In November of 1960, a teenage girl wrote a letter to Dear Abby warning other teenagers about something she'd heard.

A young couple had been parked on a deserted road when their radio interrupted the music with a frightening announcement.

A dangerous man had escaped from custody.

And where his right hand should have been, he had a hook.

The couple fled, but when they reached home, they discovered something hanging from the passenger-side door handle.

For generations, Americans have told some version of this story around campfires, at sleepovers, and in the back seats of cars.

But where did the Hookman come from?

Tonight, we're tracing one of America's most famous urban legends, from its earliest documented appearance to the real-life Phantom Killer who terrorized Texarkana in 1946, the folklorists who argued over its meaning, and the horror movies that introduced it to new generations.

And before the night is over, there's one more story to tell.

A girl waiting alone in a stalled car.

A strange scratching sound on the roof.

And a warning not to look back.

Welcome to Day Thirteen of 31 Days of Halloween.

VERB ENERGY Limited addition Blood-Orange Pound Cake- Promo Code - HAUNTED

verbenergy.com/haunted

Tales from the Shadows Weekend in Lancaster PA

CONDEMNED links - https://linktr.ee/Condemned

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@HauntedAmericanHistory

TikTok - @hah_podcast

hauntedamericanhistory.com

Patreon- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/hauntedamericanhistory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

HAH DISCORD - https://discord.com/invite/bJdbpH3hQm

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.