(NewsNation) — It’s been 35 years since the beloved Christmas film “Home Alone” hit the big screen, turning an Illinois house into a holiday landmark.
The film has become one of the highest-grossing holiday comedies in the U.S. since its premiere in November 1990. Families across generations have watched and rewatched the McCalister chaos unfold. But one man saw it all from the inside.
“Let’s just say you and your spouse or partner buy what you think is this dream house… you move in, and within two years, that home becomes the centerpiece of not just a movie, but a blockbuster movie,” John Abendshien told NewsNation.
John Abendshien is the original owner of the home at 671 Lincoln Ave. in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka, Illinois, famously known as the “Home Alone” house. His family’s world changed forever when Hollywood picked his home as the backdrop for the now-iconic film. Decades later, he’s sharing those memories in a new memoir titled “Home But Alone No More.”
“How did my house get chosen? Good question,” Abendshien said.
He says it is a question he gets all the time. Abendshien and his family lived down the street from where the 1984 classic “Sixteen Candles” was filming, and he’d once connected with a Hollywood location scout. He had no idea that years later, that same scout he met in 1983 would show up on his doorstep.
“I share in the book a journey I took, as the filming occurred, we got to know John Hughes, Chris Columbus, the cast and crew for five and a half months. They almost became like family,” Abendshein said.
He says he remembers what it was like living in the middle of a movie set.
“We created an apartment within the house, a second-floor master bedroom we made into our movie cave,” Abendshien said. “We had no restrictions on where we had to be, just needed to stay out of the camera.”
But Abendshien says the real magic happened off camera.
“My daughter was 6 at the time, she and Macaulay Culkin became good friends, and little Kieran,” he said. “The folks you see on the screen are very much who you see in real life.”
Abendshien also writes about one stunt scene that stuck with him, mainly because it didn’t go as planned. Remember the scene in which Culkin goes flying down the stairs on a sled and out the door? Abendshien says the stunt double missed the crash pads on the first take and slammed right onto the driveway.
“I was about to run back in and dial 911, but then he got up and said, ‘Let’s do it again,’” Abendshien said.
When the movie premiered, the house became an instant tourist attraction. Thirty-five years later, fans are still showing up at all hours.
“We started having people from all over come see the house. I started to wonder, is this the American dream or is this my nightmare?” He said. “Instead of ignoring people or wishing they’d go away, I’d chat them up and get to know them.”
Abendshien admits it was difficult to leave the house at times, but eventually the family decided it was time to part ways with the home that made movie history.
“We sold the house in 2012, simply being empty nesters, not needing the space and frankly not needing the taxes,” he said.
Today, the house is under new ownership and is currently under construction as it’s restored to its original 1990s glory. As fans continue to revisit the holiday classic each year, Abendshien hopes they find something meaningful in his book.
“It’s been a gift to me, and it’s been a gift to share,” he said.