behind the scenes

Learning the Secrets Behind Home Alone’s Stunts Is Like Learning the Secrets of the Universe

Photo: Twentieth Century Fox

In case you were trying to decide what to ask God when you die and are offered the answers to all the secrets of the universe, don’t ask him/her/it about Home Alone. I mean, ask him if you really want to, but Slate’s interview with Home Alone production designer John Muto pretty much has you covered. Muto, who might as well be an honest-to-God human wizard, talks about the nonlethal stunts he and his team devised for the film’s half-hour climactic booby-trap scene.

Setting. Fire. To. A. Mannequin. When is the solution to any dilemma “setting fire to a mannequin� How could we have known? While bad guys Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern were completely out of harm’s way during filming, the same could not be said for their stunt doubles Troy Brown and Leon Delaney.

Oh, and yes, Buzz’s tarantula really did walk around on Daniel Sterns’ horrified face. Read the entire article and finally see the truth with the eyes of a precocious, adorable 7-year-old child out for blood.

The Secrets Behind Home Alone Traps and Stunts