Angels with Filthy Souls

Johnny about to shoot Snakes.

Angels with Filthy Souls was a gangster film, which was followed by a sequel, Angels with Even Filthier Souls.

By 2021, a science fiction remake was produced.

History

After being left home alone by his family, Kevin McCallister found a videotape of Angels with Filthy Souls and watched it while eating a huge bowl of ice cream.

Kevin putting in the Angels with Filthy Souls video tape

In the segment Kevin watched, Johnny, a gangster sitting behind a desk in an office, was met by Snakes, a gangster sent by Acey, the head gangster. He had "the stuff" to which Johnny ordered to leave on the doorstep and get out. Snakes asked for the money Johnny owed for it, claiming it was "ten percent". Johnny said, "Too bad Acey ain't in charge no more" and implied he was not about to give Snakes any money. Snakes showed discomfort when Johnny said that Acey was upstairs "taking a bath," and that he would call Snakes once he got out. Almost immediately, Johnny remarked "I tell ya what I'm gonna give you, Snakes", and got up from his desk while picking up his Tommy gun. Johnny told Snakes to get out before he counted to ten. Snakes quickly apologized and agreed to go. However, Johnny cut the count short, counting to two, then jumping straight to ten ("One, two... TEN!") possibly having humorously meant "to", intentionally unknown to Snakes, and, while laughing maniacally, rapid-fired at Snakes, killing him. Johnny stared at the corpse and said, "Keep the change, ya filthy animal!". Startled, Kevin then paused the movie and shouted for his mom.

Later, Kevin utilized the tape to play tricks on a pizza delivery boy, using Johnny's lines, to ultimately scare him away. He later played the movie while Marv Murchins was investigating the house, in order to scare him away, using firecrackers to further enhance the sound of the gunshots. Marv rushed back to his and Harry Lyme's van, claiming that he heard two other thieves in the house, having a heated argument that ended with one murdering the other. He claimed that he recognized one of their voices, and the murder victim was named "Snakes", which Harry did not recognize. Marv wanted to flee, but Harry suggested they investigate further, and wait to see someone exit the house, so they would be able identify him if they were questioned about the apparent murder. Later on, the two saw Kevin in the yard cutting down a tree, and realized that they were played.

Trivia

• Somehow, Johnny is able to get away with saying "Hell," even though the film was supposedly released during a time when strict Hollywood censor Joseph Breene, who was not likely to tolerate such language, ran the Production Code Administration. However, Kevin may have been watching a scene that was censored during the film's original release, but was rediscovered and released for VHS. One example of these real-life re-inclusions of censored film scenes included the 1980s VHS version of the 1931 film Frankenstein, which reshowed a scene that Breene had censored at a national level in 1934, and which some states censored beforehand, involving a little girl being thrown into a lake. Even without Breene's authority, some state censorship boards would've been less likely to tolerate Johnny's use of the word "Hell" as well.
• The "upstairs, taking a bath" line implied that Acey, who Johnny made clear was no longer in charge, was murdered and that his dead body was either being cleaned off or dissolved in sulfuric acid, which implied that Johnny likely had already killed Acey before Snakes had arrived.
• Angels with Filthy Souls is not a real film, as the only shown segment was made specifically for Home Alone. The title is a reference to the 1938 film Angels with Dirty Faces.
• The film's original script ends with Marv and Harry in prison, watching Angels with Filthy Souls with fellow inmates.
• Johnny is played by the late Ralph Foody and Snakes is played by Michael Guido.
• It was included as a featurette in the Home Alone DVD release.
• The movie is also seen playing on a television in the 2019 film Pokémon: Detective Pikachu.
• It is implied that Marv has seen this movie before, as he told Harry that he recognized Johnny's voice, as well as heard the name "Snakes".
• On AMC (TV Channel) airings, the closed captions refer Acey as "A.C."
• Although unconfirmed, it is possible that the movie is the film mentioned at the beginning of Home Alone which Frank McCallister did not allow Kevin to watch.