Near the end of the 2025 TV schedule, Ariana Grande shared the stage with SNL’s season 51 cast to host the show’s Christmas episode. From her hilarious “All I Want for Christmas Is You” song parody monologue to her Elf on a Shelf support group sketch, Grande brought her sense of humor and cuteness throughout the episode. Yet the sketch that’s still on my mind is the show’s alternate version of Home Alone’s ending, and it’s much more brutal than I could’ve imagined.
During the heartwarming ending of Home Alone (which you can stream with a Disney+ subscription), Kate McCallister comes home and reunites with her left-behind son, Kevin, only for the rest of the family to join seconds later. Saturday Night Live’s version of the ending skips the holly jolly vibes and replaces them with surprisingly mature material. Watch the pre-taped sketch below, and you’ll never think of your favorite Christmas movie the same way again:
Isn’t that crazy?! A viewer could go from laughing at Ariana Grande’s Kevin McCallister impression to entering pure shock as you enter into a Final Destination-type scenario that sees Kevin’s relatives walking into his booby traps. I love how much the writers tied in the popular horror franchise by way of this SNL sketch’s twist ending. I’d be lying if I said I saw this coming.
As the question on a lot of people’s minds was whether Kevin’s parents ever found out about the attempted burglary in their house, this darkly humorous sketch delivers an unexpected answer. (Just wait until they find Kevin’s mapped-out plan of the traps if they really want to delve into the 8-year-old’s twisted mind.)
It’s hard to deny that the best Home Alone booby traps delivered some serious injuries to Harry and Marv. I mean, a blow torch to the head and a nail to the foot aren’t exactly Christmas memories to cherish. But, hey, Kevin had to defend his house since he was the only one who could.
When watching the Chris Columbus-helmed holiday movie as an adult, it feels more like a dark comedy compared to a silly slapstick flick. One fan even recreated the Home Alone booby trap scenes as a disturbing, bloody mess. Suddenly, the idea of the beloved holiday flick as a family-friendly film feels questionable, doesn’t it?
While I had a feeling Saturday Night Live would parody Home Alone due to its popularity around the holiday season, I never would have imagined they’d go so R-rated. Still, I loved every minute of seeing Kevin’s traps go all Final Destination on his family. After this sketch, I’m not sure if the show can get any more twisted with a film parody, but I’d like to see the writers try. You can find this dark spoof and more sketches from Ariana Grande’s latest SNL episode by streaming it with a Peacock subscription.