83 Home Alone (1990) Facts To Get You In The Christmas Spirit

The first instalment of the much loved Home Alone franchise was released in 1990 and was written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. 

John Hughes was well known for writing films such as Ferris Bueller‘s Day Off in 1986, The Breakfast Club in 1985 and Beethoven in 1991. Chris Columbus, on the other hand, is now well known for directing the Harry Potter franchise and he also directed Mrs Doubtfire with Robin Williams.

The first Home Alone film stars Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, and Catherine O’Hara. We think most people have seen Home Alone by now but if you are one of the few people who haven’t, here is a quick synopsis….

Macaulay Culkin plays Kevin McCallister, the McCallister family’s youngest son who gets left behind at Christmas due to the sheer amount of children needing to be organised. While the rest of the family are off to Paris, Kevin has to protect his home which is being stalked by the “Wet Bandits” (they would flood the property before leaving) Harry and Marv. Kevin manages to trick them into thinking that the family is still occupying the home and set up a series of booby traps to prevent them from going through with the burglary. Meanwhile, Kevin’s mum Kate, played by Catherine O’Hara, tries to make her way home from Paris to look after her young son.

If you are a fan of Home Alone and watch it every year, you still may not know some of these facts...

1. John Hughes Wrote Home Alone On Holiday

John Hughes came up with the idea for Home Alone while on holiday and originally intended for Warner Brothers to finance and distribute the film. However, Warner Brothers shut down production after it exceeded its assigned budget and later 20th Century Fox assumed responsibility following secret meetings with Hughes. Chris Columbus and Macaulay Culkin were hired soon after filming began in February 1990 on location in Illinois.

According to Time Magazine, a thought crossed Hughes’ mind about making sure he had everything ready for his trip including his children. He then thought, “What would I do if I left my 10-year-old son at home? And what would he do?” So he wrote eight pages of notes and developed it into a screenplay. He imagined that most children would be obsessed with the idea of burglary and scared of people robbing their home so he worked that aspect into the script.

2. Home Alone Was The Highest Grossing Live Action Comedy

Like most of John Hughes' films, Home Alone premiered in Chicago on the 10th November 1990 and was released across the USA on the 16th of November. It was received well and praised for its cast and humour and it grossed US$476.7 million worldwide. 

It became the highest grossing live action comedy until the release of The Hangover: Part two in 2011.

It was the second highest grossing film of 1990 just behind Ghost and it was nominated for the Golden Globe award for Best Motion Picture-Musical Or Comedy and Best Actor In A Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy for Macaulay Culkin. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for the Best Original Score and Best Original Song.

3. Production Of Home Alone Was Shut Down

John Hughes had promised Warner Brothers that he could make the film for less than US$10 million which was considerably less than most feature film production budgets of that time. He was concerned that the film exceeded the correct amount so he secretly met with 20th Century Fox to see if they could provide alternative funding. According to the Executive Producer Scott Rosenfelt, a copy of the script was secretly delivered to Fox circumventing any legal restrictions. The production budget grew to US$14.7 Million and Warner Brothers demanded it to be cut by 1.2 million so it was shut down the next day. It was quickly resumed when Fox took up his offer and the final budget grew to US$18 million. 

4. Chris Columbus Made Home Alone Have A Happier Ending

Before consulting with Chris Columbus, John Hughes had asked Patrick Read Johnson to direct but he was already committed to directing Space Invaders in 1990. He then turned to Chris Columbus who had left John Hughes' other production National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation before shooting even began because of a personality clash with Chevy Chase. 

John Hughes gave Columbus both the scripts for Home Alone and Reach The Rock with Columbus choosing to direct Home Alone because he enjoyed the festive feel. Columbus did do an uncredited rewrite of the script to include Old Man Marley to give the story a more serious tone as well as a more emotional and happier ending.

5. John Hughes Always Wanted Macaulay Culkin As Kevin

John Hughes suggested that they should cast Macaulay Culkin in the role of Kevin because of his experience while shooting Uncle Buck but Chris Columbus met with 200 other actors for the part saying that it was his directorial responsibility. Columbus finally met with Culkin and agreed that he was the right person for the job.

6. John Mulaney Could Have Been Kevin

John Mulaney was asked to audition for the role of Kevin but his parents refused the opportunity. 

7. Harry Could Have Been Played By Robert De Niro

Before the role of Harry went to Joe Pesci, Robert De Niro and John Lovitz turned down the role. Danny DeVito was also considered. 

8. Uncle Frank Was Written For Kelsey Grammer

The role of Uncle Frank was written for Kelsey Grammer but it was given to Gerry Bamman when Grammer became unavailable. 

9. Daniel Stern Left The Production Due To Pay But Was Rehired

Daniel Stern was cast in the role of Marv but he dropped out after the production schedule had been extended from 6 to 8 weeks and he wouldn’t be paid anymore. Daniel Roebuck was hired to replace him but after two days of rehearsal, Chris Columbus felt that he was lacking chemistry with Pesci so decided to hire Daniel Stern back.

10. Chris Farley Auditioned For Santa Claus

Chris Farley auditioned for the role of a Santa Claus impersonator in Home Alone but failed to impress Columbus according to The Independent.

11. John Candy Was Only Paid $414 For His Role

John Candy was available only one day to film his scenes and they took 23 hours to shoot. He did the film as a favour to John Hughes and was only paid US$414! He was the only actor that John Hughes allowed to go off script and all his dialogue was improvised.

12. The Home Alone House Is In Winnetka Illinois

It may not surprise film fans to know that the three story family home in Home Alone is located at 671 Lincoln Avenue in Winnetka Illinois. This is the area in which pretty much all of Hughes' previous films including The Breakfast Club were filmed. 

13. Interior Sets Were Built At New Trier High School

The only interior shots of the house used for filming were the main staircase, the basement, the attic and most of the first floor landing. All the other interior shots of the house were duplicated on a soundstage to allow more room for crew and equipment. Interestingly the sound stage was built in the gym and empty swimming pool of the former New Trier High School which had been previously used for John Hughes' films including Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

14. The Treehouse Was Specifically Built For Home Alone

The treehouse in Home Alone was specifically built for the film and it had to be dismantled after the film had finished production.

15. The Church Is Actually Two Different Churches

The church scenes were filmed at Trinity United Methodist Church in Wilmette Illinois and the interior scenes were filmed at Grace Episcopal Church in Oak Park Illinois.

16. Angels with Filthy Souls Was Created For Home Alone

The film Kevin watches and uses to prank the robbers is a parody of the 1938 Michael Curtiz film Angels With Dirty Faces starring James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart. It is titled Angels with Filthy Souls and the shooting took one day using black-and-white negative film to mimic the style of that time and featured props from John Hughes' office. The film within the film was one of the first pieces to be shot on Home Alone. 

17. Joe Pesci Wanted To Play Golf Before Working On Home Alone Each Day

According to Home Alone Cinematographer Julio Macat, Joe Pesci was more difficult to work with than Macaulay Culkin. He did not believe that some of the dialogue was of a quality that matched his acting ability. He also didn’t like being called early to set as that prevented him from starting his day with nine holes of golf as he was used to. 

18. Macaulay Culkin Couldn’t Work Later Than 10PM

On one end of the scale, production had Joe Pesci wanting to start later in the day. On the other, they had Macaulay Culkin who could not work any later than 10 pm due to his age and child labour laws.

19. Joe Pesci Avoided Purposely Macaulay Culkin On Set

In an interview with People Magazine Joe Pesci said that he avoided working with Culkin to preserve the dynamic of intimidation in Home Alone. He didn’t want to come across on screen that they were in any way friendly and wanted to maintain the integrity of an adversarial relationship. 

20. Columbus Advised Pesci To Swear With The Word “Fridge”

Both Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci had difficulty not swearing on set in front of Macaulay Culkin. The only curse words that made it into the film were shit which was accidentally said by Daniel Stern when his shoe fell through a catflap and the word hell which was said by both bandits. Pesci instead had to make do with “cartoon cursing” which critics have compared to Yosemite Sam from Looney Tunes. Chris Columbus advised Joe Pesci to say the word fridge instead of the F word onset. 

21. Some Injuries Were Sustained From Stunts On Set

The stunts in Home Alone were actually quite dangerous! According to BuzzFeed an injury happened between Pesci and Macaulay Culkin during rehearsals in which Harry tries to bite off Kevin's finger and Macaulay Culkin still has the scar! 

The tarantula that walks on Daniel Stern’s face was real. Pesci claims that he sustained serious burns on the top of his head shooting the scene in which Harry’s hat is set on fire. 

The stunts were originally prepared with safety harnesses but then because of the visibility on camera they were later removed when the final stunts were being filmed.

22. The Running Through The Airport Scene Took Forever To Shoot

According to Senta Moses who played Tracey in Home Alone, one of the most time-consuming scenes was shooting the family’s running through O’Hare International Airport to catch their flight. There were many extras that had to be choreographed in such a way to stop the cast from bumping into each other and falling over. She claims that there were many narrowly missed moments but no injuries sustained!

23. Bruce Broughton Was Listed As Composer On Early Posters

Chris Columbus initially hoped to have Bruce Broughton score Home Alone with early posters listing him as the composer. However he was too busy with The Rescuers Down Under and had to cancel at the last minute so Columbus got in touch with Steven Spielberg to help him contact John Williams to produce the final score.

24. 11 Million Copies Of The VHS Were Sold On Release

Home Alone was first released by Fox Video on VHS in the USA on the 22nd of August 1991. The first video went straight to sell through rather than to video rental stores and it sold 11 million copies generating US$150 million in revenue for Fox. This made it along with E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, the highest selling video of all time at that point. It was later released on DVD on the 5th of October 1999.

25. 67.7 Million Cinema Tickets Were Bought For Home Alone In The USA

When Home Alone had finished its run in cinemas, it was announced as the third highest grossing film of all time worldwide as well as in the United States and Canada behind only Star Wars and E.T. The Extra Terrestrial. Box office Mojo estimated that Home Alone sold over 67.7 million tickets in the USA. It was the highest grossing Christmas film until it was surpassed by Dr. Seuss’ the Grinch in 2008.

26. Home Alone Was Accused Of Plagiarism

Home Alone has been accused of plagiarism by director René Manzor who threatened legal action alleging that Home Alone was a remake of his film 3615 code Père Noël. Manzor’s film is a 1989 French horror thriller film about a young boy who is Home Alone with his Grandad and has to fend off home invasion from someone dressed up as Santa. It was not released in the USA during its original theatrical run in January 1990 and it did not become widely available in America until 2018.

27. Home Alone Is Part Of The Christmas Culture In Poland

Home Alone is incredibly popular in Poland as both Home Alone and Die Hard were some of the very first Western films to be released there since the end of Communist rule. The Polish premier of Home Alone took place on the 22nd of May 1992, not during the Christmas season! Three years later on Christmas Day the Polish TV premiere of the film took place. The TV station Polsat has played Home Alone every year since and is mainly responsible for the film's popularity in the country. On Christmas Eve in 2018, Home Alone recorded its highest ever viewership of 4.510,000 viewers on Polsat. However in Poland it is called “Kevin Is Home Alone”.

28. Snoop Dogg Parodied Home Alone And More Cultural Moments…

References to Home Alone I’ve been used in popular culture ever since the films released. 

Here are some of the most notable ones:

• In the music video for Snoop Dogg song “Gin and Juice”, teenager Snoop's parents left him to watch their house and he screams in the same way as Kevin McCallister while the screen reads Homeboy Alone.

• A Christmas horror film from 2016 called Better Watch Out includes a scene where a character is obsessed with Home Alone and demonstrates what would happen if someone was hit with a paint can in the face in real life.

• In December 2018, Macaulay Culkin reprises his role as an adult Kevin McCallister in an advert for Google Assistant called Home Alone Again. The commercial contains a shot for shot remake of some of the scenes in the film and Google Assistant helps Kevin sort out booby traps in the house by remotely turning on lights and devices. Joe Pesci also reprises his role as Harry making a small voiced cameo.

29. Macaulay Culkin Was Only Paid US$110,000 For The First Film

Macaulay Culkin was only paid US$110,000 for his appearance in the original Home Alone. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York was released in 1992 and Macaulay Culkin was paid US$5 million to appear. 

Later Home Alone 3 was released with an entirely different cast in 1997 along with a made for TV film in 2002 called Home Alone 4: Taking Back The House. The fifth Home Alone film named The Holiday Heist premiered on ABC family and did not focus on the McCallister family. A sixth film in the Home Alone franchise was released digitally on Disney+ on the 12th of November 2021 called Home Sweet Home Alone with Devin Ratray reprising her role of Buzz McCallister (Kevin’s brother).

30. You Could Stay In The Home Alone House

The Home Alone house on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago‘s Winnetka has become a tourist attraction. In 2021 a competition was run in conjunction with Airbnb to have one lucky winner and their friends stay over at the Home Alone house for a night on the run-up to Christmas. 

31. Several Home Alone Video Games Exist

There are several tie-in video games based on the film Home Alone including ones released for GameBoy, Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis. There are multiple versions of the game and each are in a different style but the plot remains roughly the same from the film: Kevin McCallister is left home alone and has to defend his family home against Harry and Marv using various household objects as traps and weapons.

32. Macaulay Culkin Calls Catherine O’Hara Mum

In an interview in 2014, Catherine O’Hara revealed that Macaulay Culkin still refers to her as Mum/Mom.

33. Buzz’s Girlfriend Is Really A Boy Dressed Up

Hilariously the photo Kevin finds of his brother Buzz’s girlfriend was actually a picture of a boy made to look like a girl because the director Chris Columbus thought it would be too mean to laugh at a girl like that on the screen. The boy used in the photograph was the art director Dan Webster‘s son.

34. Playboy Magazine Was Taped Together For Use In The Film

The pages of the adult magazine Playboy were sellotaped together so that Macaulay Culkin did not see any nudity when filming the scene in Home Alone.

35. Culkin Drew The Map Of Booby Traps

Macaulay Culkin drew the map which Kevin McCallister uses to help set traps up around his house.

36. The Camera Angles Reflect Kevin’s Confidence

Interestingly many of the shots filmed at the beginning of the film are taken from above Kevin’s head making him seem quite small and helpless. However by the end of the movie you can notice that Kevin is mostly shot from below making him seem a lot taller and more confident.

37. Catherine O’Hara Read John Candy’s Eulogy

John Candy and Catherine O’Hara were great friends and had previously worked together on SCTV in 1976. John Candy sadly died on Catherine O’Hara’s 40th birthday and she gave the eulogy at his funeral.

38. Joe Pesci Commented That Culkin Was Like An Old Man

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Joe Pesci claimed that Macaulay Culkin did not act like a nine-year-old onset and that he was very mature and professional claiming that he was like an old man already.

39. Macaulay Culkin’s Stunt Double Was 30!

Macaulay Culkin stunt double on Home Alone was actually a very short 30-year-old man.

40. Original Edits Included More Scenes From Paris

Home Alone originally included more scenes of Kevin's family in Paris France however they were edited out of the final release due to test audiences wanting to see what was happening with Kevin.

41. The Home Alone Ornaments Were Made From Candy

One of the ingenious prop creations on the set of Home Alone were the ornaments which Marva steps on well actually made out of candy.

42. One Scene Was Played In Reverse!

Do you remember the scene where Kevin narrowly misses getting hit by Harry and Marv’s van on the driveway? This scene was actually shown in reverse. In order to not have the van hit Macaulay Culkin, the team had him walk backwards as the van was driven in reverse away from him!

43. Marv Wears Rubber Feet

Much like Bruce Willis as John McClane in Die Hard, Daniel Stern wore rubber feet for his barefoot scenes!

44. Roberts Blossom Would Be Stopped On The Street After Home Alone

Roberts Blossom Considered Home Alone to be one of the high points of his career. He said in interviews that children would often come up to him and recognise him for playing Old Man Marley. The name old man Marley was chosen as a nod to Jacob Marley from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

45. Macaulay Culkin Would Fall Asleep On Set

With the long hours onset, Macaulay Culkin has admitted to just lying down on the ground and falling asleep between takes.

46. There Are Deleted Scenes From Home Alone

The trailer for Home Alone featured some deleted scenes including:

• A television anchor warning viewers to be on the lookout for the Wet Bandits, Harry and Marv. 

• In the supermarket scene, the manager stands behind the woman at the checkout and asks Kevin the questions instead. 

• There is also additional dialogue between Harry and Marv before they go inside Kevin’s house in which Marv says, “Kids are stupid. I know I was” and Harry replies “You still are, Marv.”

47. Crew Were Waiting To Catch Culkin When He Jumped On The Bed

During the scene in which Kevin is jumping on his parents’ bed eating popcorn, there are actually several members of the production team laying down on the floor on both sides and at the foot of the bed. They had been instructed to lay down there and be ready to catch Macaulay Culkin if he accidentally jumped too far off the bed.

48. The Basement Was Built In An Old Swimming Pool

The scene in which Kevin is buying a toothbrush was actually the first scene shot for the entire Home Alone film. The last scene to be filmed was where Kevin is running through the basement filled with water. Cleverly the production team built this basement set in the old swimming pool to the high school in which they were filming so the water could be immediately drained out.

49. Chris Columbus Has Kevin’s Sled

The sled which Kevin uses down the stairs can be seen propped up next to the television when he’s watching how the Grinch stole Christmas!. The entire cast signed it after the production and it is now in Chris Columbus’s office.

50. Red And Green Is In Most Shots To Make Home Alone Feel Festive

Eagle eyed viewers may have noticed that to help create a strong Christmassy feel, red and green items are peppered throughout the film across furniture, clothing, food and wallpaper.

51. Kevin’s Screaming Pose Was Accidental

The most iconic image of Kevin putting both his hands on the side of his face screaming was improvised by Macaulay Culkin. He had forgotten to put his hands away from his cheeks as he screamed and it has now become synonymous with the film.

52. The Home Alone Snow Was Mashed Potatoes

At the end of Home Alone where it snows outside of Kevin's house, the snow is actually flakes of mashed potato! Wax and plastic snow was also used in the film and it was given to the Lyric Opera of Chicago when shooting ended and it has been since used in numerous opera productions.

53. One Home Alone Actor Went To The Olympics

After Home Alone was released, Hillary Wolf who played Megan went on to become a member of the USA Olympic judo team.

54. The Home Alone House Was Sold For Around US$4 Million

In May 2011, the Home Alone house was listed for sale at two. US$4 million and it was sold in March 2012 for US$1.5 million.

55. We Never See Kevin In His Own Bedroom

Amazingly even though Kevin is Home Alone throughout the film we never actually see him in his own bedroom!

56. Devin Ratray Says Buzz Probably Went To Prison

When Actor Devin Ratray was asked what happened to his character Buzz McCallister in later life, he said he probably went to prison.

57. Harry And Marv Were Based On Fagin

The look used for Harry and Marv was based on Fagin the thief in Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and film adaptations.

58. Chris Columbus Doesn’t Like The Feather Trap

In interviews director Chris Columbus says that his least favourite trap created by Kevin what’s the one where Harry gets doused with feathers. He claims that he dislikes this one the most as it was too soft in comparison to the others throughout the sequence. 

59. Columbus’ Brother In Law Is Responsible For The Iron In The Face

Chris Columbus wanted to come up with a booby trap where Marv was being hit in the face with a household object sent down the laundry shoot; however , he couldn't decide what to use. His brother-in-law suggested an iron so he went with that.

60. Geoffrey Wiseman Auditioned For Kevin

Geoffrey Wiseman who played Mitch Murphy, the McCallister’s neighbour, originally auditioned for the role of Kevin McCallister.

61. The Internet Believed Home Alone Proved Elvis Was Alive!

Would you believe that there is a connection with Elvis and Home Alone! You may have heard the popular conspiracy theory across the Internet that Elvis Presley is not actually dead… Stay with us here… Many people who believe this conspiracy theory also believed that the heavily bearded man in the background of the scene where Mrs McCallister is shouting at the clerk just before she meets John Candy is actually Elvis! 

They claimed that the man would be around the same age Elvis would be if he were still alive, he does the same head movement by Elvis frequently did during concerts and no record had ever been found about this extras participation in the movie. 

As you guessed it this was actually debunked in 2018 when journalists identified the extra as a man called Gary Richard Grott who has sadly passed away from a heart attack in February 2016. However his family were able to confirm that he had appeared in the film and that he had worked with Chris Columbus in many other films although Home Alone was the first one that had actually appeared in. 

62. All Special Effects Were Drawn In Kevin Nordine’s Parents’ Basement

Kevin Nordine did all of the special effects for Home Alone in the basement of his parents house in Chicago by drawing all of the effects onto the film.

63. The Statue Is Hit 4 Times In The Film

The statue in front of McCallister's house was actually hit four times during the film. Once by the airport shuttle, once by a police officer and twice by the pizza delivery person.

69. Columbus Was Inspired By Spielberg Films

Chris Columbus was inspired by films such as Gremlins (1984), The Goonies (1985,) And Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) all of which were produced by Steven Spielberg and featured in genius inventions.

70. Chris Columbus’ Family Starred In Home Alone

Many of Chris Columbus’ own family members made cameo appearances in Home Alone. His mother-in-law and daughter Eleanor were passengers on the plane with the McCallister family. His wife Monica Devereux Columbus was a stewardess on the plane and his father-in- law played the police officer who says “tell him to count the kids again”.

71. The Furnace Was Meant To Come To Life

Chris Columbus had storyboarded a scene in which the furnace comes to life, gets on all fours and chases Kevin to the staircase. However the scene would’ve cost around US$1 million so it was implied instead that the furnace was a scary object by simply lighting it up and having it grow Kevin’s name. There were a few of these scenes designed to bring Kevin's nightmares to life including one with several anthropomorphised nutcracker toys. All were decided to be too expensive on such a tight budget.

72. Peter Actually Throws Kevin’s Aeroplane Ticket In The Bin

In the scene in which Kevin attacksBuzz and ends up spilling milk all over the counter top, Peter tries to clean up the spillage and move it away from the passports and holiday tickets. He throws the wet napkins away but it also throws a plane ticket away by mistake and it can be seen in the rubbish bin with Kevin‘s name written on it in black marker pen.

73. The Owners Of The Home Alone House Were Also Approached For Uncle Buck

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, the owners of the McCallister family house in Illinois said that they were first approached by a location scout of John Hughes. They were asked originally to use their old house in Uncle Buck but at the time they were trying to sell it and declined the offer. They didn’t want to take the property off the market for several months during the shoot.

74. “Home Aloned” Became A Verb

According to screenwriter William Goldman, Home Alone’s success created a verb used around Hollywood “to be Home Aloned”, meaning to have a film's Box Office revenue reduced by the impact of the film.

75. Jeff May Have Stolen Kevin’s Toothbrush

In one of the earliest scenes in the film, Kevin’s brother Jeff puts a toothbrush into his pocket. Later we see Kevin claiming that he is unable to find his own toothbrush which could strongly suggest that Jeff had stolen Kevin's and not his own.

76. How Many Children Are In The McCallister Family?

The McCallister family is a huge family! It consists of Peter, Frank, and Rob and their wives and their children. Peter and Kate McCallister have five children: Buzz, Lenny, Megan, Jeff, and Kevin. Frank and Leslie McCallister live in Ohio and also have five children: Tracy, Rod, Brooke, Sandra, and fuller. Rob and Georgette McCallister are seen fleetingly in the first film with the exception of the eldest daughter Heather who is travelling from Chicago to Paris with the two other McCallister families.

77. Peter McCallister Could Have Been Played By Many Hollywood Greats

Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, Tom Hanks, Christopher Lloyd, Robin Williams, John Goodman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ed O’Neill, John Travolta, Mel Gibson, Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, and Chevy Chase were all considered for the role of Peter McCallister.

78. There Are Home Alone Funko POPS!

There have been Funko POPS! released of Kevin, Harry, and Marv from Home Alone.

79. Deidre Hall Nearly Played Kevin’s Mother

Deidre Hall was once in the running to play Kate McCallister, Kevin‘s mum.

80. Home Alone Was Actually Set In The Future

Home Alone was released in November 1990 but the events of the film actually take place in December 1990 so the film came out prior to the actions in the film itself. We can tell that it is December 1990 because a calendar is shown when Kevin is shooting toys with his rifle.

81. Kate Didn’t Need To Join The Polka Band

Some Home Alone fans have worked out that at the end of the film the rest of the family walk into the house exactly 1 minute and 20 seconds after Kate McCallister opens the front door meaning her travelling with the polka band is rather pointless.

82. A Freeze Frame Originally Ended The Film

In the original version of the script, the film ended with a freeze frame after Peter asked Kevin what he had got up to when the family was away.

83. Kevin And Old Man Marley Share The Same Trajectory

Strangely Kevin and Old Man Marley share a similar character trajectory in Home Alone. Kevin gets into arguments with his brother and Mum, wishing he didn’t have a family. He is then left behind alone. Old Man Marley tells us Kevin that he is estranged from his son after they had an argument. The film ends with Kevin and Old Man Marley reuniting with their families.

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