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Friday, November 1, 2019

The Madman with a Hook for a Hand (Halloween Urban Legends)

You’re a blossoming adolescent and your hormones are raging, so naturally you’d welcome the chance to make out with someone in a car after a Halloween party. But according to this tale, it may be best to keep one hand on the ignition. The story goes that while two young lovers are swapping spit, a news story comes on over the radio detailing the story of a woman who was murdered nearby. The culprit? A madman, escaped from a nearby insane asylum, with a hook for a hand. Then the teens hear a scratching along the car's exterior. Scriiitch ... Scriiitch. Against all reason, they get out to investigate and—well I'm sure you know how this will end.


The hookman tale is a classic urban legend, dating back to at least the early-1950s. In some instances, the teens escape before the killer sinks his hook into them; in other tellings, they're not so lucky. While it's nothing more than a ghost story that doubles as a cautionary tale about teen sexuality, the hookman legend may have some connection to fact—real-life lovers' lane slayings likely contribute to its longevity, while the Texarkana Murders are said to have inspired the hookman legend. 

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