Macaulay Culkin rose to fame as the cheeky Kevin McCallister in the 1990 cult film Home Alone, establishing his reputation as the world's biggest child star.
His hilarious role in the wholesome family comedy and its 1992 sequel earned him the adoration of millions, with his loving bond with his mother and his determination to protect his family home from thieves.
But in 1993, the star – then at the height of his fame – shocked fans with an incredibly dark new role, playing a psychopathic, murderous child in the thriller The Good Son.
Fans of the kind-hearted Kevin were stunned when then-12-year-old baby-faced Culkin dropped the F-bomb, torturing his cousin (played by future star Elijah Wood) and killing his sibling – before attempting to murder his mother by she fell off a cliff.
“The Good Son” follows 12-year-old Mark who is sent to live with his aunt (Wendy Crewson) and uncle (David Morse) in Maine after the death of his mother and while his father is away on business in Tokyo.
Macaulay Culkin shocked fans when he played a murderous child in the 1993 thriller The Good Son
Macaulay rose to fame as the cheeky Kevin McCallister in the iconic 1990 film Home Alone, establishing a reputation as the world's number one child star
He is introduced to his 12-year-old cousin Henry (Culkin), who initially brands him as a “brother” before his twisted behavior becomes apparent.
The couple experiments with a crossbow, which Henry uses to shoot a dog that barks at him.
Henry then builds a puppet named “Mr. Highway,” which he then throws off a bridge onto a busy highway, causing a huge pileup as a terrified Mark screams despite Henry’s threats.
Henry's attention then turns to his eight-year-old little sister Connie (played by Macaulay's real-life sister Quinn), whom he pushes toward thin ice while the pair are skating, causing her to fall into a coma.
Mark tries to tell Henry's mother, who then finds Henry trying to suffocate Connie in her hospital bed.
She finds a rubber duck that Henry had hidden in the shed and that once belonged to his late younger brother Richard, who drowned in the bathtub.
Henry vows to kill Susan out of jealousy of Mark and their relationship. In one memorable scene, Mark tells Henry, “She’s my mother now.”
Henry replies, “Hey Mark, don’t shit on me.”
Fans of the kind-hearted Kevin were stunned when then-12-year-old baby-faced Culkin dropped the F-bomb, torturing his cousin (played by future star Elijah Wood) and killing his sibling before attempting to murder his mother by she fell off a cliff
Wood plays Mark, who is sent to live with his aunt and uncle in Maine after his mother dies. He is introduced to his 12-year-old cousin Henry (Culkin), who initially brands him as a “brother” before his twisted behavior becomes apparent
The couple experiments with a crossbow, which Henry uses to shoot a dog that barks at him
Henry goes for a walk with Susan and plans to murder her.
Susan confronts Henry and asks him if he killed Richard, to which Henry replies, “What if I had?”
After a chase, Henry pushes Susan off a cliff, but Mark saves her life by confronting the murderous teenager.
Susan manages to climb back up just in time to catch the boys as they roll over the edge with each hand.
Since she only has the strength to save one child, Susan lets go of Henry, whereupon the child falls to his death.
The film grossed $60.6 million worldwide on a budget of $17 million, but was widely panned by critics.
Wood – then 12 – became a major global star just eight years later with his starring role as Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Culkin – now 43 – retired from acting shortly after, but will join his four brothers in the upcoming Prime Video animated series “The Second Best Hospital In The Galaxy.”
Henry then builds a puppet named “Mr. Highway,” which he throws off a bridge onto a busy highway—resulting in a massive pileup—as a terrified Mark screams despite Henry’s threats
Henry vows to kill his mother Susan out of jealousy of Mark and their relationship. In one memorable scene, Mark says to Henry, “She's my mother now.” Henry responds, “Hey Mark, don't kid me.”
Susan confronts Henry and asks him if he killed Richard, to which Henry replies, “What if I had?” After a chase, Henry pushes Susan off a cliff, but Mark saves her life by killing the murderous teenager attacks
The pair fight as Henry tries to kill again
Susan manages to climb back up just in time to catch the boys as they roll over the edge with each hand. Since she only has the strength to save one child, Susan lets go of Henry, whereupon the child falls to his death
The exciting casting call includes Macaulay, Kieran, Rory, Christian and Shane Culkin, who all began their acting careers as children and are now in their 30s and 40s.
Kieran voices one of the main characters, Dr. Plowp, while Plowp's siblings are voiced by the “Succession” star's real-life brothers.
The list of Culkin siblings also includes sisters Quinn Culkin, Dakota Culkin – who died after a car accident in 2008 – and half-sister Jennifer Adamson, who died of an overdose in 2000.
The Second Best Hospital In The Galaxy showrunner Cirocco Dunlap revealed on Tuesday that Keiran was the one who suggested the Culkin clan to star together on the series.
“So Kieran chose the role of Dr. Plowp and in a crazy turn of events chose the role of the alien bird.” [character that he plays] had four brothers [in the script] before he was cast,” Dunlap told The Hollywood Reporter.
“So he already had the four brothers and when we cast Kieran we were like, 'You have four brothers! This is ridiculous, what a fate,'” Dunlap continued.
“Kieran was the one who suggested it, he was like, ‘We could get my brothers’ and I was like, ‘What? Yes, yes, we should.” And they are so wonderful, they are so funny, they are very sensitive and very sweet.”
However, it turns out that Natasha Lyonne, who plays Sister Tup in the series, sealed the deal.
Culkin – now 43 – retired from acting shortly after, but will join his four brothers in the upcoming Prime Video animated series The Second Best Hospital In The Galaxy (Pictured: December 2023).
The exciting casting call includes Macaulay, Kieran, Rory, Christian and Shane Culkin, all of whom began their acting careers as children and are now in their 30s and 40s; Rory and Keiran on the set of Lymelife 2008
Kieran voices one of the main characters, Dr. Plowp, with Plowp's siblings being voiced by the Succession star's real-life brothers; Still from “The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy.”
In the sixth episode of The Second Best Hospital In The Galaxy, Kieran's character is joined by his cosmic siblings; Christian and his brother Kieran Culkin attend The Starry Messenger cast party on November 16, 2009
Drama has surrounded the Culkin family since Macaulay rose to fame in the 1990s for his roles in Home Alone and Uncle Buck
“The magic of Natasha, she made a call – I think she picked up the Culkin batphone and everyone answered,” joked Maya Rudolph, who is waiting in line to see Dr. Vlam to lend her voice.
Natasha chimed in at the time: “Turns out I'm the Culkin Whisperer.”
“I worked with Mac on Party Monster, I would say it was five years ago, but it was probably 25. And so we became friends, we were instant friends and he was playing charades and the whole family was there. Kieran and I became friends over time, I think I may have done a film with Rory.
“I love them, I really love these Culkins,” she added.