20 things you probably didn't know about 'Home Alone'

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Marilyn La Jeunesse,Fiona ClairDec 12, 2020, 19:55 IST
20 things you probably didn't know about 'Home Alone'

"Home Alone" is a Christmas classic.Fox

  • It's been 30 years since "Home Alone" came out, but the film is still widely beloved, especially around the holidays.
  • Fans may not know that Macaulay Culkin improvised one of the film's most iconic moments.
  • The cast almost looked a little different, and Culkin's brother also made a guest appearance.
  • The over-the-top stunts in "Home Alone" were really performed by the lead actors' stunt doubles.

The holidays wouldn't be the same without the "Home Alone" franchise.

There are very few people who can resist the shenanigans of a young Macaulay Culkin as he finds himself left behind to defend the house while his family heads to Paris for Christmas break.

There's so much to love about this holiday film, but there's also plenty of things fans might not know about it.

Read on for some interesting facts you may not know about "Home Alone."

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It took weeks to find the right house for the film.

It took weeks to find the right house for the film.
John Hughes called the winning house "perfect." Fox

It took several weeks for director Chris Columbus and his crew to find the McCallister's house for "Home Alone," according to Entertainment Weekly.

Ultimately, they chose a house in Winnetka, Illinois, because they thought it was both warm and menacing.

"... I took some pictures and sent them over to John, and I remember John saying, 'This is perfect. This is exactly how I imagined the house.'" he told the publication.

Warner Brothers initially had the rights for the screenplay.

Warner Brothers initially had the rights for the screenplay.
Production for the film was stalled at one point. Fox

Although the film was ultimately produced by Hughes Entertainment and presented by 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers initially had rights to the project.

According to Chicago magazine, a budget dispute occurred three weeks before production of "Home Alone" was set to start.

"The question was, 'Do we lay everyone off?'" associate producer Mark Radcliffe told the publication. "John [Hughes] said to just hold tight."

Luckily, 20th Century Fox acquired the rights to the film and production continued as planned.

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Culkin and his on-screen mom shared a sweet moment years later.

Culkin and his on-screen mom shared a sweet moment years later.
Catherine O'Hara played the mother in "Home Alone." Fox

Per Us Weekly, during a 2015 interview on "What What Happens Live," Catherine O'Hara told Andy Cohen that she and Culkin had a sweet interaction at an art event.

"I haven't seen him for years and years, but I saw him two years ago — a year-and-a-half-ago? — at a Martin Mull art opening, and he was coming out, and he went, 'Mommy!' And I said, 'Baby!'" she recalled.

She added that her husband made them take a picture and that she was happy to see him.

The film held a cinematic record for nearly 30 years.

The film held a cinematic record for nearly 30 years.
There's no denying people loved "Home Alone." Fox

Forbes reported that until 2017, "Home Alone" had the highest single-territory total for a live-action comedy, with $285.7 million.

The film held this impressive record for 27 years, until the Chinese film "Never Say Die" just barely surpassed it with $286 million in 2017.

However, "Home Alone" is still one of the highest-grossing live-action comedies in the US.

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Culkin's younger brother appeared in the movie.

Culkin's younger brother appeared in the movie.
Kieran Culkin played his brother's on-screen cousin. Fox

In his first-ever acting credit, Culkin's younger brother Kieran appeared as Kevin's cousin, Fuller, in "Home Alone."

The brothers appeared together on screen again in "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York."

The film was written in just over a week.

The film was written in just over a week.
John Hughes was able to write the screenplay incredibly fast. FOX

John Hughes, who also wrote 1980s blockbusters like "The Breakfast Club," "Pretty in Pink," and "Sixteen Candles," crafted the first draft of the screenplay for "Home Alone" in just nine days.

According to the same Chicago magazine article — which was written by his son, James — the film was written after a family trip to Europe in response to his father's severe traveler's anxiety.

"I was going away on vacation,'" Hughes told Time magazine in 1990, "and making a list of everything I didn't want to forget. I thought, 'Well, I'd better not forget my kids.' Then I thought, 'What if I left my 10-year-old son at home? What would he do?'"

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Culkin has said he has trouble watching the film.

Culkin has said he has trouble watching the film.
Macaulay Culkin said he doesn't watch the film very often. Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

In a 2018 interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Culkin said he can't watch "Home Alone" without remembering a bunch of personal context.

"When I'm watching it, I'm seeing like — I'm remembering that day on set. You know, like, how I was hiding my Pepsi behind the couch," he said. "I can't watch it the same way other people can."

In the same interview, he referred to the film as "background radiation at Christmastime."

Columbus was supposed to direct a different Hughes-written Christmas classic.

Columbus was supposed to direct a different Hughes-written Christmas classic.
Chris Columbus had said he didn't want to work with Chevy Chase on "Christmas Vacation." Slaven Vlasic/Getty

According to Chicago magazine, Columbus was originally working on "Christmas Vacation" — which was also written by Hughes — but he eventually called the writer to tell him he couldn't work with actor Chevy Chase.

"John was very understanding. About two weeks later, I got two scripts at my in-laws' house in River Forest. One was 'Home Alone,' with a note from John asking if I wanted to direct," he told the publication. "I thought, 'Wow, this guy is really supporting me when no one else in Hollywood was going to.'"

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John Candy improvised most of his scenes in "Home Alone."

John Candy improvised most of his scenes in "Home Alone."
John Candy played Gus Polinski in "Home Alone." Fox

Columbus told Insider's Jason Guerrasio in November that legendary comedic actor John Candy came on set ready to improvise.

"He was on the movie for only one day, but it resulted in so much great improvisation. None of that stuff was in the script," he said. "The funeral-parlor story, that was all improvised at 4:30 in the morning. We could barely keep a straight face on set just listening to John."

Hughes was particular about his script, but Columbus added one of the film's most touching moments.

Hughes was particular about his script, but Columbus added one of the film's most touching moments.
Chris Columbus added the ending scene with Old Man Marley. Fox

Outside of Candy's cameo, Hughes didn't allow for a ton of improvisation or tweaks to his script, but Columbus had a sweet vision for the character of Old Man Marley that he was able to sneak into the film.

Although the scene in the church was always in the script, the director added to the conversation between Kevin and Marley.

"I added the moment when Marley talked about not being able to see his granddaughter. I also added the very end of the movie when Kevin sees that Marley is reunited with his granddaughter," Columbus told Insider. "That is probably my proudest addition to the movie."

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Robert De Niro was considered for the role of Harry.

Robert De Niro was considered for the role of Harry.
Robert De Niro could've had Joe Pesci's iconic role. Toby Melville/Reuters; Fox

Before legendary actor Joe Pesci took on the role of Harry in "Home Alone," the production team had their eyes on Robert De Niro.

But according to Columbus, the actor never seriously considered taking the role.

"It was talked about a little internally, but when Pesci said yes, I was stunned," he told Insider.

Culkin improvised one of the most iconic "Home Alone" moments.

Culkin improvised one of the most iconic "Home Alone" moments.
Macaulay Culkin in "Home Alone." Fox

Kevin's reaction to putting on aftershave is arguably one of the best-known scenes of the film — and it's since become one of the most iconic moments in movie history.

But Culkin apparently didn't do it the way Columbus told him to.

"If you put something on your face that burns, most people move their hands right away. So my direction to him was when you pat your face, move your hands and scream. And I think it was the first take, he kept his hands on his cheeks," the director told Insider.

He added, "It's funny, the iconic moment from 'Home Alone' was an accident."

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The BB-gun effect was achieved with animation.

The BB-gun effect was achieved with animation.
The movie didn't have a huge budget for special effects. Fox

When "Home Alone" came out in 1990, CGI wasn't the norm on film sets. And since the movie was already working on a tight budget, the production team had to get creative when it came to special effects.

During the scene where Kevin shoots Marv in the head with a BB gun, the pellet was actually animated.

"... We paid a guy living in his mother's basement in Chicago $600 to hand paint that BB going into Marv's head. So that was an animated effect. A guy with a paintbrush in a basement for six frames hand-painted a BB," Columbus told Insider.

He continued, "This was an $18 million film, so, for our budget, I'm pretty happy how it turned out."

The film has fooled many people into believing "Angels With Filthy Souls" is real.

The film has fooled many people into believing "Angels With Filthy Souls" is real.
"Angels With Filthy Souls" was created for "Home Alone." Fox

Kevin uses a black-and-white movie called "Angels With Filthy Souls" to aid in his defense plan against the Wet Bandits, and many people — including Seth Rogen and Chris Evans — were shocked when they learned it wasn't a real film.

The scene was created specifically for "Home Alone," but there's a reason it looks so real.

"'Home Alone' is one of the last films shot with an old carbon-arc lighting system that was popular back in the 1940s through 1960s for Technicolor films," Columbus told Insider.

He explained that they used the same technique for "Angels With Filthy Souls."

"That richness of black and white made it look like a movie from that era and I think that's why some people think it's a real movie," he added.

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"Home Alone" was written with Culkin in mind after another Hughes hit.

"Home Alone" was written with Culkin in mind after another Hughes hit.
Macaulay Culkin in "Uncle Buck." Universal

A year before "Home Alone," Culkin starred alongside Candy in Hughes' "Uncle Buck."

According to the "Home Alone" episode of Netflix's "The Movies That Made Us," after watching the actor play Miles Russell, Hughes was inspired to write a film with a young boy at its helm.

Once the idea started taking shape, he thought Culkin would be great in the role.

Production of the film took place at a familiar high school in the suburbs of Chicago.

Production of the film took place at a familiar high school in the suburbs of Chicago.
"Ferris Bueller's Day Off" was filmed at New Trier Township High School. Paramount Pictures

On the same episode of "The Movies That Made Us," the production team shared stories about working at New Trier Township High School in Winnetka, Illinois.

Hughes famously liked to make his movies in the Chicagoland area, so they set up their production offices in the same building where his other classics, like "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Uncle Buck," were shot.

They also ended up building the interior sets for the McCallister's house in the school's gym, and they inventively built the set for the Murphy's house — which floods at the end of the film — in the swimming pool.

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Candy reportedly made less than the pizza boy for his cameo in "Home Alone."

Candy reportedly made less than the pizza boy for his cameo in "Home Alone."
John Candy was only on set for one day. Fox

Candy filmed all his scenes during one 23-hour day on set, but he didn't get much in return as far as compensation.

According to the episode of "The Movies That Made Us," the actor did the cameo as a favor to Hughes, and he received "scale" pay — the minimum pay rate that a studio agrees to.

In the end, Candy ended up making less than Danny Warhol (aka Dan Charles Zukoski), who played the pizza boy.

The crew dropped everything on the second day of filming to shoot the final scene in the snow.

The crew dropped everything on the second day of filming to shoot the final scene in the snow.
They shot the scene where Kevin reunites with his mom on the second day. Fox

"Home Alone" was shot in Chicago in February, but the weather didn't cooperate with the film's plans, according to the same episode of "The Movies That Made Us."

Fake snow can eat away at the budget, so when a snowstorm rolled in on the second day on set, everyone jumped at the chance to film the "money shot" where Kevin wakes up on Christmas morning and reunites with his family.

To enhance the natural flurries, the crew used potatoes flakes to make it look like snow was blowing around the house — which was effective, but left them with a whole heap of rotting starch when the snow melted a few days later.

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The stunts were real - and one was even named in honor of "Home Alone."

The stunts were real - and one was even named in honor of "Home Alone."
The stuntpeople had to do all of the falls themselves. Fox

Although Culkin, Pesci, and Daniel Stern weren't responsible for all of the falls and hits their characters took throughout the film, their stunt doubles did them for real.

They didn't use any special-effect tricks and there weren't any pads built into the ground, according to the episode of "The Movies That Made Us," so the film crew was under a lot of pressure to get the shots right on the first take.

Pesci's stunt double, Troy Brown, said on the docuseries that for his first fall on the icy stairs, he "just launched himself as far and high as [he] could."

The film's wild stunts had a long-lasting impact.

"Now when someone does a fall where they get a lot of air, and they fall on their back, they'd call it the 'Home Alone,'" director of photography Julio Macat said on the episode.

Columbus went on to direct another Christmas hit.

Columbus went on to direct another Christmas hit.
Kurt Russell in "The Christmas Chronicles 2." Netflix

"Home Alone" was only the third feature-length film that Columbus directed, but he's since gone on to direct popular movies like "Mrs. Doubtfire," "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."

In addition to taking on some fantasy classics, Columbus recently directed Netflix's "The Christmas Chronicles 2," marking his return to holiday films.

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