The Peanut Butter Solution

Michael Baskin, an 11-year-old boy, lives with his father while his mother is away in Australia. They hear that an abandoned mansion has burned down, and Michael and his friend Connie decide to explore the ruins. The decision starts a chain of eerie events connected to the mansion’s past.

Outside and inside the mansion, the boys encounter the ghosts of its homeless inhabitants who died in the fire. The haunting is sudden and frightening, making Michael question what is real. The encounter marks the start of Michael's strange experiences with the mansion's remnants.

The terrifying encounter triggers a mysterious illness in Michael called The Fright. He begins feeling unsettled and oddly detached, hinting at something supernatural affecting him. The mood shifts from curiosity to a creeping dread that will follow him home.

The next morning Michael wakes to discover that The Fright has caused him to lose his hair. A failed attempt to hide it with a wig goes wrong when an older boy pulls the wig off during a soccer game, exposing the growing problem. The family becomes increasingly worried as his condition draws attention.

That night the ghosts visit Michael in his sleep and give him a recipe for a magical hair-growth formula, explaining that the main ingredient is peanut butter. They warn that misusing the recipe could have dreadful consequences. The encounter reveals the ghosts’ evolving interest in helping him, even as his life grows stranger.

Michael’s first attempt at making the formula is disposed of by his father and sister, who mistake it for something to ingest rather than apply topically. The discarded attempt delays any potential cure and heightens the tension at home. The ghosts press on, hoping to guide him properly.

The ghosts return for a second chance and provide careful instructions not to add too much peanut butter, warning of disastrous results if he overdoes it. Michael must navigate a fragile balance as his hair continues to grow. The warning foreshadows the trouble to come.

Michael successfully makes the formula on the second try, but ignores the warning and wakes to see his hair growing at an incredible rate. The rapid growth becomes a spectacle and a nuisance at school as people begin to notice his changing appearance. His life starts to revolve around managing the growing hair.

Connie learns of Michael's condition and tries to replicate the effect by applying some of the formula to his own body to simulate puberty. The joke backfires when the growth also affects Connie, exposing their prank to others. The brothers’ and friends’ social world becomes unsettled as rumors spread.

The hair grows to such lengths that it becomes a nuisance for classmates, leading to Michael and Connie’s suspensions. Their appearance disrupts school routines and draws attention from teachers. The students must cope with the consequences while seeking a solution.

The art teacher Signor forbids imagination and is later fired for his strange behavior. He kidnaps Michael and several neighborhood children to force them to make magic paint brushes from Michael’s hair. The factory-like workshop becomes a place of danger where the children are kept under harsh conditions.

Suzie and Connie locate the Signor’s magical paintbrush factory and realize the danger the kids face. They plan a rescue and work to free Michael and the others from the oppressive labor and the brushes’ power. The discovery shifts the story toward a risky confrontation.

Connie tricks the Signor into painting a picture of the abandoned mansion, then dares him to investigate inside. The plan lures the Signor toward the haunted site where his imagination can be unleashed. In the resulting chaos, the Fright transfers from Michael to Signor.

The Fright leaves Michael and passes to Signor, turning him into a frantic, bald pursuer of the kids. The family and local police close in, arresting Signor and ending the danger to the children. The rescue culminates with the factory shut down and the kids freed.

The Baskin family is reunited as their mother finally returns home. Michael’s hair stops growing, and the mysterious illness subsides, bringing stability back to their life. The final shot emphasizes family, safety, and a return to normalcy.