Fake Treehouse, Real Memories: Life Inside the Home Alone House

Table Of Content

• Inside the Real-Life 'Home Alone' House More than 30 Years after the Film – Photos
• Coming home, staying home: ‘Apollo 13' and ‘Home Alone' among 25 films picked for national registry
• Casting
• Can today's average American family buy the ‘Home Alone' house? Here's what the numbers show
• The Real-Life Home Alone House: Then and Now
• A Glimpse inside the Real-Life 'Home Alone' House, Which Has Also Been Made into a Lego Replica
• Top cast

The basketball court was where the airplane cabin set was built, and the basement was actually constructed in the pool to accomodate a large number of water scenes. Culkin also brought back the scene where Kevin eats mac 'n cheese at the dining table and, later, another setting where he tricks the bad guys into thinking there are more people in the house than just him. As another commemoration of the iconic movie, Culkin himself paid homage to the film that was his big break in a Google commercial. He was able to write eight pages worth of notes from this thought, which led to conceptualizing the beginning of the movie's story. Columbus, who fell in love with the script, then came aboard as director and got to pick his first choice of actors for each role.

Inside the Real-Life 'Home Alone' House More than 30 Years after the Film – Photos

The school where Bueller attended and faked being sick to spend a day exploring downtown Chicago was Glenbrook North High School. "We live in the area and it’s always fun to drive or walk by and reminisce," one of more than 30 reviews of the house on TripAdvisor read. "Just be courteous as it is someone’s residence and the neighborhood wants to have some semblance of normalcy." Five years after the commercial was made, Culkin received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He, his beloved fiancée Brenda Song, their sons, his family, and friends were all in attendance to celebrate the momentous milestone. She spoke about how Culkin would use her bedroom as a space for him to learn his schoolwork with his tutor.

Coming home, staying home: ‘Apollo 13' and ‘Home Alone' among 25 films picked for national registry

Financial experts revealed that in 1990, affording the McCallister family home would have been feasible only for the top 1% of Chicago households, with an income around $305,000 (equivalent to $665,000 in 2022). “To me, with respect, fans who argue about the parents’ income, or house cost, should, instead, simply enjoy the movie,” she said. He said that a common mark of a Hughes film is dramatic tension fueled by conflict between young people and adults, which almost always resolves in favor of the younger person. A third brother, Uncle Frank (the mean one), lives in Ohio and travels with the family from Illinois to Paris. At his brother’s house in Illinois, he avoids paying the $122.50 pizza bill.

Casting

However, the Abendshiens sold the property to an undisclosed buyer in 2012 for 1,585,000. The McCallister house is famously located at 671 Lincoln Ave in Winnetka — a small village in Cook County, Illinois, set roughly 16 miles north of downtown Chicago. The Chicago suburb is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of household income. And while only four lucky fans got to enjoy the memorable stay, the house’s brief stint on Airbnb gave us a peek inside — and a good idea of how the iconic property has changed over the years. The McCallister house became a character in its own right, with its picture-perfect exterior and festive décor now being synonymous with holiday cheer.

A 2019 episode of Netflix's series "The Movies That Made Us," which provides a behind-the-scenes look at the film, dives into "Home Alone's" inception, director John Hughes' vision and hurdles encountered during the filming process. Many fans of the cult hit also like visit the house — literally — located in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka. Several moments into the commercial show, Culkin reprises his lead role, like when his character wakes up and realizes he has been left home alone and then jumps on the bed.

'Home Alone 2: Lost in New York' townhouse on sale for $6.7 million - USA TODAY

'Home Alone 2: Lost in New York' townhouse on sale for $6.7 million.

Posted: Thu, 21 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

He goes to church and watches a choir perform, eventually re-encountering Marley, who proves the rumors about him are false. Marley points out his granddaughter in the choir and mentions he has never met her since she is the daughter of his estranged son. Kevin wakes to find the house empty and the family cars still in the garage, unaware that they had rented vans to take them to the airport.

A Glimpse inside the Real-Life 'Home Alone' House, Which Has Also Been Made into a Lego Replica

Where is the ‘Home Alone' house? What to know about the iconic movie home in the Chicago area - NBC Chicago

Where is the ‘Home Alone' house? What to know about the iconic movie home in the Chicago area.

Posted: Tue, 19 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Kevin’s treehouse was also specifically built for the film and ended up being taken down after filming wrapped. Because the house wasn’t actually big enough to use for filming, many of the interior scenes were instead filmed somewhere else. They were filmed at the New Trier Township High School, an abandoned school in the area. Columbus explained that the house was too small for the crew to get inside the door.

At the time Home Alone was filmed, the Home Alone house was owned by the Abendshein family. The location manager initially approached them for their Winnetka home for another Hughes film, Uncle Buck. According to "Home Alone" director Chris Columbus, it was no surprise that the house became such an iconic image. In an interview with Parade, he explained that John Hughes, who wrote "Home Alone" (and many other movies set in the Chicagoland area), called the house "perfect" upon seeing a photo. It's a local tourist attraction, complete with a listing on Atlas Obscura, a website dedicated to unusual travel destinations.

The more brazen would actually wander into the backyard, ostensibly in search of the treehouse. You can spend the night in the McCallister home with Buzz, Kevin's big brother, as your host. Plus, it'll only cost you $25, which is pretty much the best rate you're going to find on Airbnb.

Another location was the local store on the corner where Kevin steals a toothbrush, which has since been turned into an ice cream shop. There are even family photos on display and the well-known swinging paint cans Kevin used to whack and disorient the villains. His elaborate battle plan also sits on the dining room table, giving a nod to the memorable scene where Kevin contemplates his ideas over a plate of delicious-looking mac 'n cheese.

Eve Cauley, the set decorator for “Home Alone,” was responsible for decor such as the furniture and wallpaper inside of the McCallister home, which was filmed on built sets in a local high school. He noted that in Hughes’s teen films — including “The Breakfast Club,” and “Pretty in Pink” — class tensions are also often prominent and drive the story forward. The battle in “Home Alone” between 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) and two burglars known as the Wet Bandits has unfolded on screens around the world every Christmas since the film premiered in 1990. Other John Hughes movies filmed in the Chicago area include "The Breakfast Club," "She's Having a Baby," "Uncle Buck" and "Weird Science."

However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. In May, more than four months after arriving at the doorstep of 671 Lincoln Avenue, the crew finally packed up their festive wallpaper and klieg lights. You'll have to stay in the house on December 12, so it'll be a mad rush to book the house when it becomes available on December 7 at 1 pm CT. Click that "book" button with the urgency of Kevin running from the monster in the basement.