The movie Home Alone has become a timeless symbol of the Christmas season, but behind its creation are many unexpected details and secrets that will surprise even the most dedicated fans. From script tricks to Macaulay Culkin’s improvisations, there’s much more to the story. Read on to discover some fascinating behind-the-scenes stories from the making of Home Alone.
The screenplay for Home Alone was written in just over a week, but much more time was spent searching for the perfect house. It took several weeks to find the right location.
The script was specifically written with Macaulay Culkin in mind to play the role of Kevin.
The family who owned the house stayed there during filming — a period of five months!
Kevin’s treehouse was specially built in the backyard of the house for the movie. The owners tore it down after filming wrapped.
Reportedly, the owners decided not to keep Kevin’s treehouse in the backyard after the shoot concluded.
The scene where the basement floods was filmed in a school pool.
The McCallister family never actually made it to Paris. The “European” scenes were filmed in America.
The most challenging scenes to shoot were at the airport. The crew had only two or three takes to get them right, and they couldn’t afford to mess up.
The adult actors didn’t always perform alongside Macaulay Culkin. The young actor wasn’t allowed to work past 10 PM.
A significant portion of the film was shot at night, but due to Macaulay’s age, he couldn’t be on set after 10 PM.
Robert De Niro was considered for the role of the “Wet Bandit” Harry.
Filming the stunts wasn’t as funny as it appears on screen. Chris Columbus mentioned that the crew was constantly worried about stunt performers getting injured while performing some of the more dangerous scenes.
One actor wasn’t happy with how much he was paid for the film. At the time, popular comedian John Candy, who played the musician and Kevin’s mom’s savior, earned just $414 for a day of work.
Some parts of the film were pure improvisation. For example, Kevin’s scream after applying the aftershave – the iconic moment wasn’t in the script. Culkin was supposed to slap his face, scream, and let go. Instead, he held his palms to his cheeks longer, turning the scene into an unforgettable one.
The tarantula on Marv’s face was real. But his scream? Not so much.
