What Are Shadow People? Descriptions, History & Real Stories

What Are Shadow Figures?

You're lying in bed late at night. Perhaps you've just woken up or you can't fall asleep. You stare at the ceiling for a moment and turn onto your side.

That's when you see it.

A dark figure is standing in the middle of the room.

You blink, suspecting your eyes are playing tricks on you—maybe it's just something you forgot to put away. But as your eyes adjust to the dark, you notice that the figure looks like a man. Other than its human shape, it has no defining features, as if it were a void.

Then it steps toward you.

You reach for the lamp, switch on the light, and ...

... the entity is gone.

This is a typical example of an encounter with a shadow person, according to those who have seen one. Depending on who's telling the story, these black phantoms take on various forms and act in different ways.

Investigating the Shadow People Phenomenon

In this article, you'll learn all about shadow people, including their physical appearance, behavior, and historical roots. You'll get to read a couple of stories about real-life encounters with these beings, and we'll also explore a possible scientific explanation for the phenomenon. Finally, I'll tell you about my own encounters with shadow people.

Physical Appearance: What Do Shadow People Look Like?

Shadow people come in all shapes, sizes, and transparencies.

Some people have reported seeing a pitch-black, silhouette-like figure. "Dark void" is a common term used to describe the entity's color. In these cases, the shadow person has a humanoid shape but is otherwise flat and indistinguishable.

Other people claim to have seen a dark, somewhat transparent, figure—not unlike a ghost. In some stories, the entity has red eyes, which may elicit explanations of the demonic variety.

Shadow people are often quite tall—above the six-foot mark—though shorter beings have been spotted on occasion.

It is not uncommon for one of these living shadows to wear clothes. In fact, a fedora is a recurring element in these accounts, leading many to refer to a male shadow figure as the "Hat Man."

Movements and Behavior

Shadow people are said to move quickly and often disappear when you look at them. Many times, people only catch their jerky movements out of the corner of their eyes. When noticed, they immediately vanish into the ceiling or a wall.

These beings are also known to sometimes appear next to people's beds—during a bout of sleep paralysis, for example—in which case they may press on the victim's chest, causing pain or making it difficult to breathe, or simply stand and watch the victim lie in terror.

Origins and Historical Roots

Much like their physical appearance, the history behind shadow people is vague and uncertain. You'll frequently find references to Cherokee and Choctaw folklore when researching the entity's roots, but a connection between Native American mythology and modern shadow people has yet to be firmly established.

Scroll to Continue

What is a "LOWES #00907 - 866-483-7521 NC" Charge on My Credit Card Statement?

Should I Watch..? 'Sonic The Hedgehog 3' (2024)

A List of Dams in Punjab

Within the broader conversation, three creatures from folklore are mentioned most frequently in relation to shadow people:

• The Raven Mocker: An evil witch of Cherokee origin, the Raven Mocker seeks those who are sick and dying and devours their hearts. When hunting for the afflicted, the phantom flies through the air and cries out like a raven.
• Nalusa Chito: Its name meaning "big black thing," this creature of Choctaw folklore is comparable to the devil in Christianity. It supposedly eats the souls of people who are plagued with cruel thoughts, similar to Satan's pursuit of sinners.
• Djinn (or jinn): Born out of fire, djinn are shape-shifting spirits of Middle Eastern origin and are believed to be invisible. If a person does happen to see one, the djinn will often resemble a human, though something about it will be "off."

Stories About Encounters With Shadow People

The following are two stories about people's experiences with shadow people. The entities are described in ways that are very much in line with most other accounts.

Art Bell's Shadow Figure Encounter

One of the most famous stories about a shadow person comes from the legendary host of the Coast to Coast AM radio talk show, Art Bell. After a long night of working at the computer, Bell spotted strange movement in his peripheral vision.

"There was a figure there. [...] It was the shadow of a being. It was a shadow of something. And it just scared the you-know-what out of me," Bell said on his radio show.

Like most accounts, Bell's shadow figure was "close to human form." He also claimed that it moved around the room rapidly.

"I looked again and it wasn't there. [...] I looked behind me, and there it was. Boom, there it was, and boom, it was gone," he said. "And I was sitting there in shock, and it appeared to the left of me, and I completely lost it, folks."

Listen to Bell tell the full story in the video below:

An Encounter With the Hat Man

On the call-in podcast Monsters Among Us, a man shared a story about his encounter with a Hat Man shadow figure.

Tim, who was 16 at the time the story took place, returned home in the early morning hours after a night of cruising the downtown streets with his friends. He was dropped off in front of his parents' house and, for a brief moment, stopped to admire his pal's car as it drove away. When he turned around to walk toward his house, he saw what he described as a "tall, black, formless figure" standing in the street.

"What was particularly odd was that I could not make out any features," Tim said. "It looked almost like a black cut-out figure. [...] The figure was [...] close to seven feet tall."

The entity, according to Tim, stood next to and held what looked like an old bicycle. The being's attire reminded him of a particular historical figure.

"He appeared to be wearing, from the outline, a long coat, like period clothing from the 1800s," he said. "If I had to give a rough analogy of who the figure most looked like [...] it would have to look like Abraham Lincoln, complete with a stovepipe hat."

Choosing fight over flight, Tim approached the shadow figure, but getting a better look at it only frightened him more.

"What really scared the daylights out of me was the closer I got to it, none of its features, none of the detail was resolving. [...] I still couldn't tell whether or not it was two-dimensional or three-dimensional. It didn't seem to have normal depth," he said.

Tim broke right and made a dash for his house. Once inside, he heard his mother shout something that made the experience feel all too real.

"I heard my mother yell out, saying, 'Who's that standing out in front of the house in the middle of the street?'"

Tim hurried to the living room to look out the window, but by then the entity was gone.

Sleep Paralysis: A Possible Scientific Explanation

During rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, your brain induces muscle atonia—resulting in near-complete paralysis of your limbs—in order to prevent you from acting out your dreams. It is possible to regain awareness while still in a state of atonia, and this experience is popularly known as "sleep paralysis."

Three symptoms of sleep paralysis are relevant to the topic of shadow people:

• Fear
• The feeling that you're suffocating
• Hallucinations

It's easy to imagine these symptoms combining to create a terrifying episode in which a dark entity appears before you. Because so many accounts of shadow people involve the beings visiting people's bedsides and causing a sense of dread and suffocation, sleep paralysis has become a go-to explanation for the phenomenon.

Of course, many people report seeing shadow people during periods of wakefulness and even during the day, so sleep paralysis is a limited explanation.

My Experiences With Shadow People

I have witnessed shadow people on many different occasions over the years. Here are a few of my experiences with this phenomenon.

The Shadow Man in My Mother's House

A shadow person or entity has been present in my mother's home for quite a few years now. It appears to dwell in her bedroom, and many different visitors have seen it. It looks like the shadow of a man, and you usually see him walking back and forth in front of the dresser in the bedroom. Sometimes, you can clearly hear the sound of walking, while at other times, you will only see the shadow man.

The shadow man in Mom's bedroom appears to be about six feet tall and wearing clothes and a hat. Several people, including myself, have tried to talk to him, but he has never spoken or made any sound other than the sound of his walking.

Some people believe that shadow entities are the spirits of deceased people trapped here on Earth and unable to move on. It is interesting to note that on the hilltop across from my mom's house is a Native American graveyard. I tried to encourage the shadow man in my mom's bedroom to look for and move into the light, but he is still there.

Other strange things happen in Mom's house: Items move on their own, the lights in the bedroom turn on and off, and you hear a loud motor running that is not there. Sometimes you feel as if something or someone has brushed past you.

The Shadow Woman Haunting My Friend

In my friend's yard and house, I often catch a glimpse of a shadow person. I can only see a dark shape, but it is clearly a female. I see her all the time darting from one tree to another, as if she were trying to hide from someone.

This is the most active shadow person I have ever seen, and it behaves differently from the other shadow beings I've encountered. I have tried to talk to it, but as soon as it sees me, it runs away and vanishes.

I tried several times to get a photo of it, but I had no luck.

The Shadow Man in My Own Home

I moved to a new location, and I've seen a shadow person—who I'm sure is a male—several times in the house and a few times in the yard.

The man moves about very quickly, though I have seen him several times standing perfectly still. One evening before dark, when the stars were just visible above, I saw him walk across my backyard, up the back steps, and right through the backdoor. I came into the house almost at once, but I did not see him inside that day.

I have seen him in the house several times, including on the day I wrote this article. During this most recent sighting, he was standing in the hallway near the bathroom door, perfectly still. When he noticed me watching, he left almost at once.

What This Shadow Man Looks Like

The shadow man in my house is about six feet, six inches tall, and I can tell he is wearing clothes and shoes. He does not wear a hat. He has regular eyes. He appears not to want me to stare at him, and if I do, he quickly vanishes.

I have seen him travel quickly from the living room area over into the kitchen area. When he moves, it's like he's just a blur. It is, however, very easy to see him when he stops. I've not been able to take a photo of him. If he sees me reach for the camera, he vanishes.

What I Believe Shadow People Are

I am interested in shadow people, and I've done extensive research over the years to try to determine what they are. Ultimately, I think they are some form of ghosts. Others believe they are something else—demons, ancient spirits, shades of the underworld, or merely hallucinations.

Answer the poll below to give your own opinion.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2010 Thomas Byers

Have you ever seen a shadow person? Post your comment (but no links will ever be approved).

Andrea Croucher on December 17, 2018:

Several years ago I was in bed relaxing & trying to sleep, not long after going to bed.

Im a night owl & my husband the opposite, and he'd been in bed asleep (snoring) for quite some time.

A buzzing noise occured near my bedroom door....a cracking, fizzing kind of noise, like electricity with popping sounds, lots of buzzing movement.

A black shadow appeared at the doorway (but more than that...it was like a squiggle of black lines moving, buzzing, electrified), it moved from the doorway, on the right hand side of the bed & along the front of the bed, to me, where I was lying on the left hand side.

This fizzing and cracking noise continued as it came around the bed towards me.....I didnt mean to but I cowered (freeked out) in the bed and brought the sheets up to my chin then over my face. My husband was back facing me at the time and snoring...oblivious to what horror was unfolding before my eyes....

This entity came right up beside my bed and started to lean down towards me....I cant say that I saw this but I felt it with every inch of my being.....Imagine my total surprise & horror when my husband (from backfacing me) suddenly twisted around and put one arm over me and said in this demonic voice (inches from when it stood) "GO AWAY" in a voice I'd never ever heard from him ever.. I can only describe it as a demonic voice, rough, gravely & from the soul??.....then he fell back into the position he was just seconds earlier & commenced snoring almost instantly again! with no memory of this occuring!

This entity completely vanished after my husband did this....I was unable to speak & totally dumbstruck with what had happened...

I sat up, turned the light on and spent a few minutes in contemplation about what had happened before I woke my husband and explained what he had done...

He comforted me but had no idea of the horror he helped me to avoid!

Can anyone please enlightened me further on what happened? This is the kind of stuff you see in movies and not real life?

J on September 24, 2018:

What if you see them in day time, just passing by like they dont care if you see them? About 3 pm. Solid form all black featureless, what are they and what they want do you know

mike on April 28, 2016:

started to see shadow people in the last fue days sat at my pc looked over sholder to see some standing there as see them they vanish also things keep catching the corner of my eye

monthati on August 14, 2015:

wow very interesting i thought i was the only person seeing shadow people

Paul Vu on July 28, 2015:

On the night after my mom died when I was 11 years old a shadow appeared when I was sleeping along with my brother and sister. It wasn't a small house but, we only have one bedroom at the time where everyone slept. I believe it might of been sleep paralysis because when I saw the shadow figure I could not move or knew what to make of it until it approached me and appeared to give me a hug. My heart began racing and I had this undesirable fear. Then everything blacked out and It was like i was asleep again. When I woke up I clearly remembered the moment but, could not seem to make out weather I was awake or asleep during the encounter with "The Shadow Figure".

The same exact thing happened the night after, but I never mentioned it to anyone until about 3 years later during a confession in which I asked a Priest what the shadow might of meant. He only responded with an answer that said ,"The Shadow Figure is just your imagination"

My beliefs and faith reached a turning point...

Now 8 years later I have come to the assumption that the visit was from my Mom, since I always been the "Trouble Child". I never made good grades in school compared to my siblings and cousins. Also I was told that she loved and worried about me the most..hence the reason for the visit.

This is one thing science cannot prove nor disprove.

Shadow Figures seem to be connected to something...and in my case I believe it was my Mom attachment to me. She loved me too much to let go and was somehow stuck in between worlds.

Justine brooks on July 20, 2015:

Ok so like 10 minutes ago i was at the entrence of my hallway and i was frozen in fear as i looked forward and saw a 7ft figure all black basically a black silhouette of a ma, no features, stich its whole head out of the laundry room and it stood there for like 2 minutes then disappear

Joe on July 09, 2015:

This is weird, but I woke up and saw a black mass on the ceiling. If my eyes were squinted it would move closer and closer to me, the longer I held the squint the closer it would move towards me. If I opened my eyes fully the black shadow would immediately retreat and look like a normal shadow on the wall, could have been my eyes playing tricks on me.

Joe on July 09, 2015:

I got major goose bumps when I saw the picture of the shadow with a hat, I have seen that close to me.

Chase on May 27, 2015:

Ok so there is a shadowy figure that follows me. When I was little I remember I was in my bed at night and got a strange feeling. So I woke up. I could see something in front of my door. I thought it was my mom checking on me so I rubbed my eyes to make sure but it was not what I thought it would be. It was a figure of a person looking at me! I didn't know what to do so I sat still looking at it. Then it moved slowly towards me and stopped at the edge of my bed. The figure then bent down a crawled under my bed where I then felt it bump the bed softly twice from underneath. I yelled at the top of my lungs and when my parents heard what I told them they thought I just had a bad dream but it wasn't and they didn't believe me. And ever since I would always see the shadowy figure in a corner or hallway or closet or outside my window but when I looked at it. It would run or dart around the corner and disappear.

The last time I saw it I was at school at a high school football game warming up with the rest of the drumline just before halftime and I could see the figure in the freshman academy building staring at us through a window in a dark classroom. I nudged my friend and asked if he beloved me about the figure. He said no. I then pointed to the figure in the window and said what about now. He looked and saw it too. He said he could see it and it made me feel better. Cause I at least knew I wasn't crazy. But then the figure vanished and the shades moved and I would only see every now and then. It followed me every where for years. It even followed me through three houses. I don't know what it is or what it wants but I had a feeling it wasn't evil.

scott on May 20, 2015:

Back when I was about 19 years old(over 20 years ago now),we lived in a house with the back garden backing onto a graveyard.

I am not religious,and don't believe in ghosts/spirits etc.. but I am at a loss to explain this.

It started with hearing a voice calling my name as I would walk from our house on the outskirts of a coastal town in Scotland,this went on maybe once or twice a week for around 3 months,I put it down to my imagination at the time.

Around 1 week after the last time I heard my name called I was sitting in the living room with our 7 year old dog who never barked or growled at anything or anyone.

I was watching TV when my dog turned to the living room door with her hair up and growling,I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of a shadow on the other size of a full sized glass door,so I turned around to see what she was growling at,a perfectly shaped pitch black shadow in the form of a 6'4" man was walking past the door but stopped and turned to look at me for about 3 seconds before walking on.

The figure had no eyes,no hat,no cloak,or hood,just looked like a perfectly shaped black cutout of a person,it was so strange to see,the only fear I felt was that someone had got into my house somehow.

I ran out the room into my bedroom and grabbed my machete and checked the entire house,every room,every door,every window,all were locked and there was no sign of anyone entering the house,my parents were at work,my brother was out,and it was around 2pm on a summer afternoon.

I never saw anything like that again,never heard the voice again,but my dog did look at the corner of the room with her hair up and growling a few times over the next few months,then it just stopped.

Again I do not believe in ghosts/spirits/gods/demons etc.. but am at a complete loss as to what to call this or put it down do.

Amanda on February 28, 2015:

Today I was laying in bed and started seeing things about the size of barbie dolls dressed in black hiding there faces but they never said anything and then I dot the camera and tried taking a pic but it didn't come out and they dissapeared..a fee seconds later a mini cowboy family sitting on the food of my bed I couldn't make them out much and they seemed scared I tried eating erthing to let them no theywere safe I reached and touched them but they were not solid. I even tried telling them I will never harm but I did try a picture and they Diasapeared. I want them to know if I scared them that I truly am sorry I hope they come back soon it was a wonderful experience

Brittney on February 23, 2015:

I see shadow people all the time! It started when i was 10 and has been following me ever since. I have moved all over phoenix over the years and no matter where im at (if im there long enough) it will always appear in my room, next to my side of the bed, while im asleep. Its like i sense something watching me because i always wake up out of a dead sleep to notice it. Once i notice it, it comes closer, unless i wake up my husband to turn on the light. I have also noticed it watching my children sleep when they were younger and slept inside their cribs.

Whats really odd is when i used to notice its presence, it would disapear, but now it comes closer which is very scary!! I havent seen the hatman but have seen a very dark human like figure, man like with long arms. I have also had a friend see it aswell during a sleep over, she happened to walk into my room to see it watching me sleep! So i know its not just in my head.

I have also seen ghosts that were very detailed but transparent. One tried to talk to me but i couldnt hear her, all i saw was her mouth moving. Later i found out the older woman who owned the place previously had died inside.

Mary Raffaele on February 14, 2015:

For the past month I have been seeing a black figure walking past on our decking out the back. For some reason am not scared but prefer not to see them. This figure also appears to wear a hat?? Is it bad to see this?

Royce on January 23, 2015:

Scary. I have actually seen a shadow person before. But when I seen it, it seemed to run away, not disappear. It seemed to have very human like reflexes, but it moved very unusual. The first thing I thought when I saw it was, "this looks like a demon."

Ronald Stephanie WISEMAN on January 19, 2015:

Very informtive article and it seems to havre a lot of feedback. Great Work! Weactually write about the same topic if you'd like to check it out sometime. Thanks, Thumbs up, Interesting and Sharing this great article!

Thomas Byers (author) from East Coast , United States on December 31, 2014:

Your very welcome. Thanks for a great story. It is appreciated.

Honesty on December 30, 2014:

I'm giving you the short version. On two separate accounts i have had very clear contact.

First time i was on the beach. My boyfriend was in the car rolling a joint. I walked to the water. For 2 hours he walked up and down the beach, screaming my name. He was about to dial 911 with tears in his eyes. He said he was afraid i drowned. I felt like no time passed but walked up the beach and had a driftwood in my hand. Walking stick. I looked around me and saw people. They were so many on the beach dressed in black. One was a customer of mine. I repeated his name several times. The people smiled and kept walking the beach. I then looked up the beach and saw my boyfriend. I could not explain the stick but it was bone dry. Vinny was crazy with worry. I told him i just walked away from the car few minutes ago, why was he do stressed out. He said no you were gone 2 hours. There are Couple more odd things that happened to us after that.

Another time i had to move from a home i rented. Bad things were happening to 6 families. It was a 6 family home. I went back in the evening to get more stuff. My two children were clung to my legs as i yelled at a large black shadow in the kitchen corner. I thought someone was hiding as it was dusk and it was the only thing i could think of. I said if you just leave i won't call the police.i was frozen because as my eyes adjusted i saw it was a very dark tall glob. Shaped like a person. Something drew me to it. I put my hand into the corner right into the shadow. To this day i will never forget my fear. I now have a white streak in my hair. I'm thinking from fear.i grabbed the children and ran. There were to many bad things going on and houses all around our house being burned down and all accidents. I actually left all my belongings. Left my frig side by side and furniture. Everything. I'm told since i was young i was sensitive. I am very intuitive. There are many stories since i was a child but these two stood out about shadow people.