10 Very Weird Christmas Movies

HOME ALONE 4 (2002)

1990’s “Home Alone” was and is one of the best family comedies and Christmas movies ever written, a product of comedic genius John Hughes at his creative peak. 1992’s “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” wasn’t nearly as good, but was arguably better than it had any right to be and featured almost all of the original cast. 1997’s “Home Alone 3”...existed, and featured no real connection with any other films other than a phoned-in John Hughes script and director Raja Gosnell, editor of the past two films. Nobody liked the third movie (except Roger Ebert for some weird contrarian reason) and it was assumed that the franchise had finally been milked for all its worth.

Then came “Home Alone 4,” a made-for-TV mess featuring the legendary starpower of French “That Squinty Guy from that Space Alien Show” Stewart as chief antagonist and absolutely nothing else worth talking or thinking about. Hughes didn’t write, produce, or really have anything to do with the noisome flop, a tired rehash of the formula centering around the McAllister family’s messy divorce (Merry Christmas!). While intended to launch a Home Alone TV series, HA4 ended up almost killing the franchise for good until yet another made-for-TV installment (featuring Malcolm McDowell and Ed Asner at possibly the lowest moment of their professional lives) was released this year.