black spirit with red eyes

• The Hat Man
• Jersey Devil
• Fresno Nightcrawlers
• The Night Hag
• The Pukwudgie
• Jinns & Genies
• Fouke Monster of Boggy Creek
• Shadow People
• The Black-Eyed Children
• Walking Sam
• Skinwalkers, AKA Shapeshifters
• The Bunnyman
• The Loch Ness Monster
• Headless Blemmyes
• The Yellow Book and the Ebens
• The Lady in Black
• The Snallygaster
• The Blackcoat's Daughter
• Don't Worry, It's Just a Hoax
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• The Pied Piper of Hamelin
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• Bloodsuckers Around the World
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• The Lizard Man
• Celtic Sluagh
• Slumber Party Monsters
• The Pope Lick Monster
• The Beast of Bladenboro
• Bloody Mary Bloody Mary Bloody Mary
• The Goatman
• Theories About El Chupacabra
• Big Creatures That Aren't Quite Bigfoot
• Spring-Heeled Jack
• The Servant Girl Annihilator
• Crying Baby Under a Bridge

All Shadow People Are Terrifying, But The Phantom Hat Man May Be One Of The Worst Of All

Dark apparitions that reveal themselves while you're sleeping are scary enough, but of all the Shadow People that visit you at night, the Hat Man may be the most creepy. It's been discovered that there are different classes of Shadow People , and this terrifying man with the hat is among them. He's been spotted all over the world, and according to people who've shared their stories, the Hat Man has apparently been around for a while.

What are Shadow People? It's certain these dark apparitions aren't human, but with all kinds of theories about their existence - from time travelers to aliens - no one really knows what they are or where they came from. The Hat Man is believed to be one of them and although he's extremely mysterious, many witnesses claim he's over six feet tall and always wears a hat. According to creepy stories about the phantom Hat Man, he appears during times of emotional turmoil or distress and will often observe you as you sleep. Who is the phantom Hat Man? Humanity may never know but if he ever pays you a visit, consider yourself special.

The Hat Man Is Said To Wear A Fedora Or Top Hat, A Trench Coat, And Have Glowing Red Eyes

According to everyone who's seen him, the Hat Man appears as a completely dark figure like other Shadow People. The obvious difference is that Hat Man wears a hat which has appeared as a top hat in some sightings and a fedora in others. While many people are unable to make out what he is wearing, some report seeing old-fashioned clothing , a long trench coat or a cape, and he always appears at least six feet tall.

The Hat Man's face is also usually indistinguishable but many who he has visited have claimed he has glowing red eyes, unlike other Shadow People. There have also been reports that Hat Man carries a gold watch attached by a chain to his belt and will occasionally look at it.

Although Some People Claim The Hat Man Has Attacked Them, He Is Usually Content Just To Watch

People who claim the Hat Man has attacked them tell stories about being jumped on or choked  and have experienced burning in their chest or tingling on their scalp. Shadow People are said to often do this, the Hat Man is also happy just watching. He tends to stay longer than most Shadow People as well and has been spotted watching people in the mirror, bending over them while they sleep  or just hanging out in the corner with a creepy smile on his face.

Perhaps not attacking a person and simply observing from afar is much more terrifying, especially since many people insist Hat Man has a solid form unlike other Shadow People. And while Shadow People tend to just disappear when it's time for them to leave, Hat Man has been seen floating above the ground or walking away .

Hat Man Often Appears During Times Of Trauma, Aggression, Or Other Negative Emotional Disturbances

In many cases, the Hat Man seems to be hanging around areas where there are negative emotions taking place, such as households that have experienced domestic abuse, fighting, or depressed family members. Some people believe the Hat Man is a demon sent to bring those who are about to die to Hell. Others think he is demonic .

Heidi Hollis may be able to back that up with a story a German soldier told her about witnessing Hat Man, asking who he was, and being told "Scratch," an old nickname for the Devil. Hollis also recounted the story of a suicidal man who woke to find himself in the hospital and the Hat Man close by. According to the story, the Hat Man quickly disappeared after the man woke up but not before saying, "I almost had you."

Some People Believe The Hat Man Emits Very Powerful Negative Energy And Feeds Off The Fear He Causes

People can usually feel when they're being watched, and a gaze from the Hat Man is no exception. Many have also noted a very dark energy emitted from him and said they immediately knew he was extremely evil and very likely wanted to kill them. Some get the feeling the Hat Man is enjoying their fear and actually feeding off of it. It's possible, however, that since people who witness Hat Man are usually already in a fearful, angry, or other emotionally charged state thanks to whatever negative thing is going on in their life, they associate Hat Man with their negative feelings.

Because he appears in so many different situations, and occasionally to several people in the same family , there isn't really a clear explanation if he's truly evil and why he appears to so many people.

He Has Been Seen All Over The World, Making The Hat Man A Global Phenomenon

In 2001, the subject of Shadow People was first introduced to mainstream media via Coast to Coast AM . After the broadcast, many people sent in drawings of what they had seen and shared stories about their own experiences with Shadow People. Author and strange encounter-enthusiast Heidi Hollis noted in 2008 that there was a commonly seen Shadow Person she named "Hat Man," and people all over the world claimed to have been visited by him as well.

No one expected so many people to have experiences with Hat Man or Shadow People, but the similarity of people's stories has given the creepy dark man a lot of popularity and more credibility for a lot of people. You can find stories all over the internet from those who have encountered him and one person started a website specifically to collect tales about Hat Man sightings.

Like Shadow People, The Hat Man Often Appears When People Are Experiencing Sleep Paralysis

Sleep paralysis is a sleep disorder that scientists believe may be  caused by a disturbed REM sleep cycle . People who experience this physically harmless but psychologically terrifying experience are fully awake but unable to move. They may also have hypnagogic hallucinations as they are trapped between being asleep and being awake and might see things like Shadow People or the Hat Man. These hallucinations can obviously be quite scary and even more terrifying when the person experiencing them is unable to move. Scientists have no final explanation for why so many people see the same creepy apparitions though.

Many people experience Shadow People and the Hat Man when they are awake as well, so the idea of sleep paralysis doesn't completely account for this phenomenon.

Hat Man Often Appears In The Bedroom And Many First Saw Him When They Were Children

Although the Hat Man can seemingly appear at any time of day in any location, many encounters people recount have taken place in bedrooms , with a large amount of sightings occurring in basements . Why this is the case isn't entirely clear, but since many basements are dark and scary to begin with, it makes sense. Considering many encounters with the Hat Man take place when the person visited is about to go to sleep, has just woken up, or is already asleep, the Hat Man appearing in a bedroom makes sense too.

Lots of witnesses have met the Hat Man when they were children and kept the stories to themselves for many years, either because they didn't want to be thought of as crazy or they didn't rationally believe the story themselves. 

One Person Saw Hat Man Only While Dating A Boyfriend Who Turned Out To Be A Very Violent Person

Former Reddit user /u/ Strangelyydazed  shared their Hat Man story:

My (now ex) boyfriend always talked about these shadow people. He saw the top hat man and the man in the fedora. He always said the top hat man came to warn him of awful things that were going to happen. I, of course, thought he was a psycho and dismissed it. Two months later, I started to see the man in the hat next to our bed. He would lean over me. Anyways my boyfriend ended up violently assaulting several girls. I read somewhere that he may show up if you are in the presence of an evil person, or dangerous environment. I also saw a different shadow man in the middle of the road in the car at night with him. I explained his appearance to my boyfriend. He explained immediately that this man came when death occurred. Ironically, I went to a doctor's visit the next day and was informed I had a miscarriage last night. Since we broke up I haven't seen shadow people since.

At Least One Person Saw The Hat Man With A Young Girl Who Spoke An Unknown Language

Redditor /u/ TheirEyesUponYou shared:

I saw him at 18 years old in my room after a particularly traumatic experience... I woke up at an incredibly late hour, probably 2-3. I didn't check, but something was off. I was speaking, in a language I've never heard. I was speaking to what I can only describe as a young girl, or something with the body type of a young girl, perhaps 14 in a dress. I couldn't make out her features, but I could make out her eyes and her mouth which could only be described as 'sharp looking' like a human piranha or something. She was whispering something in my ear, and I was replying in this strange language.

But it wasn't just this shadow girl, my bed was surrounded by tall dark figures which I could not make out the features of, perhaps four of them not counting the girl. They sat motionless and watched me but the most striking figure was a tall man in a wide brimmed hat standing in the corner of my room. I could feel as if he was amused, no, more amused than the others. Each time the girl whispered in my ear, I would let out a reply of which I didn't understand, and the man in the hat would be delighted. You'd think that one would be scared of this sort of encounter, but it felt familiar! I felt rather warm, as if I were surrounded by old friends or family. I forgot to add that I was researching this encounter and came across a startling similar account. The person had an almost identical experience, minus talking in another language or at all for that matter, and the little girl was yelling into their ear as opposed to whisper as she was for me. Very strange.

No One Knows Who The Hat Man Really Is But He May Be An Interdimensional Being Or Astral Projection Like Shadow People

There are many theories regarding what Shadow People actually are and why humans see them, and the Hat Man may have a similar explanation. Perhaps he is an interdimensional being, visiting humanity from another dimension and only partially visible since he's on a different vibration than we are. He could also be an astral projection, the shadow of a person who's currently traveling out of their human body. A demon is certainly a possibility, based on all the negative feelings people feel around him.

Other theories about the existence of the Hat Man include aliens, time travelers, and ghosts, as well as just the wild imaginations of the witnesses. Currently, there's no scientific method to test any of these ideas, so for now the Hat Man remains a very creepy mystery.

• Myths & Legends
• Graveyard Shift
• Mythical Creatures

Lists about the backstories and persistent legends that surround the many mythical figures that watch you as you walk alone in the woods at night.