The Hook

The Hook is an urban legend originally dating back to 1950s America about a young couple and their encounter with a hook-handed serial killer. Though there are differences between variations, the basic skeleton of the story involves a man and his female partner, both teenagers, making out at a lovers' lane (a secluded location where people engage in romantic/sexual activity). The pair then hear a radio broadcast warning of an escaped criminal in the local area with a hook in place of a hand. At the behest of the girl's unease, which in some versions involves a scraping noise on the car's exterior, they leave quickly and drive to her home. Upon exiting the vehicle, a hook is discovered to be embedded in its side.

In an alternative version, the couple are brought to a stop in the countryside when the car suddenly breaks down. The girl hears the story of the murderous criminal on the radio after her boyfriend leaves to find help and/or fuel. After he fails to return, and disturbed by a repeated thumping sound on the roof of the car, she leaves the vehicle, only to discover the corpse of her boyfriend suspended from a tree, his swaying feet being the source of the noise.

The earliest known example of the story's appearance is in a newspaper advice column known as Dear Abby in November 1960, although word-of-mouth retellings are thought to have circulated in the prior decade. Some speculate that the tale is inspired by the 1946 Texarkana Moonlight Murders, a series of unsolved killings targeting predominantly lovers' lanes in Texas. Though the killer in the story remains largely anonymous, his most popular depiction is that of an old fisherman dressed in a raincoat and hat.

The Hook has maintained a broad cultural impact, having popularised the idea of a hook-wielding villain such as those found in Candyman (1992) and I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997). It is considered to be one of the most famous urban legends of all time, being featured in many works of media and especially horror films. In 2012, it experienced a brief resurgence with the creation of Man Door Hand Hook Car Door, a 4chan trollpasta which satirised the story's tropes and simple plotline.