Home Alone: Family creates film-inspired lights display

"This is it - don't get scared now." A family in Essex have recreated scenes from Home Alone at their house

A Christmas Hollywood favourite has been brought to life for the festive season in an Essex village.

A family have festooned their house in Sandon, near Chelmsford, with lights and recreated scenes from Home Alone.

The illuminations include a recreation of the famous zip wire scene and the main character Kevin in a sledge on the stairs, or, in this case, a garage.

Dad Fletcher said the charity light display had been a "lot of fun".

He created it with his partner Lyndsay and their eight-year-old son Arthur in the garden of their home in Hall Lane.

One of the film's most memorable lines has been amended as a charity appeal

"Merry Christmas, little fella. We know that you're in there and that you're all alone."

Fletcher, who works in financial services, has put up Christmas lights for several years, but last year decided to start a film-themed display.

This year, the family plumped for Home Alone, one of their favourite Christmas movies.

"You guys give up? Or are you thirsty for more?"

"This house is so full of people, it makes me sick!"

It features Macaulay Culkin's character Kevin as an eight-year-old who ends up being left at home to get into twists and scrapes when his family goes on holiday at Christmas.

"Every year we've always competed about who's got the best Christmas lights so that's where the idea came from - how can I go one further?," said Fletcher.

"It's taken weeks - lots of weekend working, a bit of arts and crafts on the side, a bit of imagination - but it's been fun.

"We tried to create iconic moments from the film, whether it be Kevin coming down the stairs on a sledge - I had to use my garage roof for that; the electric shock to the bad guys; but the highlight is Kevin coming down the zip wire."

Home Alone: A Christmas classic

• The film was released in 1990

• It starred Macaulay Culkin as eight-year-old Kevin McCallister - and propelled the actor to fame

• Parts of the movie were filmed in a real house in Chicago

• John Hughes, who also created National Lampoon's Vacation, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Uncle Buck, wrote the film

• It made more than $476m at the box office

• Joe Pesci, who played one of the Wet Bandits burglars, was said to have ignored Culkin on set so he would be scared of him on film

• The franchise - which features a string of sequels - was bought by Disney

Fletcher said he had no idea how many bulbs have been used, but the display involved "thousands of fairy lights", nine flood lights and a strobe - strapped to the chest of a mannequin made from recycled packaging.

"WOOOAAAOHHHH!" The festive features a nod to the movie's zip wire scene

"This is my house - I have to defend it!"

The family have previously given their house a Gremlins makeover

He said his neighbours enjoyed the illuminations, which "light up the whole street", and they suggested he asked for donations during last year's Gremlins display.

The money will be split between Cancer Research UK and Baddow Hall Junior School.

Lights will be switched on each night until 6 January, with "Kevin" going down the zip wire at weekends between 16:30 and 18:30 GMT.