Home Alone & Deadly Games Secretly Follow the Same Plot

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Thirty-five years after it first came out, Home Alone is widely considered one of the greatest movies ever made. Macaulay Culkin became a star playing Kevin McCallister, the resourceful kid who defends his house from burglars after being accidentally left behind during the holidays. It’s become a classic Christmas film, instantly recognizable around the world. Written by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus (who later directed the first two Harry Potter movies), the story has become a part of our culture, frequently appearing in other films and TV shows – and inspiring several sequels and reboots. Interestingly, a French film called 3615 code Père Noël had a very similar plot and came out a year earlier.

René Manzor’s 1989 film is a dark and frightening Christmas thriller, a stark contrast to the lighthearted fun of Chris Columbus’s holiday classic. While many viewers have laughed at the traps Kevin sets for the burglars in Home Alone, Deadly Games presents a home invasion scenario that is genuinely terrifying.

Deadly Games and Home Alone Have Eerily Similar Stories

Deadly Games tells the story of Thomas, a boy living with his mother, grandfather, and dog. One Christmas, he tries to chat with Santa online. He connects with someone, but it’s not Santa—it’s a dangerous criminal who now knows where Thomas lives.

A thief disguises himself as Santa Claus by stealing a suit and whitening his hair and beard. He hides in a delivery van hoping to reach Thomas’ house, where Thomas is busy preparing Christmas-themed traps. Thomas’ mom is out for the evening, and he’s determined to catch whoever is pretending to be Santa, cleverly outsmarting the criminal at every obstacle he sets up throughout their large home.

Everything seems like a playful game until Thomas discovers the man has committed terrible acts – he’s murdered the family’s cook and cleaning lady, and even hurt Thomas’s dog with a knife. What started as a childish game of chase between Thomas and the stranger quickly becomes dangerous, turning into a life-or-death situation for Thomas and his grandfather. Sadly, throughout the whole story, Thomas continues to believe this dangerous man is Santa Claus.

John Hughes reportedly watched Manzor’s film at the Cannes Film Festival and liked it. However, he rejected Manzor’s claims that Home Alone was based on or copied from it. Interestingly, Hughes later employed Manzor at his production company.

Deadly Games Is One of the Best Christmas-Themed Horror Movies Out There

Even though the basic storyline of Deadly Games is familiar, it’s a really fun and exciting movie. It’s packed with over-the-top traps and a scary situation, but surprisingly, it also captures the warm feeling of Christmas, just like many beloved holiday films.

Thomas is perfectly adequate, and the villain is truly awful. Though it lacks the memorable Christmas soundtrack of Home Alone, the music is fantastic ’80s synth.

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The 1990 film Deadly Games was a critical success, winning both Best Director and Best Film at Fantafestival. It also maintains a respectable 59% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on over 50 audience reviews.

The horror film Deadly Games has gained renewed popularity recently thanks to streaming on Shudder. Following its restoration by the American Genre Film Archive, it’s received positive reviews from major horror websites like Fangoria, Dread Central, and Bloody Disgusting.

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2025-12-25 02:43