Many may not know it at first glance, but 1990’sHome Aloneis a really cleverly-made movie full of all sorts of tiny details and easter eggs that many may not catch on their first viewing. In fact, many who watch the film every holiday season likely don’t realize how many small details were snuck into the film, each of which enriches the story and shows how much the cast and crew cared about the holiday classic.
Chris Columbusis a director who loves detail and uses a lot of similar techniques in his other films. If you’re planning ongivingHome Alonea rewatch this Christmas season, pay close attention to these cool little details next time you watch it, as they will undoubtedly boost your appreciation for the film and its iconic cast.This list will discuss thoseHome Alonetidbits that you might’ve missed, so sit back and revisit Kevin McCallister’s (Macaulay Culkin) ordeal.
Home Alone
10Doggie door
The McCallisters have a dog
You may have noticed that the McCallister house has a doggie door, which is pretty strange because there isn’t a single dog in the movie. Yet, this doggie door plays a pivotal role in the Wet Bandits' attempted infiltration of the home. First, Marv (Daniel Stern) loses his shoe by sticking his foot through the flap, and it later serves as something for Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) to shoot a BB gun out of. So why is there a doggie door but no dog?
As it turns out,the McCallisters do have a dog; it just isn’t presentin the films. Inthe very first scene ofHome Alone, as the chaos of the house unfolds and people run this way and that, someone can be heard on the phone mentioning thatthe dog has been put in the kennel. It’s super easy to miss, but it provides some much-needed answers as to if the family has a dog or not.
9Kevin’s passport
Peter accidentally throws Kevin’s passport and plane ticket away
Many wonder how Kevin’s parents didn’t notice they didn’t have his plane ticket or passport when they took off for France because if they had noticed it, they would have known he wasn’t with them. So where did they go? Well, if you pay close attention, you’ll know. At the beginning of the film, the family orders pizzas for dinner, but Kevin’s personal preference for plain cheese has been eaten by his siblings and cousins.
Kevin gets into a fight with his brother Buzz (Devin Ratray) over it, and as the two come to blows, drinks are spilled all over the table. The family rushes to clean up the mess and, in the process,accidentally pushes Kevin’s passport and plane ticket into the garbage can, burying it with soiled napkins. This one-in-a-million occurrence is a true blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, yet it serves asan example of how cleverly crafted the film is and how the answers to the biggest plot holes can easily be foundif one knows where to look.
8Micro Machines
Peter foreshadows one of Kevin’s traps
As Kevin talks to his father, Peter (John Heard), in the opening scene, Peter mentions to Kevin that he ought to pick up the Micro Machines he left scattered around in the hallway because a family member slipped on them, fell, and almost broke her neck. Kevin is never actually shown picking them up, but it does serve as a bit of foreshadowing.
As the Wet Bandits break into the McCallister home, Kevin leaves his Micro Machines at the bottom of the stairs, and when the two buffoons come running for him, they slip on the tiny toy cars and trucks and fall flat on their backs. It’s a clever way of addressing Kevin’s ingenuity and resourcefulness, showing howhis inspiration can come from anyone or anything.
7Hand-made ornaments
Another trap is foreshadowed
In the very same scene where Kevin and Peter talk about the Micro Machines, Kevin talks about how he has been making Christmas ornaments out of his father’s fishhooks. Peter asks whether he is using the old hooks or the new ones, but Kevin shrugs and replies he has been using the new ones because he can’t make ornaments out of hooks covered in worm guts.
Like the Micro Machines, Kevin later uses this conversation topic as a weapon against the Wet Bandits. This time, it is only for Marv, who attempts to enter the house via an open window. However, another of Kevin’s traps had removed Marv’s shoes, and so when he climbs through the window, he steps on Kevin’s homemade ornaments, which shatter and cut up his bare feet. Once again, it’s a great way toaddress Kevin’s resourcefulness and wit, showing that he is way smarter than most other kids his age.
6Battle plan
Kevin can’t spell “ornaments”
On the topic of ornaments, there is a minor, albeit intentional, spelling error involved with Kevin’s master plan. As he sets up the numerous traps around his house, he unfurls a large piece of paper with a hand-drawnmap of the large McCallister house on it. The paper is labeled “battle plan” and gives a brief overview of all the traps and deterrents Kevin has placed to defend his home against the robbers.
When it comes to his aforementioned homemade ornaments,they are misspelled and labeled as “ornaments.“This detail is extremely minor, but it is a helpful reminder that while Kevin is clever and capable of defending his home, at the end of the day,he is still an eight-year-old kid, and there are going to be some words that he doesn’t quite know how to spell.
5Uncle Rob and Aunt Georgette
The couple is visible in the background
InHome Alone 2: Lost in New York, Kevin is wandering the titular city when he decides to pop by and visit the home of hisUncle Rob and Aunt Georgette. Unfortunately for him, the two are out of town and have been renovating their home, so Kevin is met with a half-finished building in a state of disrepair. This derelict house would later become Kevin’s base of operations for taking down the Wet Bandits once again.
Although they’re missing fromLost in New York,Rob and Georgette do appear inHome Alone. During the scene when Uncle Frank (Gerry Bamman) shares a platter of shrimp with his family, Rob (Ray Toler) and Georgette (Virginia Smith) can be observed in the background decorating a Christmas tree. Georgette even scolds Frank for sharing the shrimp without permission, telling him that they were supposed to be for later. They are not explicitly mentioned by name in this scene, but judging by the credits, it would seem that this ghostly presence in the second film makes a very real appearance in the first.
4Mr. Marley’s Hand
As Mr. Marley’s relationship with his son heals, so does his hand
Mr. Marley (Roberts Blossom) is Kevin’s next-door neighbor and, for much of the film, is seen as a creepy old man who purportedly murdered his entire family. Kevin is thoroughly afraid of him and encounters him multiple times throughout the film. During these encounters, Marley has a bandage wrapped around his hand stained with blood from an apparently nasty wound, which definitely doesn’t do him any favors considering his reputation.
Later, Kevin meets him at church, where the two have a proper heart-to-heart conversation. In this meeting, Marley reveals that he never murdered his family but that he and his son got into a heated argument and are no longer speaking. During this conversation, Marley’s bloody gauze has been removed and replaced by a single Band-Aid. Kevin convinces him to reconcile with his son, and the following morning, when Marley is shown embracing his son and granddaughter, the gash on his hand is completely gone. It’s a touching bit ofsymbolism showing how a literal piece of Marley was missingand that his son coming back into his life filled the void that he left behind.
3Playing in reverse
The scene where Kevin is nearly hit by a van is filmed in reverse
There is a scene in the film where Kevin is walking home from the store following the Wet Bandits' robbery of a house in his neighborhood.The Wet Bandits argue about the “calling card"that Marv leaves by overflowing the kitchen sinks and clearly aren’t paying attention when they hop in the van and pull it out of the driveway. As they begin to drive away, Kevin crosses in front of them, and they barely slam on the brakes in time, screeching to a halt just a hair away from him.
You might be wondering how in the world they got away with shooting this scene, as it could have potentially killed Macaulay Culkin if the drivers didn’t stop in time. Well, filmmakers can be pretty clever, and so if you pay attention to the exhaust from the van, you’ll notice it going into the van rather than coming out. That’s right:the actors behind the wheel were actually backing awayfrom Culkin;the clip was just played in reverseto make it look like they were going toward him. It’s pretty ingenious, earning the movie some points for keeping its young star safe.
2Emperor Nero
The Little Nero’s slogan references the Roman emperor
The pizza delivery driver that appears in the film, played byDanny Warhol, is shown to work for a local eatery called “Little Nero’s,” which is obviously a play on the popular real-life pizza chain Little Caesar’s, both of which arenamed after Roman politicians. Of course, this was likely to avoid any copyright infringement. If one were to look at the “Litte Nero’s” logo on top of the delivery driver’s car, one would see that the slogan for the place is “No fiddlin' around!”
This is a mildly obscure historical reference to the real-lifeEmperor Nero, who ruled the Roman Empire with an iron fist. Nero was not a man who was liked by the Romans at all, and it has been said that while the Great Fire of Rome broke out and the city burned, Nero spent his time playing the fiddle, or “fiddling around,” thoughit’s unclear how true this is. Regardless, the slogan of Little Nero’s is basicallya way for the pizza chain to say that they won’t let their pizzas burn, which is honestly pretty clever.
1Running gag
The police officer knocks the statue over
There’s a running gag concerning the statue that is placed outside of the McCallister home. Located on the driveway next to the porch, the statue is knocked over several times by arriving vehicles. The pizza delivery driver knocks it over twice, and it is also knocked down by the airport shuttle vans that arrive in the morning. However, with the shuttles, they aren’t shown actually hitting the statue, just picking it up after the fact.
When Kevin’s family sends a police officer to check on Kevin, a noise catches Kevin’s attention, prompting him to hide. Though this police officer is not shown picking up or hitting the statue with his car, if one were to look closely, they’d find that he did indeed knock it down, as it is lying on the ground as he knocks on the door, meaningit’s likely that this is the sound Kevin heard. It’s not anything remarkable, but it’s a subtle little nod to the running gag that had already been established in the film.
