diff --git a/decode_hooks.go b/decode_hooks.go
index aa91f76..115ae67 100644
--- a/decode_hooks.go
+++ b/decode_hooks.go
@@ -72,7 +72,10 @@
 			}
 
 			// Modify the from kind to be correct with the new data
-			f = reflect.ValueOf(data).Type()
+			f = nil
+			if val := reflect.ValueOf(data); val.IsValid() {
+				f = val.Type()
+			}
 		}
 
 		return data, nil
diff --git a/mapstructure.go b/mapstructure.go
index a367a95..4490521 100644
--- a/mapstructure.go
+++ b/mapstructure.go
@@ -246,6 +246,10 @@
 // value to "data" of that type.
 func (d *Decoder) decodeBasic(name string, data interface{}, val reflect.Value) error {
 	dataVal := reflect.ValueOf(data)
+	if !dataVal.IsValid() {
+		dataVal = reflect.Zero(val.Type())
+	}
+
 	dataValType := dataVal.Type()
 	if !dataValType.AssignableTo(val.Type()) {
 		return fmt.Errorf(
diff --git a/mapstructure_test.go b/mapstructure_test.go
index 45e7284..4d40ace 100644
--- a/mapstructure_test.go
+++ b/mapstructure_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package mapstructure
 
 import (
+	"io"
 	"reflect"
 	"sort"
 	"strings"
@@ -60,6 +61,10 @@
 	Vbar *Basic
 }
 
+type NilInterface struct {
+	W io.Writer
+}
+
 type Slice struct {
 	Vfoo string
 	Vbar []string
@@ -382,6 +387,42 @@
 	}
 }
 
+func TestDecode_NilInterfaceHook(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	input := map[string]interface{}{
+		"w": "",
+	}
+
+	decodeHook := func(f, t reflect.Type, v interface{}) (interface{}, error) {
+		if t.String() == "io.Writer" {
+			return nil, nil
+		}
+
+		return v, nil
+	}
+
+	var result NilInterface
+	config := &DecoderConfig{
+		DecodeHook: decodeHook,
+		Result:     &result,
+	}
+
+	decoder, err := NewDecoder(config)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("err: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	err = decoder.Decode(input)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("got an err: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	if result.W != nil {
+		t.Errorf("W should be nil: %#v", result.W)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestDecode_NonStruct(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()