Is The Home Alone House Real?

Released in cinemas a month before Christmas back in 1990, John Hughes’ Home Alone is still one of the best-loved Christmas films for kids and adults alike. Starring a young Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, the film centres on an eight-year-old boy accidentally left behind by his family as they fly to Paris on a family vacation. Alone in their huge Chicago home, Kevin is left defenseless – but he must do everything he can to defend the house from a pair of robbers planning to swindle the McCallisters.

Whenever we watch Home Alone, we fall in love once again with that huge Chicago house (and seriously question what Kevin’s parents Kate and Peter do for work). But where was Home Alone filmed? And is the McAllister house real? Here’s what you need to know.

Malcaulay Culkin in Home Alone (1990). (© 20th Century Fox)

Where Was Home Alone Filmed?

Home Alone was filmed in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois in February 1990. The Home Alone house in particular is a real three-story house in the North Shore village of Winnetka, just under 30km north of the city centre. However, the homely and festive house we see on screen is only partially real: aside from the main staircase (aka a slide from Kevin’s perspective), attic and the first-floor landing, the house’s interiors were created on a set to allow more room for the filming crew and all of their equipment.

After its film debut, the Home Alone house naturally garnered lots of attention, with fans travelling from near and far to pay the Georgian brick beauty a visit. Since then, however, the house has had a bit of a facelift: it’s now home to a state-of-the-art home cinema, a gym and even an indoor sports court.

Sarah Crowley

How Much Is The Home Alone House Worth?

Earlier this year, the Home Alone house hit the market – priced at $5.25 million. Sprawling across 9,126 sqft, this stately home dates back to 1921, but has been reimagined for modern living after a full renovation in 2018. Featuring five bedrooms, six full bathrooms along with heated floors, two laundry rooms, and a picture-perfect kitchen, it’s a modern Georgian marvel. But don’t worry: the house’s ‘most memorable and recognisable spaces’ have been preserved, with the utmost care taken to preserve the house’s architectural detail and integrity.

The house hasn’t been sold yet; find the listing at dawnmckennagroup.com

How Many McCallisters Are There?

The core McCallister family is made up of seven people: parents Peter and Kate, and their five children Linnie, Buzz, Megan, Jeff and, of course, Kevin. It may seem like Kevin is surrounded by bullying older brothers, but he actually only has two brothers, Jeff and Buzz. The extra McCallisters are cousins. These include the children of Peter’s older brother Frank (aka Uncle Frank): Sondra, Fuller, Tracy and Brook. Peter and Frank have another brother, Uncle Rob; his children are Heather, Rod and Steffan.

Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci in Home Alone. (Twentieth Century Fox)
© 20th Century Fox

The Home Alone Cast

• Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister
• Joe Pesci as Harry
• Daniel Stern as Marv
• John Heard as Peter McCallister, Kevin’s father
• Catherine O’Hara as Kate McCallister, Kevin’s mother
• Roberts Blossom as Old Man Marley, Kevin’s eccentric elderly neighbor
• Angela Goethals as Linnie McCallister, Kevin’s older sister
• Devin Ratray as Buzz McCallister, Kevin’s oldest brother
• Hillary Wolf as Megan McCallister, Kevin’s oldest sister
• Michael C. Maronna as Jeff McCallister, Kevin’s older brother
• Gerry Bamman as Uncle Frank, Peter’s older brother
• Terrie Snell as Aunt Leslie, Uncle Frank’s wife
• Daiana Campeanu as Sondra, Kevin’s cousin
• Kieran Culkin as Fuller, Kevin’s cousin
• Senta Moses as Tracy, Kevin’s cousin
• Anna Slotky as Brook, Kevin’s cousin
• Ray Toler as Uncle Rob, Kevin’s uncle
• Virginia Smith as Georgette, wife of Uncle Rob
• Kristin Minter as Heather, Kevin’s cousin
• Jedidiah Cohen as Rod, Kevin’s cousin
• Matt Doherty as Steffan, Kevin’s cousin
• John Candy as Gus Polinski
• Larry Hankin as Officer Balzak
• Jeffrey Wiseman as Mitch Murphy, eight-year-old neighbor of the McCallisters

Where Can I Watch Home Alone?

Home Alone is available to stream on Disney+.