|
shyscyberchamber.com
|
|
URBAN LEGENDS
:
Hooked On Murder |
Date
Added
JUN 2004 |
'The Hook' is perhaps one of the most memorable of
Urban Legends and has been around since at least the mid 1950's.
It's got the key elements of a horror story : 2 lovers in an isolated
spot, a maniacal killer on the loose, the potential threat of death,
and something bloody; in this case it is a hook. What more could
you want? The basic synopsis of the story goes something like
this:
A young couple sneak away to a country road or a Lover's Lane for a
few minutes of making out. Either on the way there or after they
arrive a special news bulletin cuts into the song on the radio and
alerts everyone in the area of a killer on the loose. Sometimes
he is an escaped convict from the nearby prison; sometimes he is an
escaped lunatic from a nearby asylum; sometimes he is even a sex
maniac. The radio announcer warns everyone to be on the lookout
and not go outside if you don't have to. The killer is
recognisable because he has a hook for a hand (whether the hook is on
the left or right is one of the variables in this tale). The
girl gets real nervous and tells her boyfriend they should go home.
He pleads with her to stay. A little argument ensues and
eventually the girl wins. The guy, feeling very frustrated at
the make out session going awry, is said to have "gunned" the engine
and "peeled" out of there. When they arrive home sometimes the
girl gets out of the car herself, because the boyfriend is angry and
won't do the courtesy act of opening her door, but sometimes, he does
open her door for her. Either way, there is a bloody hook
dangling from the door handle - they had barely escaped! If not
for the girl's insistence they would have been killed. The speed
and recklessness of which he drove away is a key element because it is
what causes the hook to be ripped from the killer's arm. This
one factor is always a constant no matter who tells this tale.
This is a creepy enough tale to keep any teenage couple out of the
woods. It's entirely possible that this legend was originally
inspired by some grisly murder that involved one or more teenage
victims, but since this tale is not so outrageous (it deals with
nothing supernatural, or impossible) it is hard to say whether it was
truly inspired by actual events or if it speaks to our inner fears of
being preyed upon by those with no mercy or reason. |
|
BACK TO TOP |
|
Check out
the
latest
Crypt Polls!
|