Home Alone Trivia Night Theme Pack

Home Alone trivia questions for the holiday classic that every bar should run in December. 75+ professionally written Home Alone trivia covering the 1990 film, Kevin McCallister's booby traps, Harry and Marv (the Wet Bandits), Buzz, the McCallister family Paris trip, and the entire Home Alone film series. Tested in real venues with the holiday-week crowd that watches the movie every Christmas. Mixed difficulty across four rounds plus a themed picture round of iconic scenes — the holiday-trivia pack that flips slow December weeknights into the most-booked event of the season.

Perfect for: Christmas movie marathons, holiday pub trivia nights, 90s nostalgia events, December company parties.

Why Home Alone owns the December trivia calendar. 35+ years after release, Home Alone is the highest-rated Christmas movie in the streaming era. Every fan has memorized the booby traps, the Old Man Marley reunion, and Kevin's pizza order. Run it once in December and the bar overflows with families, work outings, and date-nighters.

What's Inside

• 4 rounds of mixed-difficulty questions — 75+ total
• Themed picture round with high-res Home Alone imagery
• Host script — read and run, no experience needed
• PDF + PowerPoint formats included
• Commercial license for your venue built-in
• Instant download — host tonight

About Home Alone Trivia

Home Alone is the highest-grossing live-action holiday comedy of all time and the cornerstone of every modern Christmas movie tradition. Released on November 16, 1990, the film was directed by Chris Columbus, written and produced by John Hughes, and starred 10-year-old Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, a boy accidentally left behind when his large family flies to Paris for Christmas. The film grossed $476 million worldwide on a $18 million budget, held the live-action comedy box office record for 21 years, and earned two Academy Award nominations — for Best Original Score (John Williams) and Best Original Song ("Somewhere in My Memory").

The plot follows Kevin defending the family home in suburban Winnetka, Illinois (the actual house: 671 Lincoln Avenue) from two bumbling burglars, Harry Lime (Joe Pesci) and Marv Merchants (Daniel Stern) — collectively known as the Wet Bandits because Marv floods the houses they rob. Kevin's elaborate booby traps include the iconic blowtorch-to-Harry's-head, the paint cans on a string, the BB gun, the tar-and-feathers stairs, and the Micro Machines on the floor. Catherine O'Hara plays mother Kate McCallister, John Heard plays father Peter, and Devin Ratray plays bullying older brother Buzz. The supporting cast includes John Candy as polka-band leader Gus Polinski ("the Polka King of the Midwest") and Roberts Blossom as the misunderstood neighbor Old Man Marley. The sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) brought back the entire main cast and grossed another $359 million. The film series also includes Home Alone 3 (1997), Home Alone 4 (2002), Home Alone: The Holiday Heist (2012), and the 2021 Disney+ reboot Home Sweet Home Alone. The phrase "Keep the change, ya filthy animal" — actually a line from the fictional movie-within-the-movie Angels with Filthy Souls — is one of the most-quoted Christmas film lines in cinema history.

Sample Home Alone Trivia Questions & Answers

What year was the original Home Alone movie released?

1990. Home Alone premiered on November 16, 1990 and quickly became the highest-grossing live-action comedy of all time — a record it held for 21 years.

Who plays Kevin McCallister in Home Alone?

Macaulay Culkin. He was 10 years old during filming and went on to reprise the role in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

What city does the McCallister family travel to for Christmas?

Paris, France. They fly out of Chicago O'Hare to spend the holidays with extended family.

What are the names of the two burglars who try to rob the McCallister house?

Harry Lime (Joe Pesci) and Marv Merchants (Daniel Stern). The pair are known as the Wet Bandits because Marv floods every house they burgle.

What is Kevin's older brother's name — the bully who shows up frequently?

Buzz McCallister, played by Devin Ratray. His framed picture, an actor in a wig, is one of the most famous easter eggs in the film.

Who wrote and produced Home Alone?

John Hughes. He wrote it specifically with Macaulay Culkin in mind after directing him in Uncle Buck (1989).

Who directed Home Alone?

Chris Columbus. He went on to direct the first two Harry Potter films, Mrs. Doubtfire, and the Home Alone 2 sequel.

What does Kevin order on the pizza he eats alone?

A plain cheese pizza, just for him. He pays the delivery driver using a stuffed Christmas card and dialogue from the in-universe gangster movie "Angels with Filthy Souls."

Who plays the polka-band leader Gus Polinski, "the Polka King of the Midwest"?

John Candy. He filmed his entire role in 23 hours as a personal favor to John Hughes.

What is the name of Kevin's elderly neighbor who turns out to be a kind man, not a killer?

Old Man Marley, played by Roberts Blossom. He helps Kevin defeat the Wet Bandits in the film's climax.

What weapon does Kevin use to shoot Harry and Marv as they enter the house?

A BB gun — specifically the Daisy Red Ryder, the same model Ralphie wants in A Christmas Story.

What does Kevin shout at the mirror after slapping aftershave on his face?

"Aaaaaahhhh!" — the iconic scream pose with both hands on his cheeks became the film's defining poster image.

What is the line Kevin plays from the gangster movie to scare the pizza delivery boy?

"Keep the change, ya filthy animal." The line is from the fake noir Angels with Filthy Souls, not a real movie.

In which city does Home Alone 2 take place?

New York City. Kevin gets on the wrong plane and ends up alone in NYC for Christmas — staying at the Plaza Hotel using his dad's credit card.

What composer wrote the iconic Home Alone score, including "Somewhere in My Memory"?

John Williams. He earned two Academy Award nominations for the film — Best Original Score and Best Original Song.

How to Host a Home Alone Trivia Night

Home Alone draws a 25-50 demographic for the holiday-week trivia season — the broadest crowd of any December event. Schedule it on a slow weeknight in December (Tuesday or Wednesday is best, but the second or third week of December also fills well on Thursdays). Promote two to three weeks ahead on Facebook and Instagram with a recognizable Kevin scream-pose graphic. Encourage Christmas sweater outfits and offer bonus points or a free shot for the best-dressed team.

Run four rounds of roughly 15-18 questions: Home Alone 1 basics, characters and family, booby traps and the Wet Bandits, and a final round of deep cuts (Home Alone 2 NYC, the sequels, behind-the-scenes John Hughes facts). The picture round should mix iconic scenes (the scream, the ornament chase, Kevin's defenses), prop close-ups, and Plaza Hotel exteriors. Cap teams at 6, charge $5, pour the pot into a winner's bar tab.

Prize ideas: a Daisy Red Ryder BB gun replica, a "Keep the Change" mug, or a $50 venue gift card. Last place gets a Little Nero's pizza box magnet. Pour themed drinks: a "Wet Bandit" (any vodka cocktail — spilled glass optional), a "Buzz's Aftershave" (whiskey neat), and a "Plaza Eggnog" (spiked nog with cinnamon). Play "Carol of the Bells" and "Somewhere in My Memory" between rounds. Wrap by 9:30 PM. Regulars stay to argue Home Alone vs. Home Alone 2.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Home Alone trivia questions are in this pack?

The pack contains 75+ Home Alone trivia questions split across four rounds covering the 1990 original, the 1992 New York sequel, characters, and behind-the-scenes deep cuts, plus a themed picture round. Enough for a full 90-minute trivia night.

Does the pack cover all the Home Alone movies or just the first one?

The pack focuses heavily on Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) — the two original Macaulay Culkin films — with a few questions from the later sequels in the deep-cut round so completionists are rewarded.

What format does the Home Alone trivia pack come in?

You receive both a printable PDF and a PowerPoint file. Print the PDF for team answer sheets and project the PowerPoint on a TV or screen for the picture round. Both files are sent to your inbox within minutes of checkout.

Can I use this Home Alone trivia pack at my bar or restaurant?

Yes. A commercial license is built into every Cheap Trivia pack. You can run it at your bar, restaurant, brewery, country club, hotel, or any private venue you operate, as many times as you want.

Is the difficulty mixed or all hard?

Difficulty is intentionally mixed — easy openers any holiday-movie viewer will know, medium questions for the bulk of the night, and a few hard deep-cut questions in the final round. Keeps casual fans engaged while still challenging superfans.

Run Holiday Trivia Every Week

One Home Alone pack runs once. The Cheap Trivia Weekly Subscription sends a fresh, professionally-written trivia pack to your inbox every Sunday — perfect for venues running weekly trivia year-round. First month is $1.

Delivery

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