The Homemade Monster is a story that appeared in the March 15th, 1997 issue of TV Guide.
Plot[]
Holly and her brother Max have just finished building a "Homemade Monster Making Kit", building a monster that was meant to terrorize their neighborhood, only for it to do nothing. After getting scolded by their mother for bothering the neighbors, Holly discusses how they have two awful neighbors, Mrs. Gavin and Mr. Marcum, who they want to get back at for being so nasty. Earlier that day, on their way home from school, the two had found the Homemade Monster Maker kit, spending the rest of the day putting it together. Disappointed in their hard work going to waste, the two leave the monster in the garage and go to bed.
That night, the two wake up to find the monster having escaped the garage and heading outside, before coming back into their home. Holly and Max are amazed at the monster coming to life, only for it to say that it's not the monster, it's the monster making kit. It then proceeds to grab onto the two and stretch and deform them, leaving them as hideous monsters. The two react to this with joy, planning on heading over to see the neighbors.
Trivia[]
- The last name Marcum would later appear in Night of the Giant Everything.
- In 2022, R.L. Stine published a short story called The Monster Maker, included in Stinetinglers, which has a similar setup and twist to this story.