Those of us who grew up in the '90s can agree that the series of Home Alone movies were cult favorites. The films embodied the holiday spirit and were relatable to just about everyone. They were also binge-worthy, and in fact, most of us have introduced our kids to the movies. Kevin Mccallister (Macaulay Culkin ) headlined the first two movies as a kid stuck at home during the winter holidays. After surviving 2020, most of us can now relate to his experience on a whole new level.
We still have nostalgic memories from Home Alone, and while rewatching it for the umpteenth time, we noticed a couple of things we missed before. There are quite a few hidden details in the series of films that only people with hawk eyes or super fans with behind-the-scenes knowledge would have spotted. Without further ado, here's a list of some of these tidbits you might have missed.
Kevin's Plane Ticket Is Thrown Away
Kevin McCallister wakes up home alone after sleeping in the attic as punishment the night before his family sets off on vacation to Paris. Coincidentally, a power outage in their neighborhood resets the alarm clocks in the household, and in turn, the McCallister family oversleeps. In the flurry to make it to the airport, they leave Kevin behind.
One of the scenes that stand out from the 1990 film was at the start. Kevin's plane ticket is accidentally tossed in the trash, setting in motion the series of events that would see his family travel all the way to Paris before realizing that he was missing.
Van Count
Kevin had ruined dinner, which was why he was sent off to the attic to spend the night there. That's why his family members overlooked his absence when they were hurrying up to make it to the airport the next morning.
When they were loading up the two vans for the airport, they knew that they were a total of 17 people. That meant that one van would ferry eight people while the other would carry nine. Each van simply assumed that they were the vehicle with the eight people. That's how they never suspected that they were missing one person.
Airport Gate Count
When the Mccallister family are boarding the flight to Paris, you might have wondered how they didn't notice Kevin was missing on account of the tickets. Well, we have covered the tidbit about Kevin's ticket being trashed, and that's why they were none the wiser.
The agent also didn't realize that they were missing a passenger at the airport gate because the tickets tallied with the passengers who had boarded the flight. Looking back now, it's mind-blowing realizing how a lot of detail that was mostly overlooked went into creating the masterpiece.
Gun-Shaped Tie Clip
Joe Pesci did a great job at embodying the role of Harry in the Home Alone films. He was one-half of the thieves known as the "wet bandits." They scout the Mccallister neighborhood to figure out which houses to burgle dressed up as cops.
Only people with hawk eyes must have noticed an eye-catching detail on Harry's police gab when he first appears in Home Alone. He had a gun-shaped clip on his tie, and perhaps that foreshadowed the turn of events that would see him burglarize the houses on the street.
Angels With Filthy Souls Unique To Home Alone
There's the iconic scene where Kevin is watching an old gangster movie, and we hear the lines "angels with filthy souls." If you've searched aimlessly for the title of the film and never tracked it down, that's because it doesn't exist.
The clip was created solely for use in Home Alone, but it got the best of us curious about the movie that spawned the catchy phrase. It also helped Kevin hoodwink the wet bandits into thinking that there were people at home when they first tried to burglarize the Mccallister residence.
Santa Isn't Real
The morning when Kevin wakes up to discover that he's all alone thinking that he wished his family away, there's also another realization that might have hit him. The cookies and milk he had left out for Santa were still there. That must have made him realize that Santa doesn't exist.
It also doesn't go unnoticed that Kevin had a spirit for sharing, which is the reason behind this Christmas tradition. Leaving milk and cookies for Santa is linked to the Great Depression when parents encouraged their children to do so. It was all meant to inspire them to share with others during those tough times.
The Backward Movement
There's the scene where Kevin passes Marv and Harry's van. The audience didn't realize that both Kevin and the van were moving in a backward motion. You can pick up on it by watching the smoke emitting from the van, moving towards the vehicle rather than away from it.
Talking about some things that weren't how we perceived them, there's the whole matter about the phone lines. We always assumed that the glitch at the beginning that affected the Mccallister's alarm clocks was why they couldn't reach Kevin after realizing he was missing. However, there's the scene where Kevin called for food delivery serving as one of the movie's main plot holes.
The Fake Feet
We can all agree that the scenes that stole the Home Alone films were when the bandits got a dose of their own medicine, all thanks to a bunch of kids. In the first Home Alone film, Kevin was just eight years old, but he managed to face off with two scary bandits to protect the Mccallister household.
Kevin set up a series of traps all over the house that inflicted what looked like painful injuries on Marv (Daniel Stern) and Harry. There's the scene where Marv sustains burns on his feet and has to tread through the snow. If you wondered how they filmed that scene, well, it turns out that Stern wore fake feet.
Toys As Weapons
One of the initial scenes that also foreshadowed events that happened later in the 1990 movie was when Kevin's dad scolded him about leaving his toys all over. His dad told him that he should pick up his mini cars because his aunt Leslie (Terrie Snell) nearly broke her neck.
His dad's words stayed with him, and Kevin later used his mini cars as one of the traps he set up for the wet bandits. John Hughes came up with the concept for the movie based on his personal experience. He didn't exactly forget his 10-year old at home when going on vacation, but the thought hit him when he was making a list of what not to forget.
Harry's Burnt Hands
We have to tip our hats to Hughes and his team for the number of details they effortlessly weaved into the films. The wet bandits received a fair share of injuries after breaking into the Mccallister home where Kevin had laid traps throughout the house.
In Home Alone 2, we notice that Harry still has burn marks on his hands, making sense following what they were subjected to by Kevin. Like in the first film, Kevin sets up traps at a townhouse where Harry and Marv once again get a decent beating.
Donald Trump In The 1992 Film
The sequel to Home Alone, dubbed "Lost In New York," came out in 1992. Kevin had booked himself at the Plaza Hotel when he mistakenly boarded a flight to New York instead of the Miami-bound plane with the rest of his family. Anyone keen enough remembers the scene where Donald Trump had a cameo.
Trump was a man Kevin met at the Plaza Hotel and asked him for directions. Trump owned the condominium apartment complex cum luxury hotel located in Midtown Manhattan. When the filmmakers approached him about filming at the establishment, he allowed it on condition that he would have a part in it.
The Hand-Me-Down Jacket
The second Home Alone movie had a relatable element that most of us possibly didn't notice. For the better part of the first Home Alone film, Kevin wore a brown winter jacket with a red and black checkered pattern on the flap at the back.
In the second Home Alone film, Kevin's youngest cousin Fuller (Kieran Culkin) wears the same jacket. It implies that Kevin outgrew it, and the jacket was handed down to his cousin. The majority of us can relate because we grew up wearing hand-me-downs from our siblings.
Red And Green Hues
You must have noticed that the Home Alone films were quite colorful. The colorful theme is evident throughout the films to bring out the holiday spirit. They went for green and red hues to bring out the theme.
The filmmakers went as far as including props in these colors, and most of the Mccallister family members were always clad in colorful outfits with hints of red and green at one point or another. In contrast, Marv and Harry mostly wore outfits in dark hues, which painted them as bad guys.
Less Painful Sounds
Going back to the film scoring, they used a few sound effects that don't quite correlate with the actions. This was particularly the case when they depicted Marv, and Harry's falls and slips as they tried making their way into the Mccallister household.
For instance, when Marc hit the concrete, they used the sound effect of falling on a hardwood floor instead. The reason was just to lessen the painful effect we associate with such actions in our minds. It's the same case when the metal pole hit Marv and Harry's heads; they went with the sound of a hollow thin metal clanking against a floor.
It's A Wonderful Life
When Kevin wished that he didn't have a family, only to wake up the next day home alone, it seemed like Deja Vu. The scene was oddly familiar because it mirrors a plotline from It's A Wonderful Life.
In the 1990 Home Alone film, we see the family watching the classic 1946 film version. George Bailey, the lead in It's A Life, experienced an alternative reality where he wished never to have been born. It's similar to how Kevin wished his family away only to wake up and believe that it had happened.
Old Wounds Can Heal
Kevin has an encounter with Old Man Marley from Home Alone (1990), a scary neighborhood man rumored to be a serial killer. He frightens Kevin every time they meet, but they eventually strike a friendship after striking up a conversation at their local church on Christmas Eve.
We notice quite early that Old Man Marley has a wounded hand, which is tied up with a handkerchief and then a bandaid. Later, when he reunites with his family, Old Man Marley no longer has the bandage, and this isn't by chance. It's a clever symbolism the filmmakers included to pass the message that old wounds can heal.
False Judgement Crucifixion
The wound that Old Man Marley had also served as yet another symbolism. The film's religious undertones gave us another perspective about it, given the character's backstory and development.
It symbolizes crucifixion in the sense of being subjected to false judgment or being misunderstood. The neighborhood had the long-running rumor that Old Man Marley was a serial killer. After his turnaround with Kevin, it shows that Old Man Marley was simply misunderstood all along, and at that point, he no longer had the wound on his hand.
The Emotive Transformation
John Towner Williams scored the first two Home Alone films, and not only was the music emotive, but those who were keen enough must have noticed that it pushed the story along. Old Man Marley was one of the characters we truly enjoyed seeing transform on screen.
The church scene where he clears everything up with Kevin about the untrue rumors that he is a serial killer is one of them. In the beginning, whenever Old Man Marley appears on the screen, he's scored with "Dies Irae," but at the church, the choir belt out "Carol of The Bells." It signifies how Kevin had misjudged him but finally gained a better understanding of the man.
Snow Globe Souvenirs
In the first Home Alone film, when Marv and Harry are casing the Mccallister neighborhood in a van, there's something you might have noticed. The dashboard is filled with snow globes that Marv has been collecting.
Each time they burglarize a house, he makes sure to steal a snow globe to add to his collection. We even see him in one scene going out of the way to take one as a souvenir. We also find out that Marv likes clogging the sinks of the residences they burglarize and leaving the taps flowing to flood the houses. Hence their nickname, the wet bandits.
The Statue At The Front Of The House
There was the running joke of the statue at the front of the Mccallister residence getting knocked down by vehicles. It happens most notably three times, and that's when the food delivery vehicle knocks it down twice, and then when the airport shuttle ferrying the Mccallister's also hits it.
There is also another instance that isn't as pronounced, and that's when the police officer sent to check up on Kevin arrives at the residence. The best thing about it is how they played it out in a natural way such that the audience barely noticed or thought that it was over-done.
Buzz's Girlfriend Is A Boy With A Wig
There's the scene where Kevin is rummaging through his brother Buzz's room. He picks up a photo in a frame and is disgusted by it, exclaiming that it's Buzz's girlfriend. Well, the director didn't want to be cruel by using the photo of an actual girl for the scene, and they decided to inject some humor into it.
The girl in the photo isn't actually female, but it was a boy who threw on a wig to create the prop. It makes the scene even funnier now that we are in on this joke that we are sure most of us didn't know.
Harry Is Married
One of the other details that we almost didn't notice is the wedding ring on Harry's hand. We see it when the tarantula from Buzz's room lands on him. It implies that Harry is a married man. It helps give us even more background details about the character.
The film's stunts were tension-filled because Culkin sustained an injury during rehearsals. The scene where Harry attempts to bite off Kevin's finger left Culkin with a scar. The family-run at the O'Hare International Airport to catch their flight took several days to film. However, it included thousands of extras who were expertly choreographed to avoid potential accidents.
The Pigeon Lady?
In Home Alone 2, Kevin encounters a homeless woman feeding pigeons at Central Park. She reminds us of Old Man Marley from the first Home Alone film in several ways. For starters, she frightens Kevin initially, but they eventually strike up a friendship.
The "pigeon lady" also helps incapacitate Marv and Harry, who go sticky bandits in the second film, after he lures them to Central Park. Once Kevin reunites with his family, he goes back to Central Park and gives the pigeon lady a turtledove cementing their friendship. Through it all, we never actually learn the pigeon's lady's real name.
Over Their Heads
In the second Home Alone film, there's the scene where Marv and Harry think that they've caught Kevin. The two had just arrived in New York after escaping from the prison in Illinois, where they had been incarcerated.
The reason why they think that the boy they spot is Kevin is because of the hat the kid was wearing. Kevin wore the same hat in the first film, and yet another great piece of detail added to the narrative to tie the two movies together. The second film also sees Marv and Harry casing a toy store they plan to rob in almost a similar fashion to when they burglarized houses.
The Mccallister's Dog
We hardly see a dog around the household, but the Mccallister family did have a dog. In a genius way of adding details in the dialogue, at around 2 minutes 22 seconds into the first film, Kevin's mother mentions to a caller on the phone that they put their dog in the kennel.
Another interesting tidbit about the doggy door in the kitchen is that it resulted in the only instance where a curse made it to the film. Pesci and Stern had to be mindful about using curse words since Culkin was on set, and the only time Stern let one slip was when his character's shoe fell through the doggy door, and he said sh**.
The Pizza Slogan
The McCallister family gets a pizza delivery on the night before their trip to Paris in Home Alone (1990). From the vehicle that makes the delivery, we gather that the establishment they ordered the fast-food treat from is called Little Nero's Pizza.
We also see that "No Fiddlin' Around'' is their slogan. It borrows from the myth about the Roman emperor, Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus, who is said to have played the fiddle in the wake of the Great Fire of Rome. The inference is that the fast-food establishment won't burn your pizza.
A Hidden Sign
The second Home Alone film has a scene where Kevin first catches a glimpse of the Rockefeller Center Tree. When the camera pans up, giving us a view of the stunning Christmas tree in all its glory, behind the tree, there's something that went unnoticed for most of us.
Except for two lights in the building right behind the tree, all the rest were off. The two lights that were on when combined with the star resting on top of the tree for a sign. It's the Hughes Entertainment logo, the production company behind the film.
A Homage To A Classic
The Christmas Chronicles 2 was released on Netflix in November 2020. If you have watched it, you must have been transported back to the iconic scene in Home Alone, where Kevin's mother tugged at our hearts when she tried to get a flight back home. All she wanted to do was to get back to Kevin after realizing that they had left him all alone.
We see the same scene replayed in The Christmas Chronicles 2 when a lady desperately tries to get a flight to Chicago. Kate Mccallister was also trying to get on a flight back to Chicago, and it's a great way to pay homage to the classic movie.
Adventures In Babysitting Vs. Home Alone
In relation to the statue at the front of the Mccallister residence that served as a running gag, it also came across as something oddly familiar. The statue is yet another prop that borrows from another '80s classic movie - Adventures In Babysitting.
The statue in Home Alone is a lawn jockey, just like the '87 film, and in both movies, it's depicted as being hit by a vehicle. Another thing worth mentioning is that both films were directed by Chris Columbus, which could have been something he included as a signature, the same way the late Stan Lee had cameos in just about every Marvel film.
Aunt Georgette And Uncle Rob's Cameo
The New York townhouse in the second Home Alone movie that Kevin rigged with traps to ensnare the wet bandits belonged to his aunt Georgette and uncle Rob. They only feature in the movie in a brief cameo, and we don't see them again in the entire film. It is also evident that the couple is wealthy.
The townhouse was Kevin's first stop when he ended up in New York instead of Miami. He found out that it was undergoing renovations, and that's what later helped him set traps to face off with Marv and Harry.