aragog's lair but in the film they make their own way there. Also, they never see the Ford Anglia before arriving at Aragog's lair; hence their looks of surprise in the film when it crashes through the spiders to rescue them, although a deleted scene shows them finding the car before they meet Aragog.
 * Also, in the deleted scene where Harry and Ron find the Ford Anglia, Harry tells Ron they don't want to lose the trail of spiders, but in the book, they lose the trail and try to find them before being dragged to Aragog's lair.
 * In the film, Mosag, Aragog's mate, is not mentioned.

16. The Chamber of Secrets

 * In the book, when McGonagall and the other teachers volunteer Lockhart to fight the Basilisk, the teachers are collected in the Staffroom with Harry and Ron hiding in the wardrobe. In the film, the teachers are gathered in front of the daubed message on the wall stating Ginny's capture with Harry and Ron hiding behind a corner. Also, in the book the teachers' comments after Lockhart has left them make it clear that they know he is incapable and were simply getting him out of the way. These comments are left out from the film, but it's still highly unlikely the plan was ever genuine And unlike in the book, the second messsage is seen on-screen in the film.
 * In the book, when Harry and Ron realize that Lockhart is a fraud, they subdue him by performing a Disarming Charm and throwing his wand out of the window. In the film, Lockhart hopelessly drops his wand when Harry and Ron point theirs at his face.
 * In the book, it says that the snake who had shed the skin must have been at least twenty feet long. In the movie, Ron remarks that the creature must have been at least sixty feet long.

17. The Heir of Slytherin

 * In the film, the Basilisk is seen chasing Harry all around the Chamber of Secrets whereas in the book, Harry's fight against the Basilisk occurs quickly and neatly. In the book, Harry never climbs up the statue nor does he go into the statue.
 * In the book, the statue at the end of the Chamber of Secrets is a full body statue of Salazar Slytherin, while in the film it is only a large statue of Slytherin's head and shoulders.
 * In the book, after Fawkes had punctured the Basilisk's eyes, Riddle stated that it can still smell Harry. In the film, Riddle stated that it can hear him.
 * In the book, Fawkes uses his tears to heal Harry while Riddle is still alive, but in the film Fawkes does not use his tears to heal Harry until after Riddle's destruction, as such Ginny wakes up and sees the dying Harry.
 * In the book, in the Chamber of Secrets, Harry puts on the Sorting Hat and shouts at it for help. The sword then comes out and hits him on the head, nearly knocking him out. In the film, the sword just all of a sudden materialises in the hat when it's just lying on the ground, and Harry takes it.
 * In the book, pillars hold up the ceiling of the Chamber of Secrets. In the film, there is nothing to hold the ceiling up (although two pairs of pillars do appear in the game version; and in the film, there were two lines of giant statues of snakes' heads where the pillars were in the book).

18. Dobby's Reward

 * In the book, Harry's conversation with Dumbledore after the defeat of the basilisk is set in McGonagall's office, and Arthur, Molly, and McGonagall are present at the start of the scene. In the film, the scene is set in Dumbledore's office instead, and Arthur, Molly, and McGonagall do not appear.
 * In the book, to free Dobby, Harry puts the diary in his sock and had Lucius Malfoy throw it so Dobby would catch it after he removed the diary, but in the film Harry puts his sock in the diary and had Lucius give the diary with the sock to Dobby unknowingly instead.
 * In the book, just after Dobby was freed, Malfoy raises his wand threateningly at Harry, before Dobby tells him to leave. In the film, it sounds like Lucius Malfoy starts saying "Avada Kedavra" before Dobby blasts him backwards across the hall.
 * In the book, Lucius Malfoy says to Harry, "Someday you'll meet the same sticky end as your parents. They were meddlesome fools too." In the film, he said, "Your parents were meddlesome fools, too. Mark my words, Potter - one day soon, you're going to meet the same, sticky end."

Character Omissions

 * Peeves
 * Patrick Delaney-Podmore
 * Fat Friar
 * Grey lady
 * Bloody Baron
 * Wailing Widow
 * Portly ghost
 * Headless Hunt
 * Deathday Party ghost attendees
 * Cuthbert Binns
 * Mr. Borgin
 * Rolanda Hooch
 * Valentine's Dwarves

Mistakes

 * When Harry stands next to Gilderoy Lockhart in Flourish and Blotts, the camera scrolls up to show Draco Malfoy, just as Lockhart is saying "its 27th week atop the Daily Prophet Best Seller List." The tape marks where Tom Felton is supposed to place his feet are clearly visible.
 * When Harry and Ron are going through the portal to Platform 9 and 3/4 and crash, Hedwig's cage is open but when they zoom in on her, the cage is closed.
 * While the car is being attacked by the Whomping Willow, a hand can be seen tipping over Hedwig's cage.
 * In the scene where Harry and Ron are about to be attacked by Aragog's family in the dark forest, the (formerly) flying car comes to save them. Harry, Ron, and Fang scramble to get in the car, and Fang gets in first, on the driver's side. A spider runs up to attack Harry, but Harry repels it with a spell. As it is running up to Harry, Fang can be seen entering the car a second time.
 * In the Duelling Club scene, after Harry hits Draco with "Rictusempra" and Draco hits the ground, when Snape pulls him up a crew member holding a camera is fully visible in the left corner. Also, a tape marker can be seen under Snape's feet (not seen in the picture).
 * When Harry and Ron crash into the gateway at King's Cross, Ron's suitcase has three brown lines. Five shots later, it has two lines.
 * When Harry is in Knockturn Alley, he looks at a jar of skulls. Later an iron stand suddenly appears next to it.
 * When Harry gets bitten by the basilisk, his arm is seen next to the snake tooth. This is to avoid injury. His arm is seen at least 3 inches away from the tooth.
 * As Dobby's Bludger pursues Harry, he circles a stand decorated with the Slytherin Banner. It makes sense that Harry stops in the front of the stand, according to the last angle of the camera. The Bludger crashes and makes a hole in the front of the stand, but during the next shot, it shows the hole on the right side of the stand.
 * During one of the last scenes of the movie when Harry, Dumbledore and Lucius Malfoy are in Dumbledore's office, the original hair of Jason Issacs, who plays Lucius Malfoy, is visible at the back behind his wig.
 * When Hermione and Harry first arrive at Flourish and Blotts, Ginny is facing them, but in the very next shot Ginny is facing the other way.
 * Harry gets into trouble for doing magic outside of school, yet Hermione does the reparing speel on Harry's glasses without a problem.

Behind the scenes

 * An additional scene appears after the end credits, depicting Lockhart's newest book, Who Am I?. This is the only film to have a scene occur after the end credits, if you do not count the next installment's small Nox spell by Harry that turns out the light.
 * This is the first film in the series to begin directly with the title. The second is The Order of the Phoenix.
 * This is the first film that has no lightning during the title. The second is The Prisoner of Azkaban, the third is The Goblet of Fire, and the last is The Order of the Phoenix.
 * This film is the second time a Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match is seen.
 * This film is the only time Draco Malfoy is seen playing Quidditch in the films due to Slytherin's matches against Gryffindor being omitted from the third and fifth films. Draco is shown playing Quidditch again in the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
 * If you listen closely, when Lucius attempts to curse Harry for freeing Dobby, he starts the "Avada-" portion of the Killing Curse, before being thrown back by Dobby's spell.
 * When Harry and Ron were hiding under the invisibilty cloak in Hagrid's hut, Dumbledore appears to have seen them or at least suspected their presence as he was staring at them directly and he even stayed behind and looked at them and he told them indirectly that "help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it".
 * Before shooting the Basilisk scenes, Director Chris Columbus asked the advice of Steven Spielberg who had directed the Jurassic Park movies. Columbus wondered how best to film the scenes with the Basilisk (using CGI or a real mechanical beast). Spielberg said that the best result comes from combining the two, resulting into shots with a CGI Basilisk (the wide shots) and a mechanical one (for close ups) which Daniel Radcliffe could work with.
 * Chris Columbus also shot the scene with Harry climbing onto Salazar Slytherin's head as an homage to North by Northwest, a film by Alfred Hitchcock, in which the main characters climb onto one the heads of the famous Mount Rushmore.

Home Video Release Dates

 * 03 Feburary, 2003: United Kingdom (VHS/DVD)
 * 11 April, 2003: United States, Canada (VHS/DVD)
 * 11 December, 2007: United States (HD DVD/Blu-ray)
 * 8 December, 2009: United States (DVD/Blu-ray Ultimate Edition)
 * 1 June, 2011: United States (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy Combo Pack)
 * 7 September, 2012: Wizard's Collection (Blu-ray + DVD + UltraViolet + "Creating the World of Harry Potter")

Videos


For more Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets videos, check out our gallery.

Notes and references
Harry Potter und die Kammer des Schreckens (Film) Harry Potter y la Cámara de los Secretos (película) Harry Potter ja Saladuste kamber (film) Harry Potter et la Chambre des Secrets (film) Harry Potter e la Camera dei Segreti (film) ハリー・ポッターと秘密の部屋 (映画) Harry Potter og Mysteriekammeret (film) Harry Potter i Komnata Tajemnic (film)