When director Chris Columbus decided he wanted to use 671 Lincoln Avenue in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka as the setting for Home Alone, he described the stately five-bedroom Georgian house as “warm and menacing.” This came as a surprise to John Abendshien, who owned it.
“I thought, what on earth does he mean by ‘menacing’!” Abendshien recalled with a chuckle to The Independent. “I always thought it had a warm vibe! But when I saw the completed film for the first time, and the scene where Kevin is preparing to do battle with the Wet Bandits, with John Williams’ soundtrack in the background, and those eerie lights coming out of the house, I thought yes, I get the ‘menacing’ bit now!”
Home Alone was released in 1990 and immediately became a smash hit, topping the box office for three months. In the 35 years since, the tale of eight-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) defending his home from a pair of dim-witted robbers by any means necessary has cemented its status as a beloved Christmas staple. It is rewatched by millions of fans every year, for whom the grand McCallister house has become as familiar as their own homes.
Kevin EG Perry: Collected Works 