The original Home Alone is a holiday classic that plays every year. It’s a heartwarming family film all about a boy accidentally left at home for Christmas. Now the family must do everything to reunite with him. It’s smart, it’s funny, and brings about that warm feeling that should come with a Christmas movie.
It’s also filled with a plethora of violent traps. When the crooks Harry and Marv attempt to break in, Kevin has a house of goodies waiting for them. So on top of everything, it is also one of the best slapstick comedies ever made. The question is: which traps result in the most laughs from viewers?
Keep The Change Ya Filthy Animal
While all the traps require a bit of suspension of disbelief, this early trap is one that is quite the miracle that Kevin pulled off. It’s shown that the TV that Kevin plays the VHS on is quite small and the audio is so powerful that it actually sounds like events happening inside the house.
Marv is far from the brightest bulb, but Kevin is lucky that he fell for it. What if Marv had seen that movie before? It’s still humorous to watch but the elements that stack against it lead it to be the weakest trap in Home Alone, but it did plant the seed for a much better version of the trap in the sequel featuring Tim Curry’s character.
How Did They Not See The Cars?
It’s a very classic pratfall with Harry and Marv walking over a multitude of toy cars that send them flying into their and back to the ground with a scream and a thud. It’s classic and a lot of slapstick comedies would use something similar throughout the ’90s.
With that said, it’s another where adult viewers are going to question how Marv and Harry did not see the cars. They weren’t hidden in any way and were very much out in the open of the foyer. Apparently, the famous Wet Bandits duo suffers from a vision that is stuck in a 16:9 aspect ratio.
Dressed Like A Chicken
The trap itself is relatively tame. Harry gets covered in glue only to have feathers covering him. Sure, it warrants a giggle, but it’s actually the following conversation between Harry and Marv that amplifies it.
“Why the hell are you dressed like a chicken?” Marv asks leading to Harry giving him a death stare in silence, making for one of many memorable Harry and Marv quotes. Further, showing the perfect chemistry between Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern.
Ornamental Hazards
Poor Marv suffers the worst when it comes to his feet: he gets a nail through the foot, they are covered in tar, and he has to run through cold snow. On top of it all, when he finally gets into the main portion of the house, he fails to check his surroundings and plants both feet into a layer of glass (and pointy) Christmas tree ornaments.
Every person watching is likely to cringe and laugh at the same time because of Marv’s reaction which looks like genuine pain. At the same time, it can make the viewer wonder if Kevin got the idea from watching Die Hard, another Christmas classic where John McClane had to walk through glass.
Check This Out
More or less the final trap of the movie, the Wet Bandits are attempting to catch up with Kevin via a rope from the attic to the treehouse. They are surprised when Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin pulls out a pair of hedge trimmers.
Of course, Harry and Marv could easily escape by dropping: it’s not that long of a fall. Where’s the fun in that? So the two idiot robbers attempt to go back leading to them performing a Tarzan swing right into a brick wall. It’s a classic slapstick way to finish off the McCallister gauntlet of traps.
Hot To The Touch
This is an injury that will mark Harry for the rest of his life, including the sequel. Harry, after dealing with the icy front steps, foolishly decides to try the front doorknob. Of course, it doesn’t go well: it is red-hot and Harry screams in agony.
Normally, this would just be painful and cringe-worthy like watching one of the many creatively brutal traps in a Saw movie. However, Joe Pesci’s reaction makes it funny as he attempts to blow on the wound; plus the added effect of his hand smoking straight out of a cartoon as he scrambles for snow.
Iron Man
Marv finally seems to catch a break upon entering the basement. No mousetraps on the floor nor a spear ready to fire. So what could go wrong? Poor Marv pulls a string, thinking it is a light, and brings a hot clothing iron down a laundry chute.
The iron collides with Marv’s face and somehow doesn’t kill him. It does leave a perfect burn mark in the form of the clothing iron. Daniel Stern’s pratfall as a result and look into the camera makes it priceless, even though this is one of Kevin’s deadliest traps that should have murdered Marv.
Icy Steps
A concussion and a damaged spine are likely what happened to Harry and Marv after their first encounter with Kevin’s BB gun. Harry attempts to go through the front and flies right off the front porch due to the ice. The shot of Harry staring up into the sky in pain is enough to make anyone crack.
Meanwhile, Marv gets the worst of the two; one step onto the basement stairs causes him to slide down over ten steps of ice. Concrete steps too and hearing Marv’s screams vibrate as he slides down is too hilarious. Though Harry’s screams are pretty funny to hear as well.
Painted Black & Blue
Probably the most famous trap used in all the marketing and was even referenced in the sequel. Harry and Marv finally reunite and try to go after Kevin via the stairs. No shocker here: Kevin has something waiting for them.
Kevin brings down paint cans tied to a string. Harry dodges like a pro and Marv goes flying back to the foyer. Kevin McCallister remembers his essential rules to survive Zombieland and double taps by sending a second can that knocks Harry right into Marv.
Nailed It!
After dealing with the iron, Marv tries to make his way up the tar-covered stairs. In a really well-done but painful shot, the audience sees a nail embed itself right into Marv’s foot. “Ouch” seems like too simple of a word to use.
That’s okay, Marv sums it up best with his loud and intense scream which Daniel Stern perfectly delivers. To add insult and injury to injury, Marv falls off the stairs right onto the hard floor of the basement, likely causing some damage to the spine.
Torched
Poor Harry. He always gets the hot ones: in this case, the traps. Since the front door was too hot, Harry tries the backdoor again. It seems fine but upon sticking his head through the doorframe, a blow torch activates.
Harry hilariously screams as he (for reasons unknown) just sits there and lets the blow torch burn his scalp. If that’s not funny enough, Harry prances around outside before diving headfirst into the snow. Joe Pesci tends to play hot-headed characters, but this takes it to another level.
BB Gun Massacre
The very first trap of the movie is a priceless way to kick off the third act. Harry and Marv attempt to trick Kevin into letting them into the house. The poor fools do not know who they are messing with. Kevin sneakily aims his BB gun out of the dog door and into Harry’s groin.
One pull of the trigger later and Harry squeals before hopping away: Joe Pesci brilliantly delivers slapstick that would make the Three Stooges proud. If that’s not funny enough, Marv sticks his head through the dog door to get shot in the face. “The little jerk is armed!” Is the best response to the situation.
Eight Legged Nightmare
Of all the things Marv experiences in Home Alone, it’s a tiny pet spider that makes him scream like a woman. Kevin puts Buzz’s pet spider right on his face and Marv tosses it right onto an unconscious Harry. Like a domino effect, the spider causes Marv to panic.
Harry wakes up to the sight of Marv standing over him with a crowbar telling him not to move. Marv brings the crowbar down and crushes Harry’s chest in an attack that should have destroyed Harry’s ribs. Nobody can blame Harry for retaliating against Marv there.
