5 Awesome Facts about Beloved Christmas Movie 'Home Alone' — from Script Writing to a Tarantula

The "Home Alone" series became a fan-favorite Christmas film after its first franchise premiered in the '90s and is still being watched today.

After Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) took viewers on an adventure on his solo holiday protecting their household, "Home Alone" grew a solid fanbase that allowed for a second and third installment.

It has been three decades since the Christmas movie premiered, yet the yuletide season still makes it one of the most beloved films and part of the top five holiday movies ever. Here are a few facts about "Home Alone."

IT TOOK TEN DAYS TO WRITE THE SCRIPT

John Hughes is the brilliant scriptwriter of the film, who also wrote hits such as "The Breakfast Club" and "Sixteen Candles." According to his son, James, John finished the script in less than ten days before traveling to Europe. He said:

"[...] After returning home, he revisited the premise: What if one of the kids had been accidentally left behind? Over the next nine days, he completed the first draft."

THE TARANTULA WAS REAL

One of the Wet Bandits' memorable scenes was when Kevin set a trap using his brother's pet tarantula. The realistic spider that crawled into Marv's face was no camera trick -- it was a real live critter!

It also became the highest-grossing domestic-live-action comedy in history with a revenue of $285,761,343.

IT ALMOST DID NOT RELEASE

The script immediately sold to Warner Brothers but was put on hold after the production exceeded the allocated budget of $10 million. Filming eventually stopped, and all hope seemed lost.

However, John was able to convince 20th Century Fox to save the Holiday movie, although it may have been quite wrong to hold under-the-table meetings with them.

JOE PESCI ACCIDENTALLY BIT CULKIN

As the movie draws close to its end, the Wet Bandits had their glimpse at a small victory by catching Kevin and threatened to bite the child's fingers, which Joe Pesci accidentally really did.

"In the first 'Home Alone,' they hung me up on a coat hook, and Pesci says, 'I'm gonna bite all your fingers off, one at a time,' and during one of the rehearsals, he bit me, and it broke the skin," Culkin shared.

IT HOLDS A 27-YEAR RECORD

The film immediately hit the number one spot in the 1990 box office and stayed there for 12 weeks before moving to the top 10 until the middle of the following year.

It also became the highest-grossing domestic-live-action comedy in history with a revenue of $285,761,343. It took the title for 27 years until the Chinese film "Never Say Die" premiered.

The movie's star, Culkin, turned 40 years old in 2020, leaving kids of the '90s feeling old. Despite his older years, Culkin is still known and associated with the film that made him a massive star.