Home Alone was released in 1990

Believe it or not, Home Alone – one of the most beloved Christmas films of all time – is currently celebrating its 35h anniversary.

Starring Macaulay Culkin, it might not have been an immediate critical success, but the slapstick festive comedy stormed the box office, spawned various spin-off films and TV shows and still holds a special place in the hearts of millions across the globe.

However, no matter how many times you’ve seen it in the ensuing years, there’s plenty we bet you still don’t know about it.

With that in mind, have these 21 behind-the-scenes secrets from the set, ya filthy animal…

1. Home Alone was written in just over a week

Screenwriter John Hughes knocked out the first draft of the script in just nine days after a family holiday to Europe.

He was inspired by his own worries whilst traveling, telling Time magazine in 1990: “I was going away on vacation 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?’”

2. But it took a lot longer than that to find the perfect Home Alone house

The Home Alone house

Director Chris Columbus said the team “drove around for several weeks” in the Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Lake Forest areas of North Shore.

Eventually, the right house was found in 671 Lincoln Avenue in Winnetka, Illinois, which funnily enough had previously been scouted as a potential location for 1989’s Uncle Buck (also starring Macaulay Culkin), but was never used.

The house itself – which was sold for $1.585 million in 2012 – has since become a major tourist attraction.

3. Some interior scenes were filmed in the real house, while others were shot on sets

The hallway and staircase were all real, while the kitchen and dining room and other first-floor rooms were built and shot in a studio. The attic bedroom was also a real feature.

4. The family who lived in the house remained there during filming

It took about five months to setup, shoot and de-rig for scenes in the house, during which time the then-owners, the Abendshien family, continued living there, despite having access to an apartment that had been paid for as part of the deal.

Cynthia Abendshien explained to Chicago Magazine that the location manager had told them “that, under the contract, if they needed to knock down a wall when we weren’t home, they could do it. So she told us it was best if we remained on the premises”.

John Abendshien added: “In that house, there’s a master bedroom suite with four rooms. Basically, we just moved into that. We put a hot plate up there to cook. We didn’t have to cook that much, because we had full access to the food truck that the crew used.”

5. Kevin’s treehouse was specially built in the house’s garden for the film

The owners reportedly turned down a chance to keep Kevin’s treehouse in the backyard once filming was over.

6. The flooded basement scene was filmed in a school swimming pool

The production........

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