The history of the 'Home Alone' house, told by the guy who lived there

Fans of “Home Alone” may have wondered: What if those walls could talk?

Well, gather ‘round, ya filthy animals. John Abendshien owned the brick Georgian-style residence in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka, Illinois, during filming of the Christmas classic released 35 years ago. And he’s spilling behind-the-scenes tea − the way Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) did toy cars and ornaments to stop two burglars − in his book, “Home But Alone No More” (available now), and an interview with USA TODAY.

Some interior scenes were filmed on a soundstage constructed at a nearby high school. But the residence Abendshien shared with his then-wife Cynthia Demps, and their daughter Lauren, 6, was also transformed for the movie shot in 1990.

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Green and red wallpaper attached to foamboard adorned their walls. Production added the furnace that haunted Kevin’s dreams. “We didn't have any man-eating furnaces in the basement,” Abendshien tells USA TODAY. “We had an old, vintage boiler, and it looked quite boring.”