What do Macaulay Culkin and Elvis Presley have in common? They both appeared in the 1990 Christmas classic Home Alone. At least, according to one insane conspiracy theory making its way across the web.
For those unfamiliar with the timelines of Culkin and Presley's lives, Presley had already been dead for 13 years at the time of the movie's release. Regardless, people on the internet think that a bearded man in the background of one scene is, in fact, the deceased icon.
If Presley had faked his death, would he really return in the form of an extra in a kids' movie? I think not. Regardless, Dan Ozzi of Noisey gathered the "evidence" and investigated the ins and outs of the rumoured Presley cameo.
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This is what he came up with. (The proof is far from convincing, but still entertaining for those like me who love a good pop culture conspiracy theory.) As the theory goes, Elvis is seen standing to the right of Culkin's on-screen mother character (Catherine O'Hara) as she argues with the airline attendant at the ticket counter to get a return flight after realising she forgot her son at home.
You can see him here.
For comparison, here is a video with side-by-side comparisons of the two.
In addition to the hairstyle, there is also the telling head cock.
Theorists believe the actor's head movement is a direct nod (ha!) to the King's signature move. The director of the film, Chris Columbus, has even addressed the theory in commentary. According to Noisey, there is footage of Columbus telling Culkin about the theory and the two of them erupting into laughter. But what's odd is that two years prior, in 1988, Columbus directed a movie called Heartbreak Hotel, which is about a teenager trying to get Elvis to sleep with his mother.
Other pieces of so-called evidence (like Culkin styling his hair in an Elvis-fashion in the famous bathroom mirror scene) are just references to Elvis as a pop culture icon. But there's one especially bizarre fact that fans are puzzling over. The name of Culkin's character, Kevin McCallister, can be rearranged to spell "I, Mr. Elvis, act."
Cue the Twilight Zone theme song.
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