It’s been more than 29 years since the release of Home Alone. The iconic holiday classic has had generations of audiences head over heels for its goofy prankster of a child protagonist. Kevin Macallister is left behind in his own house while his family goes for a Christmas vacation. His goofy antics and instant ideas get him through even the direst situations. Thanks to his wits and ability to lay elaborate traps with regular household items, he is able to protect his house from a robbery and give us two full hours of entertainment.
The classic garnered enough attention to have several sects of fans and movie buffs coming up with insane theories around its simple plot. One of the craziest theories was sparked by a Reddit user who believes, Kevin’s mother sold his soul to the devil to make sure her son was safe. You’d be thinking, how come a comical holiday classic about aimed at young children possibly have such a dark twist. And how come you did not notice it all these years?
Its because this is just a theory spawned from trivia and possibly does not hold much weight with the kind of evidence. As a fan of delightful holiday movies, you are probably disgusted by the idea. This may have even ruined your favorite childhood film. But the lovers of dark comedies will possibly find this theory rather intriguing.
So who is the devil we are talking about here?
The Polka King of Midwest who greets Kevin’s mother at the airport- Gus Polinski! Apparently being in a Polka band is just a cover he uses to have his way around with innocent and troubled souls.
When Kevin’s mother, Kate realizes her son has been left behind, she freaks out at the airline staff and causes quite a scene that attracts onlookers.
What she precisely tells the airline rep is “If I have to sell my soul to the devil himself, I am going to get home to my son.” We must say the foreshadowing is commendable.
Amongst these onlookers stands Gus Polinski, who notices her little outburst. He has found the perfect victim. Before the airport staff can provide any advice on dealing with her ordeal, Gus walks up to her and offers to help her.
The man in the yellow jacket is the one we are talking about.
The second indication comes from the location of the airport where Kate is stranded. The Scranton airport Is located at a crossroads. According to the Reddit user Drewgarr, the crossroads is a myth connected to the world of demons. This is the place where you can make a deal with the devil. The devil makes an appearance and grants the wish in exchange for something (in this case, the soul). So in this movie Kate has agreed to sell her soul to the devil if he can get her to Kevin.
In exchange for her soul, Gus offers her ride to Chicago. He introduces Kate to one of his friends who rented a van. Kate agrees to the terms and seals the deal with the devil, thus accepting the ride. She may have been irresponsible in keeping a watch on her child but this makes up for every mistake she made as a mother. Could you have asked for a bigger sacrifice?
But how do we know for sure that Gus is a Devil?
Gus plays a woodwind instrument. And guess what the Devil’s instrument of choice is? Bingo!
In the words of the Reddit user himself – “One last piece of evidence that I have found is Gus choice of instrument. Sure it’s not as obvious as a fiddle, instead, it’s a woodwind instrument. There are some references in the bible that one of the instruments are created and favored by the devil (my understanding at least),”
This does seem a little out there but the evidence he has provided is rather remarkable. It only goes on to prove how vigilantly the person has followed each bit of the film and then connected the dots. Sure the makers may have never had this idea in mind that the elements they have put in place have a rather hellish essence to itself. But it is rather fascinating to watch the film with a different outlook. Dark too!
Do let us know what you have to say about this theory in the comments.
