diff --git a/hledger-ui/Hledger/UI/ErrorScreen.hs b/hledger-ui/Hledger/UI/ErrorScreen.hs
index c415318b5..023702c3a 100644
--- a/hledger-ui/Hledger/UI/ErrorScreen.hs
+++ b/hledger-ui/Hledger/UI/ErrorScreen.hs
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ drawErrorScreen :: AppState -> [Widget]
 drawErrorScreen AppState{ -- aopts=_uopts@UIOpts{cliopts_=_copts@CliOpts{reportopts_=_ropts@ReportOpts{query_=querystr}}},
                              aScreen=ErrorScreen{esState=err}} = [ui]
   where
-    toplabel = withAttr ("border" <> "bold") (str "Problem - please fix then press g to reload")
+    toplabel = withAttr ("border" <> "bold") (str "Oops. Please fix this problem then press g to reload")
             -- <+> str " transactions"
             -- <+> borderQueryStr querystr -- no, account transactions report shows all transactions in the acct ?
             -- <+> str " and subs"
@@ -72,8 +72,7 @@ drawErrorScreen AppState{ -- aopts=_uopts@UIOpts{cliopts_=_copts@CliOpts{reporto
       --   totalwidth = c^.availWidthL
       --                - 2 -- XXX due to margin ? shouldn't be necessary (cf UIUtils)
 
-      render $ defaultLayout toplabel bottomlabel $
-        vBox $ map str $ lines err
+      render $ defaultLayout toplabel bottomlabel $ withAttr "error" $ str err
 
 drawErrorScreen _ = error "draw function called with wrong screen type, should not happen"
 
diff --git a/hledger-ui/Hledger/UI/Theme.hs b/hledger-ui/Hledger/UI/Theme.hs
index 415791173..950a55c9f 100644
--- a/hledger-ui/Hledger/UI/Theme.hs
+++ b/hledger-ui/Hledger/UI/Theme.hs
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ themesList :: [(String, AttrMap)]
 themesList = [
   ("default", attrMap
             (black `on` white & bold) [ -- default style for this theme
+              ("error", currentAttr `withForeColor` red),
               (borderAttr       , white `on` black & dim),
               (borderAttr <> "bold", white `on` black & bold),
               (borderAttr <> "query", yellow `on` black & bold),