Paint can to the face
The first and most simple of the booby-traps on this list is the swinging paint can. You can recreate this easily at home with string and any empty-ish paint bucket lying around in the garage. Perfect to swing from the top of the stairs into the face of an unsuspecting burglar.

Do it yourself kit:

String
Paint can

Blowtorch to the head
One of the more inventive, but also rather dangerous, booby-traps on the list is the trip lined blowtorch on top of the door. You might (read: definitely) want to steer clear from this one in real life as it has the potential to do some serious damage. How does just an eight-year-old set this up? It’s simply a trip line string attached to a blow torch and tied to the top of the door.

Do it yourself kit:

String
Blowtorch

Faceplant to the wall
Kevin channels his inner SAS with this one, however it’s more of a stunt than a trap with his homemade zip wire. Used to lure the burglars upstairs and make a quick getaway to his tree house, Kevin ties one end of a thick piece of rope to his window and one end to the tree and uses this as a zip line before cutting the rope and leaving the burglars hanging, literally. All you need for this one from home is a thick piece of rope, a tree house, and a serious amount of bravery.

Do it yourself kit:

Rope
Garden shears

Rope dipped in flammable liquid
Jumping ahead to Home Alone 2, this next trip – from a slightly older and definitely not more mature Kevin – makes the list for creativity and execution. Kevin dips a rope in kerosene and leaves it down the side of the building in order for the burglars to climb down, when they eventually do he sets it on fire and they fall to the ground. Easily recreated at home with this, however playing with kerosene is definitely not encouraged so probably just dip it in something slippy instead.

Do it yourself kit:

Rope
Kerosene (we’re not promoting buying this either)

Classic tripwire
This may be the least damaging trap on the list however it’s one of the simplest. In the original film, Kevin strategically places a trip line across the top of the stairs in order to trip Marv up and send him flying. Although it doesn’t stop him for long it’s very easy and entertaining. Recreate with a trip line across the top of the stairs. Just make sure you remember you put it there.

Do it yourself kit:

Trip line

Sandbag to the face
Back in New York in the second film and with Kevin up to his usual tricks, he uses a rope suspended down the middle of the abandoned building to lure the burglars into climbing up it without knowing it’s a sandbag tied to the top which is ‘securing’ it. Very similar tactics to the kerosene rope, maybe there’s a theme here? Easily replicable with just a rope and a sandbag for you to try (or not) at home.

Do it yourself kit:

Rope
Sandbag
Disclaimer:

Let’s make it clear that Rope Source is not ACTUALLY suggesting you try these at home and that you do NOT booby trap your whole house incase of burglars. But if you do and they do fall for them, they’re probably (as Linnie says in the film) “What the French call, les incompetents”.

Rather than injuring yourself or someone else with a blowtorch booby trap, it’s probably just safer to get some solid home security in place, if the McAllister’s had had this in the first place, all of this would have been avoided.