One has to wonder if this was an attempt to cash in on the Home Alone movie, which came out in Christmas 1990 and at the time, was the 3rd highest grossing movie of all time. Don't tell mom came out in the summer of 91 and like Home Alone, features kids having the house to themselves. It even had "Home Alone x 5" of the cover of the videocassette. So you have to wonder if this was an attempt to cash in on the success of Home Alone.
There wasn't enough time to see the success of Home Alone and turn around and make a movie to cash in on it. Sure, they were able to use the notoriety of Home Alone to help sell it after the fact, but this film had to already be filming before Home Alone came out.
shareYou obviously know nothing about the lengths of a movie production schedule and the time it takes to make a movie. Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead was shot in the spring and summer of 1990, just as Home Alone was wrapping production. Home Alone wasn't released until November of that year, and no one was really expecting it to be a hit (in fact, Home Alone was actually expected to be crushed at the box-office by Rocky V, which was coming out the same day). If anything, Don't Tell Mom seemed more like a rip-off of Adventures in Babysitting, which just so happened to also feature Keith Coogan in the cast. So your theory falls flat on its face.
shareWhere did you get your info that it was shot in the spring and summer of 1990?
Though I am pretty sure it was filmed when Applegate was on break from MWC.
"Filming Dates 7 May 1990 - 16 July 1990"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101757/business
Some moron put "This is essentially Home Alone spliced with Working Girl ." in the Trivia section.
While I have no doubt marketing would want to exploit anything they could to sell a movie. Anyone who watched this and thought This is like Home Alone is a moron.
The only similarity in plot is that parents aren't at home. That's also the plot of Party of Five. Home Alone is about a young child ALONE abandoned in his house and facing evil villains.
This movie is about a 17 year old with 4 safe and secure siblings under no threat of anyone enjoying their summer vacation while Sue Ellen works her ass off.
Except for the part when Sue Ellen smashes Joe Pesci in the face with a paint can. No wait. They're entirely different movies.
If they REALLY cashed in on Home Alone, then I think Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter Is Dead is very much more interesting compared to That Naive Little Boy.
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