Paul Howell, 56, was attempting to break into a property in Blyth - but fled when a bucket of water soaked his feet after tripping a hidden line of string just before 3am on 9 November last year, police said.
Howell was also charged in connection with two separate burglary offences the following week at another address in Blyth, when he forced entry into a property before stealing items including jewellery and bikes.
Northumbria Police said Howell, of Blyth, was arrested and charged with attempted burglary after the occupants checked their CCTV footage.
In the 1990 movie Home Alone, eight-year-old Kevin McCallister, played by Macaulay Culkin, set a series of elaborate traps for two bungling burglars after his family accidentally left him by himself in their Chicago house at Christmas.
Detective Constable Jon Mullen, who led the investigation, said: "Burglary is an invasive crime which sadly leaves people feeling unsafe in their own homes.
