It’s one of the most iconic scenes in Home Alone — the moment when Marv (Daniel Stern) has a real tarantula placed on his face in one of the film’s most memorable pranks. But did you know that this terrifying scene almost didn’t happen the way we remember it?
A Prop Goes Rogue: The Original Plan Was a Fake 🕸️
When the prop department first set out to create the now-legendary scene, they had intended to use a fake tarantula to place on Daniel Stern’s face. After all, the idea of a spider crawling on an actor’s face would be enough to make anyone nervous. However, the director, Chris Columbus, had other ideas.
“I didn’t want it to look fake at all,” Columbus recalled in a recent interview. “It had to be real — the terror needed to be real.”
So, instead of the planned prop, the team brought in a real tarantula. And to add a little twist to the story, they gave the eight-legged creature a name: Barry.
Meet Barry: The Calm Tarantula 🐾
Before the scene was shot, the animal trainer gave some unexpected advice to Daniel Stern.
“Don’t make sudden movements, and you’ll be fine,” the trainer told Stern calmly.
Stern, not entirely convinced, responded with a bit of concern: “But I’ll be screaming in Barry’s face. Will he feel threatened?”
The trainer, however, reassured him with an unexpected, and somewhat funny, response:
“Barry doesn’t have ears. He can’t hear. Relax.”
With this odd but oddly comforting information, Daniel Stern was set to face one of the most iconic moments in film history. The scene was shot, and sure enough, the real tarantula stayed calm — and so did Daniel, despite the heart-stopping experience.
The Scene That Shocked Fans 🕷️💥
When the film hit theaters, fans were stunned by the Home Alone tarantula scene. Watching Marv’s horrified face as he’s forced to keep a real tarantula on it was truly unforgettable. The fact that it was a real tarantula made the scene feel even more intense, as the actor’s fear was entirely real — and so was the spider!
This moment also serves as a reminder of how Home Alone, which was full of slapstick humor and over-the-top gags, was grounded in some pretty wild (and sometimes dangerous) behind-the-scenes decisions.
What Happened to Barry the Tarantula? 🕷️👑
After successfully completing his big scene in Home Alone, Barry the Tarantula went on to live out the rest of his life in peace, far away from Hollywood’s hustle and bustle. His moment in the spotlight, however, will always be remembered by fans of the film as one of the most bizarre yet memorable parts of the movie.
So the next time you watch Home Alone, remember: the terror on Daniel Stern’s face was real, the spider was real, and so was the calmness of Barry the tarantula. The legend of Barry lives on! 🌟