Terrifying Legend Claims a ‘Hook Man’ Prowls Rural Missouri Roads

There are many legends and horror stories I was told growing up in Missouri. Mo-Mo, the Bubbleheads, the corpse under the motel bed and numerous other tales meant to torment anyone willing to venture out into the night. Now, there's another legend making the rounds which tells of a 'hook man' that is said to prowl rural Missouri roads after dark.

I will admit this is a new tale to me. It was just shared by a YouTube channel called Sandman's Secret. It claims the legend of a 'hook man' has been passed down for generations in Missouri.

There are multiple variations of a 'hook man' legend in Missouri. One claims that the entity is a Civil War soldier who lost his hand in conflict on one of Missouri's battlegrounds and replaced it with a hook. The stories say his anger is directed at anyone that ventures out on rural Missouri roads at night.

Another says that the 'hook man' isn't a Civil War soldier, but a railroad worker that was killed in a tragic accident. His hand was severed in the accident and when he returned, the hand was replaced by a hook.

I found one other Missouri tale that is similar from Missouri State University. In their 'hook man' story, a couple go to a drive-in movie theater only to escape someone trying to get into their car. When they arrive home, a hook is on their door from the villain who had tried to attack them at the movie theater.

Wikipedia says the story of a killer with a hook as a hand is an urban legend that isn't isolated to Missouri, but I found one in Pennsylvania also.

The question remains if there is any basis in truth of this hook hand killer tale in Missouri. It sounds like a story created to taunt anyone who's driving on an already creep rural Missouri road at night. Will I now avoid driving by myself on these remote Missouri roads? That sounds like a good plan no matter if you believe in a 'hook man' or not. After all, Mo-Mo is out there somewhere.