Eleven-and-a-half-year-old Max has decided that he is too old to be babysat. After finally convincing his reluctant mother to let him stay home by himself, she and his father attend a gathering a few doors down the street. Max immediately gets up to no good. Max's mother knows that his overactive imagination has caused problems in the past, so she forbids him from watching any "trash" TV. Max takes advantage of having the house to himself and does the exact thing he knows he is not supposed to do-watch trash TV. He quickly learns that rules are put in place for a reason when the monster from the TV program visits him at midnight.