Home Alone house owner shares behind the scenes secrets in new memoir

Macaulay Culkin was the main star of the 1990 Christmas comedy Home Alone.

The former owner of the house used in the holiday classic Home Alone has opened up about his memories of the shoot in a new memoir.

John Abendshien owned the iconic five-bedroom home in Winnetka, Illinois, and lived in it with his family during production in 1990.

“We had a large master bedroom suite that we converted into an apartment,” he told ABC 7 Chicago.

“As long as we kept out of the camera eye, we were free to roam and watch scenes as they were being filmed.”

Home Alone followed the exploits of 8-year-old Kevin McAllister, played by Macaulay Culkin, who defends the family home from burglars after accidentally being left behind at Christmas.

The comedy became an instant smash, taking more than $800 million at the worldwide box office.

Daughter Laura said the family enjoyed being immersed in the filming process and becoming familiar with the cast during the five-month shoot.

Catherine O'Hara and Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone (1990).

“They would spend time in the house when they weren’t filming their scenes,” she said in a 2020 appearance on This Morning.

“Macaulay Culkin used my room to study with his tutor and his brother [Kieran] wasn’t filming as much, so he would just hang out in my room.”

John Abendshien said Laura bonded with Catherine O’Hara, who played Kevin’s mother Kate, calling her “the quintessential mum”.

He also said Daniel Stern, who played Marv, one of the Sticky Bandits, used to entertain Laura and other neighbourhood children between takes.

The house, with its vivid colours, patterned wallpaper and sweeping stairway, has since taken on a life of its own in fans’ hearts, becoming a symbol of the film’s nostalgia.

NBC Chicago reported many fans were disturbed when photos of the house looking “sterile” and “incredibly depressing” appeared online after it was listed for sale.

“I would have paid 10x more for that house if it was kept original. Just like a classic car it’s worth more. Now this house looks like every other house,” one Instagram user wrote.

“A moment of silence for what once was a house,” another said.

Abendshien sold the property in 2012 when the family decided to downsize.

It was purchased by its current owner in January this year for more than $9 million, with plans to restore it to its former glory, according to People.

Abendshien’s memoir, Home But Alone No More, details the family’s loss of privacy after the film’s release.

While it overwhelmed them at first, they soon embraced the joy the home brought to fans.

“Bottom line, my feelings today: I have serendipitously been given a gift, and I want to share the gift,” he told ABC 7 Chicago.