The Hook Urban Legend

The Hook

Do you know what an urban legend is? An urban legend is a bunch of scary stories that have been around for years that soon became a legend. It is a second hand story that might be true or just likely enough to be believed. Many people tell urban legends at campfires to scare their friends but who knows, some of them could even be true. An urban legend could be an old or new fictional story or tale that is embellished so much that it takes on a life of its own. These stories are presented as being true but most are usually false. Even though the legends might not be true, they gain a wide audience of listeners since they are passed along from person to person over time. Of course there are a few urban legends that are actually true.

Some legends are intended to be cautionary tales that serve to warn others about certain types of people or behavior. Other legends are strictly for entertainment value and tell a good story. The reason urban legends spread so quickly are that they are interesting and are often passed along from friend to friend. If a story has any truth to it and if it was passed along by a friend, then it is usually entertaining too.

The Urban Legend called “The Hook,” is one of the more popular legends. This legend has been in existence since the middle 50’s and rumors say that’s when they started to notice bloody hooks tangling from cars. There are many variations to this urban legend. “The Hook” has been going around since most people can remember although the variations of the story have changed from time to time.

The basic legend occurs when a young couple while going on a date, decide to drive around looking for a secluded place to park. They park near the woods and start to kiss. They play some music and turn off the car lights. They hear the radio stop and then they hear a man’s voice announce over the radio that a convicted killer has escaped from the insane asylum and is on the loose. The girl freaks out and tells the boy she wants to go home. He leaves as she asks and when they arrive back at the girl’s house, he finds a bloody hook

“One of the earliest appearances of “The Hook” that was printed appeared in a Dear Abby column dated from November 8, 1960.” (Emery 1) This was basically a column saying, I do not know if this is true or not but it stood out to me. A boy and a girl were on a date and pulled over to their favorite parking spot. They were listening to some music and were doing a little kissing. The music turned off, and a man announced over the radio that there was a man on the loose who had been convicted for rape. He had been seen with a hook instead of a hand. The couple was really freaked out and drove away. The boy dropped the girl off at her house and when he went to open the door, he saw a bloody hook hanging. The thought was that this hopefully might teach kids to never park on the side of the