Macaulay Culkin cut down a real tree for “Home Alone” scene, property owners reveal
They aren't the first to accuse Kevin McCallister of property damage.
Kevin McCallister's Christmas party for one came at a cost for the owners of the real Home Alone house.
The conniving 8-year-old played by Macaulay Culkin in the 1990 comedy classic was famously very busy after being accidentally abandoned by his family for the holidays: He set booby traps, foiled the schemes of two bumbling career criminals, and even found time to chop down his own Christmas tree. But while the stunts involved plenty of movie magic, the tree chopping was much more authentic than the property owners initially realized.
In a clip published by PEOPLE from the upcoming documentary The House From…, the Aberdshein family — who owned the iconic Winnetka, Ill., home during the shoot — revealed that they only noticed the tree was gone after watching Culkin take an ax to it.
"My parents were watching the movie during the premiere and there's a scene where Kevin goes out into the backyard to cut himself a Christmas tree, so he cuts one in half," said Lauren Aberdshein, whose parents once owned the home. "My parents are sitting there and thinking, 'Wow, they did a really good job filming that scene. It looks very realistic.' Well it wasn't a fake tree."
She explained, "They got home and looked in the backyard and saw, 'Oh, they cut our actual tree in half.' So the tree you see in the movie that Kevin cuts down was our actual tree."
The loss of that tree was just the beginning when it comes to Home Alone's impact on the lives of the Aberdshein family. Following the film's release, Lauren recalled seeing cars "lined up down the block" as fans stopped by for a glimpse of the movie come to life. But as the years went on and the film's popularity grew, staring from afar was no longer enough.
Related: Catherine O'Hara would like to remind you that she's not actually Macaulay Culkin's mom
"Over time, people grew a little bit bolder, so they'd get out of the car and get closer to the house,” Lauren said. "For us, we'd come home, we'd run some errands and come home and there's a stranger in your yard — not intentionally trying to intrude. They're just so excited to see the Home Alone house and they want to be as close to it as possible."
The Chris Columbus-directed film was a blockbuster hit that grossed $476.7 million worldwide, becoming the second-highest-grossing film of 1990. Along with launching Culkin into stardom, it spawned five sequels, with the latest being 2021's Home Sweet Home Alone.
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Despite fans flocking to the Aberdsheins' home, the documentary clip sees the family speaking fondly of the production, with Lauren's father, John, calling it an overall "fun, positive experience." They even got a chance to walk through the soundstage recreation of their home, where additional scenes were filmed.
"My parents and I were invited to go take a look," Lauren said. "It felt like you were walking through our house but obviously not. It was just very bizarre in a very cool kind of way. How many people can say they walked through a set of their own house?"
The Aberdshein family is one of many to share stories in The House From…, which provides an inside look at some of the most famous residences from film and television. The doc premieres on Fubo's Maximum Effort channel on Oct. 27 and will also be available for purchase on TVOD platforms the following day.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.