Behind the Scenes of 'Home Alone': The True Story of Barry the Tarantula
The real tarantula named Barry stared down Daniel Stern.
In the classic film Home Alone, the prop department initially crafted a fake tarantula to place on Daniel Stern’s face during a tense scene. However, the director decided to use a real tarantula instead, insisting that authenticity was more effective. The real tarantula’s name was Barry, and it became part of one of the film’s most memorable moments.
While preparing for the scene, the animal trainer on set advised everyone:
“Just don’t make any sudden, threatening moves, and you’ll be fine.”
Daniel Stern responded with a mix of humor and concern:
“But I’m going to be screaming in Barry’s face. Do you think he’ll feel threatened by that?!” The trainer calmly replied, “Barry doesn’t have ears. He can’t hear. Relax.”
Despite the reassurance, filming was nerve-wracking for Stern as he had to get close to Barry without startling him. The scene’s success relied on both Stern’s acting and Barry’s calm demeanour — an unusual but memorable behind-the-scenes story that highlights how sometimes reality is stranger than fiction in filmmaking.
