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11[[quoteright:300:[[Film/HomeAlone1 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/151112_cbox_home_alone_battle_planjpgcroppromo_xlarge2.jpg]]]]
12[[caption-width-right:300:And wacky antics ensued!]]
13->''"This is my house. I have to defend it."''
14-->-- '''Kevin''', trailer for ''Film/HomeAlone''
15[[TropeNamers Named after]] and [[TropeCodifier popularized]] by ([[OlderThanTheyThink but not started by]]) ''Film/HomeAlone1'', "Home Alone" Antics are an unusually specific trope. At its most well-known form, a kid sets traps in or around a house, and bad guys who are after the kid (or the house, or something inside the house) end up getting hurt by the traps.
16
17There can be variations on the concept. It doesn't have to be a kid who sets the traps or tricks the bad guys -- in fact, in one movie, it was a ''dog''. The traps don't always need to be "set"; they can be part of the architecture/environment. However, the one required aspect is [[TheFamilyForTheWholeFamily dumb/goofy villains]] being tricked into falling for the traps in a comedic manner.
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19This is the {{Lighter and Softer}} version of ProtectThisHouse, and a variant of the HumiliationConga. A subtrope of {{Slapstick}} and by extension, DieHardOnAnX. Related to HomeFieldAdvantage, as the kid is probably setting up the traps in his own home or some place he's more familiar with than his opponents. For more serious takes on the trope outside kids or their homes, see TrapMaster.
20
21----
22!!Examples:
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24[[foldercontrol]]
25
26[[folder:Comic Books]]
27* One ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'' story has Archie and Jughead house-sitting for Mr. Lodge. Although the mansion has a sophisticated security system, the boys decide to play it safe and add some extra anti-burglar defenses, involving the usual buckets of water, tin cans, flypaper, etc. Of course, Mr. Lodge comes home and walks into all the booby traps.
28[[/folder]]
29
30[[folder:Comic Strips]]
31* One ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' strip has Calvin's parents come home to find a house full of booby traps, because Calvin watched a scary movie while they were out and then rigged up defenses against a monster attack.
32[[/folder]]
33
34[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
35* ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' has an unusual case -- the [[AnimateInanimateObject Enchanted Objects]], upon realizing that they won't be able to keep the AngryMob out of the castle, decide to assemble in the foyer, freeze, and let the humans break in. As soon as [=LeFou=] grabs Lumiere to get a better look at things, the candelabra shouts "Now!" and all of the objects begin to attack and/or frighten the mob in various ways, ranging from the Wardrobe jumping off a balcony onto several men to the Footstool tricking others into the kitchen, whereupon the ustensil drawers spring open to reveal knives standing at attention and the stove blazes and roars. In short, the defenders ''are'' the traps. This manages to ShooOutTheClowns, leaving only Gaston to actually confront the Beast in the second half of the film's climax. As this film was originally released a year after ''Home Alone'', one of the kid-skewing television ads for it actually focused on this sequence, even using the phrase "home alone" in the announcer's voiceover.
36[[/folder]]
37
38[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
39* ''[[Film/DialCodeSantaClaus 3615 code Père Noël]]'', a 1989 French thriller that is said to have inspired ''Film/HomeAlone'', to the point where writer/director René Manzor threatened a lawsuit. A young boy named Thomas tries to contact Santa Claus and accidentally gets in touch with a local criminal, who learns that Thomas' mother is a wealthy manager of a department store and that his home is probably filled with valuables to steal. Very much DarkerAndEdgier than ''Home Alone'' and played as a horror-thriller; the criminal, [[BadSanta dressed as Santa]], kills Thomas' dog in front of him and multiple people over the course of the film [[spoiler:before Thomas' grandfather kills him]].
40* PlayedForHorror in ''Film/TheAggressionScale''. Owen is definitely psychotic to some degree and his traps are absolutely brutal, with gory results. [[PayEvilUntoEvil Good thing the people who end up falling into them are a bunch of Mob assassins]].
41* ''Film/{{Alone in the Woods}}'' involves a boy tricking and tripping up two bad guys as he tries to rescue a kidnap victim.
42* Given a very [[PlayedForHorror dark twist]] in ''Film/BetterWatchOut'', where it turns out that [[spoiler:swinging a paint bucket into someone's face from the upstairs balcony (which Luke saw in ''Home Alone'' and decided to try out in real life)]] will ''[[YourHeadASplode kill them]]''.
43* ''Film/BlankCheck'' is mostly about a kid who lives it up with money he obtained dishonestly, but near the end, he suddenly knows how to use the layout of his castle to stop the bad guys who are out to get him.
44* ''Film/HomeAlone1'' is the TropeNamer and TropeCodifier. The majority of the film is actually about a boy's attempts to live on his own after his family accidentally leaves him at home when they go on vacation, and how he manages buying food, tricking people into thinking there are others in the house, and so on. However, the movie is overwhelmingly remembered for its third act, which consists of the boy MacGyvering various traps around his house to deal with two bumbling robbers trying to break in and rob the place, followed by said robbers getting caught in the traps and suffering plenty of AmusingInjuries. The traps only get more violent and extreme in the second movie.[[note]]Wrestler/author Wrestling/MickFoley, for his second autobiography, recounts how, out of curiosity, he had a doctor watch the sequel with him; the doctor concluded at least half the traps would be fatal more likely than not, and all would cause immensely severe injuries. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WKgNyvsNDM Broken down rather nicely here.]][[/note]] It should be pointed out that, in at least the first two ''Film/HomeAlone'' films, some of the traps were made worse, or entirely created, by the bad guys as they bumbled around. In fact, in both movies, Kevin was caught and would have been killed if there wasn't an intervention by an adult. In the first, the bad guys even catch up to Kevin early, and would have killed him had Kevin not been lucky enough to be within arm's reach of his brother's spider.
45* ''Film/KillersOnWheels'' features the violent variant in the ending, when Guo fends off a hostile biker gang raiding his villa with various traps. There's an electrified fence with wires that he switches on when enemy bikers tries climbing over, a balcony coated with boat fuel that Guo drops a MolotovCocktail upon incinerating two punks, trapdoors and pitfalls, and the like.
46* ''Film/MouseHunt'' replaces the child with [[AnimalNemesis a rodent]], with the traps being the work of the same humans they later backfire on, ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' style.
47* ''Film/{{A Nightmare on Elm Street|1984}}'''s climax features Nancy fighting off Freddy Krueger with booby traps and improvised anti-personnel devices the heroine [[ChekhovsGun had been studying earlier in the film]].
48* ''Film/{{Ping}}'' is about a dog that manages to trip up two dumbass robbers who are attempting to rob the house.
49* The final battle in ''Film/RamboLastBlood'' has Rambo setting booby traps all over his ranch for [[BigBad Hugo Martinez]] and his HumanTraffickers to fall for. Unlike ''Home Alone'', the traps are ''very'' bloody.
50* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_(film) Remote]]'' is an obscure 90s film where the child protagonist ends up on his own and must battle three silly villains all with the help of a… remote control! Or, being more specific, with a variety of remote-controlled toys that the kid (who has an obsession of collecting them that his parents are fed up with) had to hide within the model home that the villains have taken refuge in (and thus he is trapped on).
51* The ''Film/RichieRich'' live-action movie turned into this near the end, as the house's traps were used against the bad guys. This time it was a group of kids using them. This example might be an ActorAllusion too, since Creator/MacaulayCulkin starred as Richie as well as the first two ''Home Alone''s.
52* ''Film/ThreeNinjas'' includes a scene early on where kidnappers are tripped by traps set by the brothers. It's actually a double subversion since the kids' first plan was to call the police, especially since the robbers have guns, but decide to do it anyway to convince their dad that their grandfather is a good teacher. Said grandfather, a former ninja, trained the kids for years in ninja techniques. The traps aren't as elaborate since the kids learned of the kidnapping as the crooks entered the house, but the kids are more than competent enough to handle them.
53* ''Film/TooMuchTheRobotWithAHeart'' has Susie and a Japanese boy escape bungling kidnappers/robotnappers by setting traps that they comically fall for, resulting in them making a huge mess of a fish market.
54* {{Subverted|Trope}} in ''Film/SpyHard'': A bunch of secret agents chasing a CaptainErsatz of [[Film/HomeAlone Kevin McAllister]] through a house simply evade and defuse all of the traps.
55* ''Film/ViolentNight'': Having seen the TropeNamer prior to the events of the film, Trudy Lightstone sets up some traps to defend herself in the attic as the family estate is besieged by mercenaries. The violence is... surprisingly more realistic and bloody than in most movie.
56* ''Film/YankeeZulu'': PlayedForLaughs. The film contains over 10 minutes of purely a young Prince William ([[ItMakesSenseInContext yes, that Prince William]]) and a young South African girl borderline torturing the antagonist couple in a series of increasingly dangerous traps. At some point they make the man believe he's dead, only to get him to sit in a tub filled with highly flammable liquid and offer him a cigarette. While they do both get permanently injured to some extent (especially the man, who suffers major burns), they would have certainly been dead if not for the partially played AmusingInjuries trope.
57* ''Film/YoureNext'', a film that can be described as the R-rated horror movie remake of ''Home Alone'', has Erin deploying a bunch of traps like this against the intruders attacking the family gathering.
58[[/folder]]
59
60[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
61* In one episode of ''Series/ClarissaExplainsItAll'', Clarissa and Ferguson are home alone while their parents are on a date night. Naturally, there is a freak thunderstorm which knocks out the power and the phones. When they think someone is trying to break into the house Ferguson sets up a series of improvised traps that hinder the burglar. Unfortunately the lights come back on at that moment revealing the intruder to be their dad.
62* Comedy series ''Series/CousinSkeeter'' had an episode where the main characters worked in a toy store that was later robbed by a couple criminals. They use the toys to fight them off.
63* In an episode of ''Series/TheDickVanDykeShow'', while Rob is away Laura watches a scary movie on TV and is afraid that someone will break into the house. Milly comes over and they set booby-traps at the front door, etc., so that whoever might break in will make a loud noise so they can bean him with a baseball bat. Naturally, Rob comes home earlier than expected and trips the homemade alarm.
64* ''Series/FargoSeasonFive'': After escaping a kidnapping attempt by men working for her ex-husband, Dot Lyon rigs up her house with various traps to deter kidnappers should they try again. Sure enough, a few days later, Gator and a couple of hired thugs visit on Halloween night. Given how the previous attempt went, they approach the job more cautiously than Munch and his partner did. Though Dot gains the upper hand several times, she's always on the run due to fighting alone. The house also ends up burning down after Wayne accidentally electrocutes himself trying to escape through a window that had been wired to shock someone trying to break in through that window.
65* Subverted on the ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' episode "Charlie's Home Alone", where Charlie, who has been abandoned at the bar by himself, decides to protect it with ''Film/HomeAlone''-esque traps. Then two shady men approach, reminiscent of the thieves from the film. However, they notice the "Closed" sign and promptly leave. Charlie then proceeds to set off the traps himself over the course of the episode, leading him to suffer [[NoKillLikeOverkill multiple nail gun wounds, a blow to the head by a paint can, severe burns, and a bear trap to the leg]].
66* Played ''very'' darkly in an episode of ''Series/LieToMe'' where a bereaved can only bitterly recount a ShowWithinAShow with imitable shenanigans by a monkey who would set traps around its house, which led to the real death of a family member at something like roller skates or marbles accordingly imitated.
67* Part of Kamala's plan in ''Series/MsMarvel2022'' to stall for time is to set up traps to keep Damage Control busy. It works at first until Damage Control gets serious.
68[[/folder]]
69
70[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
71* In a Falls Count Anywhere match in 2010, Wrestling/ChavoGuerreroJr takes on Wrestling/{{Hornswoggle}}. The match ends in the hallways backstage with a paint can from an unknown source hitting Chavo in the face and knocking him out, allowing Hornswoggle to easily pick up the victory. Creator/MacaulayCulkin even makes a cameo appearance.
72[[/folder]]
73
74[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
75* The episode "Home Alone Sweep" from ''[[Series/TheSootyShow Sooty and Co]]'' has Sweep left home alone. He hears sounds outside and starts setting traps for the burglars. [[spoiler:However, it turns out that the 'burglar' was actually Matthew, who ends up falling into all of his traps.]]
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77
78[[folder:Video Games]]
79* ''VideoGame/AloneInTheDark2'': During the part you play as Grace you must put in play several traps against the zombies, since you can't attack them directly.
80* Creator/{{Tecmo}}'s ''VideoGame/{{Deception}}'' series is a BloodierAndGorier example of this.
81* ''VideoGame/{{Trapt}}'' is about a young woman hiding out in her family's castle, while its inhabiting demon gives her the power to set various spiky traps to murder invaders.
82[[/folder]]
83
84[[folder:Webcomics]]
85* ''Webcomic/LilCharAndTheGang'': While staying at her parents' Alola vacation home with the other kids, Ivysaur relates the story of how she once [[HandsOffParenting convinced her parents to let her stay home alone during the holidays while they went on vacation]]. At one point she became convinced that burglars were going to try to break in and, [[GenreSavvy naturally]], set up a bunch of traps... [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome except it turned out it was just in her head and all she ended up doing was making a huge mess]]. In the present, she gives this as the reason why she now stays with her uncle and cousin whenever her parents are travelling.
86[[/folder]]
87
88[[folder:Web Videos]]
89* In ''WebVideo/BrandonRogers'' "Stuff & Sam" series, one episode has the main character getting a bunch of Home Alone traps in a house to drive people away from it. This is deconstructed when it's revealed that the traps left the entire family gravely injured, of course, this is played for laughs.
90* ''Website/CollegeHumor'''s ''Home Alone'' parody series ends with the writers setting up an elaborate series of traps for the robbers, only for them to come in by a different entrance than they were expecting and bypass the gauntlet. In the ensuing panic the writers run around accidentally [[HoistByHisOwnPetard getting maimed and killed by their own traps]], as the appalled but unharmed robbers try to reassure them that they're not murderers.
91* The heavy amount of Nineties kids' films [[FollowTheLeader following the lead of]] ''Film/HomeAlone'' was lampshaded in ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic'''s [[Recap/TheNostalgiaCriticS2E37 review of the film]] ''Film/BlankCheck'', when the Critic pulls out a list of cliches that appear in both movies when the climax happens:
92-->'''Critic:''' Let's get marking!\
93Impractical traps filled by unimaginably stupid villains (the BigBad being crammed into an ''Series/AmericanGladiators''-style human roling ball by the KidHero) -- check!\
94Gratuitous [[GroinAttack shot to the crotch]] resulting in cartoony sound effect (TheDragon being hit in the crotch by a baseball with a "thunk!" sound) -- check!\
95Unfunny dialogue hoping to be turned into an obnoxious catch phrase (KidHero doing a hammy "that's gotta huuuurrrttt!" in response to the villains getting hurt) -- check!\
96Oh, will the hilarious moments ever stop... ripping off other hilarious moments?
97[[/folder]]
98
99[[folder:Western Animation]]
100* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': The episode "I've Got Batman In My Basement" has Batman, well, [[TropeNamer stuck in]] [[BatmanInMyBasement the basement of a kid's house]] while he recuperates from injuries taken while fighting the Penguin. The final act of the story has the Penguin and his goons finding the house and going in, forcing the kid and his friends to improvise a defense using the contents of the Bat-Belt (and ''still'' almost getting killed until Batman wakes up and pulls a "BigDamnHeroes" moment). [[WordOfGod Interestingly, this was one of the episodes that]] [[CreatorBacklash the entire production team (from Timm himself down to the animators)]] [[OldShame hated to work on the most]].
101* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Clarence}}'', Clarence, Jeff and Sumo set traps after being scared by a show about burglars. Chad comes to the house looking for some backstage passes he left in the house. In a variation of the trope, Clarence recognizes Chad and the kids have to trigger the traps on themselves to keep Chad from being hurt. [[spoiler:It ''almost' works.]]
102* Parodied in a cutaway gag in the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode "[[Recap/FamilyGuyS12E8ChristmasGuy Christmas Guy]]", showing what would happen if the robbers in the trope namer were smart, namely not slipping on toy cars and not holding onto a burning hot door handle. [[BoomHeadshot The results]] [[WouldHurtAChild aren't pretty.]]
103* In the ''WesternAnimation/HouseBroken'' episode "Who's Having A Merry Trashmas?" Honey and Chief, with the help of Raccoon, tried to use these with who they thought was a burglar breaking into the house (it was just a dog sitter checking on them while Jill was away)
104* ''WesternAnimation/LegendsOfChima'': In "Fired Up!", Flinx and [=G'Loona=] fight back against the Ice Tribes trying to steal a Chi hoard in the Gorilla Forest using the environment as traps.
105* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1992}}'': An episode did this. Ariel was grounded (or "beached") at the palace while Triton was away, and had to stop two saltwater crocodile thieves from looting the palace.
106* ''WesternAnimation/MrBogus'':
107** In the first act of the episode "[[Recap/MrBogusS1E5ShopAroundTheClock Shop Around the Clock]]", Bogus sets up a series of tactics and scenarios in order to stop Jake and Butch from stealing a priceless crown from the department store. These include controlling a pair of fishing pants, dressing himself up as a conductor to use music instruments to attack Butch, and controlling a fisherman dummy to chase away the two baddies.
108** Used again in the first act of the episode "[[Recap/MrBogusS2E3BogundaBogettaAndBogus Bogunda, Bogetta & Bogus]]", this time in the Anybody residence when Jake and Butch return. This time, Bogus is able to keep them deterred by firing light bulbs from a lamp, using a toy mouse to grab them on the nose, and using his shadow projected on the wall to scare them out of the house.
109* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTales'': In "The Tea Party", the seven girl ponies have been using an abandoned house for their club meetings. When they discover a group of other ponies stealing the furniture, they booby trap it to deter the thieves from going inside. However, they later discover the "thieves" are actually a family who have been fixing up the place since they would like to move in. The girls, feeling bad about what they have done, help them work on the house.
110* Parodied twice in ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'':
111** [[StoryBreakerTeamUp Michael Myers and the Wet Bandits end up switching targets]] from their respective movies. The bandits end up terrified before dying from Laurie's traps while Myers is completely implacable to Kevin's traps before cornering and strangling him.
112** Another sketch has Kevin set the traps up and go to bed, thinking he'll be safe. When things start to go wrong, the chain of events ends with Kevin killed by his own traps.
113* A regular occurance on ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo'' after a LetsSplitUpGang when Scooby and Shaggy are on the run from the monster of the week, then set up some kind of elaborate scenario in order to confuse the monster. Notable, in that while the scenarios tend to never work as planned, they break in manners that still end up catching the bad guy.
114** Done almost literally in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/APupNamedScoobyDoo'', where Shaggy & Scooby and the gang must defend Shaggy's house and little sister from intruders with nothing but courage and improvised traps. Also justified at first for even though Shaggy's dad is the chief of police they can't call him since the phones are dead. They end up improvising a BatSignal in order to summon the police.
115** Special mention has to go to the ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'' incarnation of Fred, who loves Traps as much as Daphne. This time the world exists in a universe where building traps is a hobby of import enough to warrant a magazine devoted to them and has notable celebrities in the field of building traps... and Fred is very much on track to become one. While Fred does act as the trap builder in almost every incarnation of the character, it's very notable in that this version turns the dial up to 11, rips it off, and then builds a trap for a dial that goes to 12 and that these traps eschew the franchises' typical humor by working as intended from the outset without losing their Rupegoldberg nature.
116* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
117** A DiscussedTrope (and giving a ShoutOut to the TropeNamer) yet averted on the episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E9HomerBadman Homer Badman]]". Homer wants to leave the kids alone to go to a candy convention, only for an [[WhatTheHellHero understandably]] horrified Marge to say no and call the babysitting service--which sets up the [[AccidentalPervert rest of]] [[ConvictedByPublicOpinion the episode's]] [[StrawmanNewsMedia plot]].
118** Played straight on the earlier episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS1E13SomeEnchantedEvening Some Enchanted Evening]]", where the Simpsons kids are left with a BabysitterFromHell (a serial, [[FollowTheLeader Springfield's]] [[Series/AmericasMostWanted Most Wanted]]-caliber thief called "The Babysitting Bandit") while Homer and Marge are out celebrating their anniversary and they knock her out.
119** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E6MargeOnTheLam Marge on the Lam]]", Homer decides to go out in the town on his own (after Marge left with Ruth). When Lisa suggests he should hire a babysitter, Homer thinks the kids should be alone so when any robbers come it'll be "a very humorous and entertaining situation", using the movie as an example.
120* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': In the ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'' episode "Tails in Charge", Tails sets traps for Scratch and Grounder to get back at them for [[TakenForGranite turning Sonic to stone]].
121* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop'', Pete becomes afraid of burglars, so he buys a fancy security system. Max wants Goofy to do the same thing, but Goofy refuses and installs a homemade "security system" consisting of traps. Unfortunately for Pete, the burglars are the same people that sold him the security system, so when they go to rob his house they just hit the OverrideButton and turn it off. Max and PJ end up luring the burglars to Max and Goofy's house and stopping them using Goofy's traps.
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