The Halifax Slasher 1938

For 2 weeks in November 1938, the town of Halifax in the North of England was engulfed in mass hysteria. A terror that spread through the community and beyond.  A perpetrator was on the loose attacking local people dubbed the Halifax Slasher. Scotland Yard was dispatched such was the seriousness of the situation. Vigilante groups patrolled the streets, and Businesses in the town were shut down.  Only one problem, the Slasher was completely fictional, an imagined monster constructed from the people's fears- a collective anxiety attack.  What motivated people to fabricate attacks? What did they stand to gain? This is one of the most unique cases I have researched, let's dive straight in