31 Days of Halloween | Day 13: The Hook — America's Most Famous Urban Legend

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.