It may seem farfetched to suggest that “Home Alone” protagonist Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) grew up to become a serial killer with a fondness for creepy puppets. But this fan theory from Grantland posits just that, suggesting Kevin becomes Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) from the “Saw” franchise in adulthood.

The theory argues that there are enough similarities between Jigsaw and Kevin to suggest they’re the same person. For a start, they’re both masters in creating elaborate traps that cause their victims to suffer. “Home Alone” also shows that Kevin has some possible psychological traumas, as evidenced by his interactions with the monstrous furnace that resides in the basement. Jigsaw also hangs out in dark rooms, but does this habit stem from his childhood fears?

Additionally, it’s worth noting that Jigsaw’s beloved puppet looks like a clown. This is an important detail, as the basement in “Home Alone” has a clown toy lying around in it. Furthermore, Kevin plays with another one while tormenting Mr. Hector (Tim Curry) in “Home 2: Lost In New York.” Throw in his obsession with Old Man Marley (Robert Blossom), aka the alleged “South Bend Shovel Slayer,” and it’s clear Kevin has an obsession with violence from an early age. There’s a strong case to be made for “Home Alone” being a “Saw” prequel, but did director James Wan intend to make this connection when he launched the hit horror franchise?

Despite the logic gaps, James Wan still loves this theory

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One big flaw with this theory is the clear age difference between Kevin McCallister and Jigsaw. While the “Home Alone” movies never explicitly mention their timelines, we can assume that their stories occur in the early 1990s, when the first two films were released. In the first movie, Kevin is 8 years old, meaning he’d be a teenager in 2001, when “Saw” is presumably set — if the date on Lawrence Gordon’s (Cary Elwes) cellphone is anything to go by. Jigsaw is clearly a seasoned adult in the first “Saw,” so based on that, he can’t be the kid from “Home Alone.”

Despite this, James Wan got a kick out of this fan theory. While speaking to HuffPost, he said he loves it when people have fun with his movies, and he didn’t rule out the possibility of Kevin McCallister and Jigsaw being one and the same. “I should’ve known all along that Macaulay Culkin would grow up to be John Kramer,” he joked.

Still, it’s unsurprising that “Home Alone” has been connected to a gruesome horror franchise. After all, the family holiday favorite has seemingly inspired horror filmmakers for years, and it may also have been influenced by a spooky home invasion flick from the 1980s.

Home Alone has ties to the horror genre

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“Home Alone” is widely regarded as a festive classic, but a similar yet much darker movie might have predated it. In 1989, René Manzor unleashed “Deadly Games,” a French horror-thriller that chronicles one young boy’s attempts to save him and his grandpa from a home-invading Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Like Kevin McCallister, the young protagonist in “Deadly Games” sets traps to thwart the intruder, making the similarities between both films prominent. In fact, Manzor even accused “Home Alone” of plagiarizing “Deadly Games” and tried to sue Fox as a result.

However, “Deadly Games” isn’t the only legitimate horror movie that fans and critics have compared to “Home Alone.” Chris Peckover’s “Better Watch Out,” aka the best Christmas horror movie according to Reddit, features a young protagonist who enjoys inflicting torture as much as Jigsaw. The film even includes a homage to “Home Alone’s” iconic paint can scene, albeit with a much bloodier outcome.

Some of the ideas in “Home Alone” lend themselves to horror fare, so it’s no wonder that some fan theories have imagined Kevin as a serial killer in the making. Still, wouldn’t it be great to see this idea explored in a more grown-up sequel to John Hughes’ festive classic?

Read More: https://www.looper.com/1486506/home-alone-kevin-mccallister-jigsaw-theory/