“
“How do you know?”
“I don’t know. I’m just afraid . . .”
Remember that scene in Home Alone where Kevin decides to be the man of the house?
Rousing himself from his hiding place under the bed, he marches boldly out the front door and exclaims into the night,
“
I’m not afraid anymore! You hear me? I said, I’m not afraid anymore!
But, just then, his mysterious neighbor, Old Man Marley, walks by with a snow shovel and a bin of salt. All of a sudden Kevin’s new-found resolve vanishes as he runs back inside screaming.
In this exchange we see the whole core of the film. Once Kevin has come to terms with the idea of robbers, that is, once he understands the threat, he can face it. But what he cannot face, is a myth. The unknown is far more terrifying than the worst of known enemies.
I say this is the “core” of the film, you may call it the “theme” or whatever you like, but the point is that it gives the film its structure and coherence. If we examine any of the major character conflicts, they will all bring us back here: the fear of the unknown.
Consider Mrs. McCallister . . .
